We can, at least,
Asdrubal Cabrera Jersey write the Rockets and Warriorsinto the Western Conference playoff slate, in ink. Therest, however, requires a No. 2 pencil.In evaluatinghow the final month will play out in the West, with four games separating the third seed from the 10th, let's start by sizing up where the teams stand now. The Trail Blazers arein the best situation, at 41-26, and havea reasonable schedule remaining. At the bottom are the Spurs, whose situation looks desperate but who are bolstered by a favorable, home-heavy schedule from here out.MORE: Here's a basic look at the way the schedule shapes up...SeedTeamRecordGamesHomeRoadB-to-BsOpp. %3Trail Blazers41-2615782.5384Thunder40-2913671.5735Pelicans*38-28161064*.5496Timberwolves39-2914773.4747Clippers36-29177103.5578Jazz37-3015962.4899Nuggets37-30155101.52910Spurs37-30151051.554(*New Orleans has twoback-to-backs, and one three-in-a-row stretch, which is counted as two back-to-backs.)Of course, nothing is that simple. Some teams have injured players coming back, some have players mired in deep slumps and some have terrible records on the road, or even at home. With that in mind, let's dig into all 10 playoff contenders beyond Houston and Golden State, and see howthe upcoming slate combined with recent performance should leave these teams when the regular season ends. Trail Blazers: Riding high into playoffsThe stakes: The Trail Blazers, after a slow start, are eager to build on the progre s theyve made in the last two years. It would take adrastic collapse in the final 15 games for the Blazers to mi s the playoffs. Instead, their focus is on maintaining one of the top fourseeds and earning the home-court edge.The key: Damian Lillard has been outstanding during the Blazers nine-game winning streak, ranking fifth in the league with a plus/minus of 11.0. He is leading the league in 3-point attempts in that span (10.2 per game) and making 4.4 of them, which also leads the league.Red flag: The schedule is deceptively difficult. At .538, the remaining opponents dont
Joey Gallo Jersey have an overwhelming winning percentage, and the remaining 15 games go seven at home and eight no the road. But among the home games are Cleveland, Houston, Boston, the Clippers and Utah. And the road games are not sprinkled throughout there are two extended trips, one of three games and one of four.Outlook: Starting with a four-game cushion and on a hot streak, its pretty safe to put the Blazersinto the playoffs. Even if they only won eight of their final 15, theyd still be at 49 wins and easily in the mix. Most likely, theyll win 10 games or so to finish the year, be in the 51-win range and earn the No. 3 seed.First-round matchup: No. 3 Portland vs. No. 6 Utah Thunder: The Paul George problemThe stakes: Well, we know whats at stake for this team. Paul George will be a free agent this
Elvis Andrus Jersey summer, and while there has been some hope that he can be talked into remaining with the Thunder, that all could change dramatically if OKC cant even make the playoffs as currently constructed.The key: A strong finish from George is going to be needed here, and thats never quite been his strength. In his career, Georges post-All-Star scoring drops from 19.3 points to 17.3 points, and his 3-point shooting goes from 39.0 percent to 35.0 percent. So far, George has disappointed, dropping from 22.5 points to 19.1, and seeing his 3-point shooting go from 43.3 percent before the break to 28.2 since.Red flag: The Thunder have an absolutely brutal schedule ahead. Its not just that their upcoming opponents have the best winning percentage among those teams fighting for these playoff spotsits that the schedule is bookended by games against Atlanta and Memphis. Other than those two,OKC has 11 games against teams in the playoff hunt, and those teams have a winning mark of .627. Outlook: The schedule is overwhelming. OKC will be lucky to win five of the 11 games against playoff teams, plus the two against Atlanta and Memphis. That would get them to 47 wins, which is probably good for the No. 5 or 6 seed, given that OKC has the tiebreaker over Utah (though not over New Orleans).First-round matchup: No. 4Minnesota vs. No. 5 Oklahoma City Pelicans: There's no place like home (unfortunately)The stakes: No team has more invested ina trip to the postseason than the Pelicans. The big trade for DeMarcus Cousins last year allowed a reset for coach Alvin Gentry and GM Dell Demps, and with Cousins out because of a torn Achilles, the Pels still need to find a way to hang onto a postseason slot.The key: Anthony Davis has been incredible for the Pelicans down the stretch, averaging 34.6 points and 13.4 rebounds with 3.7 blocks in his last 11 games. He mi sed a game with an ankle injury, though, and his health will be worth monitoring over New Orleans final 16 games.Red flag: Because of a roof problem at the Smoothie
Shelby Miller Jersey King Center, the Pelicans had to kick a game back to late March, which leaves them with a crowded schedule, including a run of three games in three nights from March 21-23. The happy news should be that 10 of their final 16 games are at home, but the Pelicans are a terrible home team, going just 17-14 at the Smoothie, and 21-14 on the road.Outlook: Theyve got to get some wins at home, or the whole thing falls apart. Even with Davis greatne s, theyre probably looking at a split of their remaining 16 games, or something close to it. That will put New Orleans at about 46 wins, and the bet here is that will get them the No. 7 seed.First-round matchup: No. 2Golden State vs. No. 7 New Orleans Timberwolves: Surviving without Jimmy ButlerThe stakes: In trading for Jimmy Butler last summer, the Wolves established the playoffs and perhaps even the second round as their goal. Thats a big one, since Minnesota has a postseason drought going back to 2004.The key: The Wolves win over the Warriors was big in that it stopped a four-game losing streak, as the team sets up for another tough week (at Washington and San Antonio, then home against the Rockets and Clippers). Minnesota just needs to
Taylor Guerrieri Jersey survive this stretch two wins would be great to get to the very soft part of the schedule, and hopefully get Butler back on the floor. Minnesota has the easiest remaining schedule of West contenders.Red flag: As always with Thibodeau-coached teams, its wear-and-tear. The Timberwolvesbench is easily the worst among all playoff teams, with a net rating of minus-4.8, 25th in the league. Andre Wiggins leads the NBA in minutes p
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