In an exciting and high-calibre play-off race at the Western Conference, eight teams compete for the remaining six postseason places behind the Warriors and Rockets. SPOX illuminates the form and remaining schedule of the Thunder, Spurs, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Clippers, Trail Blazers and Jazz – and dares to predict who will win the race and who will look into the tube at the end.
The form: With five wins in a row and seven out of the last eight games, RIP City is now in third place in the standings. The successes during the streak against the direct competition from Minneapolis and Utah were particularly important. The Defense came out stabilized again (rating: 5th place in the last 10 games), Lillard presents himself in dazzling shape and is accustomed to clutch. Important: No decisive rotation player is injured.
The rest of the programme (11 times home, 9 times away): Two more duels with OKC are waiting, and the Warriors and the Cavaliers are coming to Oregon soon. Four of the last five games will be played on foreign floors, three of them in a row in Houston, San Antonio and Denver. All in all, the Blazers have quite a bit of food in the form of tanking teams against grizzlies and mavericks.
Forecast: Portland has started a run at a very good time. However, the hard rest of the game plan provides a damper. Especially in front of a domestic setting, blunders are taboo. Then it should be enough for 6th place to avoid the Warriors and Rockets.
The form: Playoffs without the spurs sound like Dirk without Fadeaway – almost unimaginable. But in the Wild West, it could actually happen. There was only one win in the last six games (after all, against the Cavaliers). The numerous defeats usually took place with over 100 points, and in the last ten games San Antonio was the Association’s tenth worst defense. Kawhi Leonard’s comeback cannot come soon enough, after all, it’s planned for March. The question remains how fit the claw actually is.
The rest of the programme (12 home, 8 away): In mid-March there are three away games in a row – against the Warriors, Thunder and Rockets. Beautiful views are different. These three teams are also still at the AT&T Center. There are few victories in passing: The grizzlies, magic and kings are still coming to Texas. Direct duels will be fought against OKC, Portland, Minnesota, New Orleans and Utah. Whew.
Prognosis: With Coach Pop, the Spurs have the biggest trump card in their backhand. There is also hope for home strength (22-7), even if the guests are usually top-class. Nevertheless, the Super-GAU is conceivable in the form of missing the playoffs. But if Leonard gets back in time and in halfway good shape, this scenario will be averted. Rank 4!
Page 1: Blazers & Spurs
Page 2: Thunder & Timberwolves
Page 3: Pelicans & Nuggets
Page 4: Clippers & Jazz plus table