Who will take the West 2 seed?
Through 68 games, the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies are in a deadlock for the 2nd seed in the Western Conference. All with a record of 43-25, the remaining 14 games will be the difference between 2nd and 4th. To make matters more interesting, the Los Angeles Lakers (40-25) have three games in hand and are easily in the race for the 2nd seed as well.
Luka has been spectacular over the past few weeks. However, as a result of LeBron’s groin strain sidelining him since 8 March, the Lakers have dropped games they really should be winning, including a narrow loss to the Nets and a 20-point loss to the Bucks. James is expected to miss another week of action, and once back, the Lakers will look to continue the impressive level of play they established before the injury.
Meanwhile, the Warriors (39-28) and the Timberwolves (39-29) are both in a position to make a run. The Warriors have been unbelievable since acquiring Jimmy Butler, going 16-2 and continually making their way up in the seeding. For the Timberwolves, this season has been rather disappointing. However, the team has still held up to an impressive standard of basketball, especially in their past few games, including comfortable wins against the Magic and the Nuggets.
With consideration for all of the above, the NBA is in a position where the Houston Rockets, the current 2nd seed, could end up in 7th place if they drop a few games that the aforementioned teams pick up. The Western Conference is extremely tough this year, as it has been in years prior. However, it still feels as though any team wanting to take it all the way will have to go through Oklahoma City. Regardless, the next few weeks of basketball between these top teams will be extremely entertaining. It is genuinely anyone's game.
Warriors go 16-2
In what is easily the best team turnaround of the season, the Golden State Warriors, since acquiring Jimmy Butler, are 16-2 and have jumped from mid-play-in seeding to a solidified playoff position, with an opportunity to steal even higher seeding in the next few weeks.
Jimmy Butler has been fantastic, averaging 16 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. However, the team's success comes off the back of confidence and joy rather than purely basketball talent. Looking at the monthly splits of Stephen Curry, this becomes extremely clear. Throughout the first four months of the season, Curry’s averages were as follows:
October: 18/5/6
November: 23/5/6
December: 21/6/4
January: 22/5/4
However, following the acquisition of Butler on 7 February and throughout his 18 games with the Warriors, Curry has averaged 29 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, including a 56-point performance against the Orlando Magic. He has also averaged a 68.9% true shooting percentage, which before 7 February was at 49.9%.
This team has had an extremely impressive mid-season turnaround and is back in contention as potential finals favourites. They are in a rhythm that hasn't been seen since—dare I say—2016. There is also an acknowledgement within the Warriors that their three stars—Curry, Butler, and Green—do not have long left in the league. This is their best chance to get a ring before retirement, and they are giving it everything they can.
Orlando Magic snap Cleveland Cavaliers’ streak
On Sunday, the Orlando Magic snapped the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game winning streak in an impressive 108-103 victory in Cleveland.
This was a collective team win by the Magic, with Paolo Banchero totalling 24/11/7, Franz Wagner finishing with 22/8, and Wendell Carter Jr. delivering an impressive 16/14. Two other players also scored 15+ points.
Meanwhile, for the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell was solid with 23/6/5, Jarrett Allen had 20/12, and Darius Garland finished with 19/6/4. With only two other players above 10 points, it was a disappointing outing from their role players. Especially with Evan Mobley ruled out for this game, the Cavs needed someone else to step up, and it simply didn’t happen.
This 16-game winning streak was incredibly impressive, and the Cavaliers will almost certainly finish with 60+ wins—and could even near the 70-win territory...
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