Let’s call the NBA race eighth and ninth in the Western Conference as it is: pure, general, and disturbing anarchy.
Which makes it great.
And also confusing.
The elimination of the Pelicans of New Orleans and the sacrament kings of the fray did little to simplify the diversity of results. The Memphis Grizzlies (now eighth), Portland Trail Blazers (ninth), Phoenix Suns (tenth) and San Antonio Spurs (eleventh) begin their final two regular-season games with no more than one game that separates them from others in the loss. Column.
Any one of them can technically end eighth. Or ninth. Their possible paths to any of these options are probably endless. John Hollinger of The Athletic did a task by breaking down what he wants to happen for each team to make the tournament entry. I can’t do any more and I probably wouldn’t bother trying.
Instead, given this maze of logistics, I’m more interested in looking to answer the question everyone’s been asking since the league released the reboot format: which two groups are placed to qualify for the entry tournament?
Other opponents: Houston Rockets (August 11), Utah Jazz (August 13)
Counting the Spurs is for smart fools. It’s the Spurs. They’re running with 22 consecutive playoff appearances for a reason. They are here, alive by one of the spots of the game, because they are artists who have exceeded their life expectancy and that many painted before the bubble.
Yours was one of the who predicted San Antonio would go back to the lottery. We might as well remain consistent.
It’s certainly not me throwing rainy paper on the wall in the hope that it’ll stick. Not quite anyway. Your Disney World adventure just doesn’t seem sustainable.
Derrick White was incandescent, but left Sunday’s victory over the Pelicans due to a left knee injury. Keldon Johnson hasn’t missed a triple open since about Tim Duncan.com. Drew Eubanks plays and makes party shots on the edge and hangs in space. Only the Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers earn a higher percentage of 3.
Losing or not having White by his side is enough on its own to doubt the Spurs. Even if you’re doing well, your maximum likely in the entry tournament includes victory. It’sArray .. medium-sized order.
Houston has nothing to play yet doesn’t sit everyone down on Tuesday. James Harden and Eric Gordon do not play; Robert Covington, P.J. Tucker and Russell Westbrook deserve to be.
Jazz is more of a prankster. So, obviously, they have no interest in completing fifth place and betting for the Rockets and then they taught a tank master class in the middle of Monday’s game. But if they need the sixth seed and the Dallas Mavericks have a chance to win, they might be interested in Thursday’s final game result with the Spurs, which in turn would be bad news for San Antonio.
Other opponents: Philadelphia 76ers (August 11), Dallas Mavericks (August 13)
Crushing the undefees, Disney World suns look like a betrayal of basketball.
Mikal Bridges erases the planet’s rival players at will. Jevon Carter receives his defensive assignments in front of his hotel room. Cameron Johnson hits 3 and makes quick passes and barely serves as a candlestick on the cement at the less glamorous end. Cameron Payne is one of the most productive shooters in the world. Ricky Rubio reaches 44.4% of his trey. Deandre Ayton looks like a viable No. 2.
Oh, yes, and Phoenix has this devin Booker guy. Turns out it’s pretty good. Averages 30.3 numbers and 6.0 bubble assists with absurd efficiency:
Other opponents: Boston Celtics (August 11), Milwaukee Bucks (August 13)
The Grizzlies stand out from the Suns, which are far away, and I don’t feel smart about it. They’re here just for convenience. They may lose each of their last two games and still get an offer of entry, as Hollinger has elaborated:
“Memphis will make the move with a win or loss through Phoenix and San Antonio, or with two losses through Portland and one through Phoenix or San Antonio.
“Memphis secures the eighth seed with two wins, or one win and one loss in Portland. Most unlikely they will be eighth seeded if Portland loses twice and Phoenix and San Antonio lose at least once.”
Maybe he overestimates the Grizzlies’ chances.
They do not have Jaren Jackson Jr. (left mencus torn) or Justise Winslow (hip), and Tyus Jones remains sidelined by his own right knee injury. Almost none of their tails already make sense. They have an Indiana Pacers West vibe for them, surpassing the box’s talent, however, they are desperately thin in away shots, and Dillon Brooks is actively looking to give Grizz enthusiasts a central attack:
Other opponents: Dallas Mavericks (August 11), Brooklyn Nets (August 13)
It’s the fragility of Bol Bol and the small margin of error in the whole procedure of what I’m sure when the Blazers won one of the two points in the game.
Like the Grizzlies, they have their own destiny. Winning secures your entry. Network care deserves not to be a problem. Your full-power bubble list isn’t even part of your real list. The Mavs, on the other hand, have something to play for, as long as they need to finish sixths instead of seventh. Things can get ugly for the Blazers if the Dallas offensive is on the verge.
Again, falling into the hands of the Mavericks would not be the end of the world. Portland has other tactics to succeed in eighth or ninth position, assumptions that are exponentially more likely if one of the Spurs or Suns loses on Tuesday.
Perhaps the Blazers don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. They rank 20th in points allowed per 100 possessions since the restart and couldn’t find a way to beat a Clippers squad that was kind of, sort of, definitely trying to help boost their postseason chances.
However, Portland has Damian Lillard, a play that works between the ages of 40 and 50. CJ McCollum is an offensive weapon in its own right. Jusuf Nurkic is already moving much more on the defensive side. Carmelo Anthony shoots well. Gary Trent Jr. has never, ever missed a 3. The opposing crimes balance almost 46% of their 3 open against them. This is normalized immediately.
This team doesn’t just seem to be the maximum number of participants. He’s like the favorite to win it.
Unless otherwise stated, statistics are provided through NBA.com, Basketball Reference or Cleaning the Glass and are in progress before Friday’s games. Salary and cap data through Basketball Insiders, Early Bird Rights and Spotrac.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale) and pay attention to his podcast Hardwood Knocks, co-host via Adam Fromal of B/R.
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