Should the Celtics be concerned?
The Boston Celtics have struggled as of late to find the level of consistency they have had for majority of the season. Over their last 10 games, they are just 5-5 with some losses against teams they are far superior to such as the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz. With their recent struggles and the Philadelphia 76ers surging, they have dropped to the 3rd seed in the East after previously being a #1 seed before the Milwaukee Bucks caught fire.
They are sorely missing their defensive anchor in Robert Williams, who has been out due to a hamstring injury. In their last 5 losses, they have given up at least 111 points in every loss which is concerning for a team so close to the playoffs. In 3 of those 5 losses, they were outrebounded by a wide margin which again shows the impact of the Williams injury. Though they have time to get things right, their concern should be based off a possible matchup with the Sixers in the 2nd round. Although they are 3-0 against Philadelphia, not having home court advantage for a potential game 7 is a big factor in any playoff series especially with the Sixers playing so well as of late. I still believe the winner of the East will likely come down to another Bucks-Celtics series but Celtics will need to be better come playoff time for that to happen.
Are the Nuggets recent struggles exposing them?
The Denver Nuggets have been the best team in the west seemingly all season long but their recent stretch has possibly exposed some of their weaknesses. A little over a week ago, they suffered their longest losing streak of the season which was concerning mainly because of who they lost too. They started of the streak with an embarrassing blowout at home to a Chicago Bulls team still clawing to make it into the play in tournament. The most disappointing loss had to have been against the lowly San Antonio Spurs who are one of the worst teams in the league.
Although they have had their recent struggles, they still maintain a solid 4 game lead over the 2nd seeded Sacramento Kings. Still, I feel their recent struggles exposes the lack of fear they instill in teams compared to some of the other top teams in the league. Specifically in the West, I would argue the two most feared teams are the Sacramento Kings and The Phoenix Suns when Kevin Durant returns from injury. With that said, the Nuggets are still a team talentwise that can beat anyone but will have to play far better to get past the previously mentioned teams come playoff time.
Play-in madness: Who's in and Who's out?
With the playoffs right around the corner, the possibilities of the play-in tournament are getting more interesting each day. As of today, the 4 teams that are currently eligible for the play-in tournament in the West are the Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz. In the East, the current play-in teams are the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and Chicago Bulls. Obviously a lot of shuffling will happen in both conferences in regards to the play in tournament, but their are couple teams that I feel are a lock to make it.
The Warriors despite their road struggles are still a talented veteran team that should easily make the tournament or even avoid the play-in entirely. Conversely, the team I see falling out of the play-in race is the Timberwolves mainly due to the injuries to their stars in Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns. The team that I see taking their spot is the Los Angeles Lakers as they are too talented of team to not find a spot in the tournament and could be a major threat if they make the playoffs.
The Eastern Conference play-in tournament appears a little easier to predict since the teams in
the 7-10 seeds are considerably more talented than the teams below them. With that said, the Heat are a team I feel that is most likely to avoid the play-in entirely since they sit just a game behind the new look Brooklyn Nets. Of the current play-in teams, the team that is least likely to make the playoffs in my opinion is the Hawks who have been one of the most disappointing teams this season. The team that is most likely to take their spot is the Raptors as although they have been inconsistent, they are still the most talented play-in team besides the Heat.
Game of the week- De'Aaron Fox states his case for the clutch player of the year award as he drops 32 points including the game-winning 3 with 0.7 seconds left to lift the Kings over the Bulls on the road in Chicago. Demar Derozan drops a game high 33 points in the loss.
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