Wow. Was this NBA regular season one to remember or what? From Steph Curry and Golden State making history to Kobe Bryant walking off the floor for the final time, there have been a number of moments, records and plays that will be remembered as some of basketball’s greatest highlights.
But the fun is just getting started, and the next two months will elevate the Association to even greater heights. Let’s take a look at where all 30 teams stand after 82 games.
Starting with the teams that are straight up terrible — that means you, Sixers and Lakers. These two teams are going to be living and dying by their draft picks for a while. But wait, isn’t that what the Sixers have been saying for years now?
There is no other way to put it: The Sixers team that has been on display over the past several years is the most dysfunctional and embarrassing franchise in sports history.
As for the Lakers, five-time champion Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest winners the game has ever seen, enters the pantheon of the NBA’s legends as a loser?
If not for Philadelphia, the Lakers would also be going down among the worst teams ever, which is a humongous disappointment considering how great of a celebration this season should have and could have been in Los Angeles. The Sixers and Lakers are complete disgraces and will look to build for the future in the draft.
They, along with the upcoming teams, hope to land Louisiana State University sensation Ben Simmons, who sits atop a deep draft class that also consists of Duke University’s Brandon Ingram, Wooden Award winner Buddy Hield out of Oklahoma State University and Croatian stud Dragan Bender.
Let’s move onto the teams that are close to but not quite at the bottom of the barrel. The Kings, Knicks, Nets and Suns lack a strong sense of direction, but at least have light at the end of the tunnel.
The Kings — led by star DeMarcus Cousins — have some of the pieces to look toward contention. However, as a 10-year playoff drought, as various organizational issues have illustrated, Sacramento is another dysfunctional franchise that needs to figure out how to point itself in the right direction.
The Knicks have a rising star in Kristaps Porzingis, but his inability to coexist with Carmelo Anthony persists, and the team will probably have to move Anthony if they want to become serious contenders.
Now come the teams that have the pieces to be of playoff-caliber, but have just not been able to put it together yet. The Bucks, Magic, Nuggets, Pelicans and Timberwolves all have solid pieces in place and should all be considered as teams ready to contend in the next year or so.
Onto the decent, but not quite good enough to be considered legitimate contenders in the Western Conference — otherwise known as anyone not named the Warriors, Spurs, Thunder or Clippers. The Trailblazers were a pleasant surprise this season after losing four of their five starters in the offseason.
The Blazers are led by young guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who have taken the team under their wings. A certain team in the Bay Area has proven the potential of a guard-centered team, so look for Portland to improve its frontcourt depth in the offseason in order to complement Lillard and McCollum.
Such transactions will make this team even better than it already surprisingly is. The Rockets — even if they lose Dwight Howard this summer — have one of the NBA’s elite scorers in James Harden, so look for them to regain the magic they showed last season once again in the near future.
The Grizzlies have been absolutely ravaged by injuries this season. The fact that they are still making the playoffs in the ever-competitive Western Conference demonstrates a lot about their character and reaffirms their likelihood of being serious contenders next year when they are healthy.
In the Eastern Conference, the Bulls and Wizards dealt with injuries throughout the year but still should have been able to make the playoffs this season. Expect them to get back on track next season, with Chicago’s Jimmy Butler and Washington’s duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal continuing to become stars in the league.
Besides the Cavaliers and Raptors, all of the Eastern Conference’s playoff teams are tightly packed together and will be giving the top two teams a run for their money as they vie for a spot in the Finals. Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson have the Pistons back in the playoffs under head coach Stan Van Gundy. Detroit is a balanced team that will not go out quietly. A healthy Paul George has the Pacers back in the postseason after his broken leg last season left them just barely on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
Kemba Walker and the Hornets return to the playoffs after an underwhelming 2014-2015 season. Along with Nicolas Batum and a now-healthy Al Jefferson, the Hornets will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. The Hawks followed up an outstanding season last year with another great one this year. Led by four players who have made the All-Star Game in at least one of the past two seasons, Atlanta’s balance has it poised to make another deep run in the playoffs. The Celtics, under head coach Brad Stevens and led by All-Star Isaiah Thomas, have had an extremely impressive season and possess enough depth to go up against any team in the league.
The Heat is made up of young and rising stars along with strong and experienced veterans. Look for three-time champion Dwyane Wade and double-double and block specialist Hassan Whiteside to lead the way, with a possible return from Chris Bosh coming at some point down the road.
Finally, onto the six teams most likely to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy come June.
In the Western Conference, the Thunder and the Clippers are phenomenal teams that have been masked by the historical success of their foes; however, they could very well end up peaking at the right time and knocking them off. When you’re dealing with Durant and Westbrook in Oklahoma City and Paul, Griffin and Jordan in Los Angeles, all bets are off.
In the Eastern Conference, the Raptors have had a spectacular season, and the Cavaliers have done enough to maintain the No. 1 seed. LeBron and the Cavs will be the favorites to reach the Finals, but do not be at all surprised if Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors push themselves right past Cleveland.
Toronto has all the pieces in place and having beat the Cavs two out of three times in the regular season, they may just be Cleveland’s Achilles heel.
