Which Team Will Secure the Last Play-In Spot in the West?
With the NBA regular season quickly coming to a close, several teams are floating around the bottom of the conference standings that need one last push to get into the NBA playoffs. With the new playoff format that was unveiled last year, it now makes it possible for teams near the bottom to make it into an exciting tournament to make the playoffs. The Eastern conference playoffs are mostly set in stone with which teams will be making it into the playoffs, but the Western Conference is a different story. Several teams near the 10th, 11th, and 12th positions could all make it into the playoffs in the final remaining games of the season. So which team will secure that final play-in spot?
Phoenix Suns - Currently 11th
Although the Phoenix Suns are behind the Dallas Mavericks by several games in the standings, they probably have the best shot at securing that final play-in spot. The Sun's roster may be on the brink of a rebuild with the Devin Booker and Kevin Durant experiment looking like an overall failure, but they could still find a way to win a few games down the stretch and creep into the playoffs. Looking at the final games of the regular season for Phoenix, it is a tough stretch as they have to play multiple top playoff teams, which could hurt their chances of catching Dallas in time. However, with the Suns playing the Mavericks today they have a great opportunity to make up a good amount of ground if they can manage to get a win on the road.
Dallas Mavericks - Currently 10th
To say that Mavericks fans didn’t expect the season to go this way after how the season ended last year would be an understatement. This team, and its management, have somehow managed to send this team into a complete rebuild. They traded away Luka Doncic, lost both Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis to injuries, and don’t have a solidified option to lead them for the rest of the season. The only reason this team has a chance of holding onto the play-in spot is because they have a two and a half game lead on the Suns and a fairly easy schedule to close out the regular season.
Portland Trail Blazers - Currently 12th
The Blazers are a bit of a long shot to earn the last play-in spot, but it would be exciting if they were able to mount a late season surge to get it. They have a decently difficult end of season schedule, but they are a young and scrappy team that makes them a threat to older teams that are slowing down at this point of the year. The Blazers were in a much better spot to get this play-in spot a few weeks ago, but they haven’t done enough to overcome their slow start yet. Although I don’t see this team going anywhere in the playoffs, I still think it would be exciting to see this team be a massive underdog and potentially pull off a big upset in the play-in games.
