Three NBA Teams That Must Make a Statement in the Second Half of the Season
If you are any sort of an NBA fan you now know that we are nearly 60 games through the NBA season and the playoffs are steadily approaching with every day that goes by. While no team has clinched yet teams such as the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and others at the top of the standings will be seeing the asterisk by their team’s name soon which signifies they are going to the playoffs. The top six teams in each conference will automatically get playoff spots and the seventh through ten seeds will play for the seventh and eighth seed for both sides. All that being said, what three teams have to make a statement in the second half of the NBA season if they want to set themselves up for success come playoff time?
1. Milwaukee Bucks
If you are any sort of Bucks fan, then you know they started the season with a different Head Coach than they currently have. They started the season under the leadership of Head Coach Adrian Griffin but after the team’s front office felt that Griffin lacked the chemistry with the players to help them reach success such as winning an NBA Championship, he was fired in late January despite leading Milwaukee to a record of 30-13 and being the second seed in the Eastern Conference just over halfway through the season. The Bucks front office decided that long-time NBA popular coach Doc Rivers was the right man for the job and so Rivers was hired three days after the Griffin release. Since becoming the Bucks Head Coach Rivers has coached Milwaukee to the record of an incredibly mediocre 5-7 through 12 games. When you think about the fact the Bucks have two of the best players in the league on their roster point guard Damian Lillard and power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo who are both healthy right now this record is completely unacceptable. What do the Bucks need to do to play like one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference like they are?
2. Sacramento Kings
Last season the Sacramento Kings had a stellar season finishing the regular season with a record of 48 wins and 34 losses and finishing third in the Western Conference. However, once they got to the playoffs, they got matched up against a tough opponent in the first round the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors' core players, made up of point guard Stephen Curry, shooting guard Klay Thompson, and power forward Draymond Green, have won four NBA Championships together and have an abundant amount of playoff experience. This playoff experience helped them, despite the Kings' incredible performance, end up winning the series in seven games and being the team that got to move on to the Western Conference Semifinals. Fast forward to this season, the Sacramento Kings are 33-23 through 56 games played and currently sit as the fifth seed in the Western Conference. However, through ten games this month the Kings are 6-4, and while they have had a few tough games they cannot lose to teams like the Detroit Pistons if they want to see themselves have success come playoff time. Will the Kings be able to win in the playoffs this year or will their postseason inexperience be a liability to them once again?
3. New York Knicks
It seems like the New York Knicks have been the topic of many different NBA discussions as of late. The Knicks started getting in the news in late December when they traded shooting guard RJ Barrett, shooting guard Immanuel Quickley, and a 2024 second-round pick to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for small forward OG Anunoby, power forward Precious Achiuwa, and point guard Malachi Flynn. Later in the season, the Knicks made another trade move right before the February 8th NBA trade deadline when they acquired shooting guard Alec Burks and small forward Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for shooting guard Quentin Grimes, shooting guard Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, guard Ryan Arcidiacono, and two future second-round picks. These trades were huge for New York as they provided veteran leadership in Burks and Bogdanovic as well as offensive and defensive talent in Anunoby and big man talent in Achiuwa. While New York was playing great in January after the Anunoby trade, even being the owners of a nine-game win streak at one point, since receiving Burks and Bogdanovic the Knicks have been struggling a bit as they are 2-4 in the last six games and barely beat the Pistons tonight. What can the Knicks do to get things back on track and peak at the right time before the playoffs start?
In conclusion, as stated in the beginning of this article the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, and New York Knicks all must make a statement if they want to see themselves successful once the playoffs begin. However, they are not the only teams in the NBA who need to do so. Other teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, and Miami Heat all have a lot riding on how they play for the rest of the season. What teams need to make a statement in the remaining games we have in the NBA season?
