Well, folks. We’re finally here. It’s the final countdown. The NBA has hit the last stretch of games before it’s playoff time.
The doldrums on the way to the All-Star break are gone. No more talking about how to fix the game — all that is done. This is when teams begin to ramp up. They start to experiment with some of their best lineups that they’ve pocketed all season long and really start to shape their individual identities for the playoffs.
But everyone in the league isn’t a contender, though. Most teams don’t actually have a shot at winning a title this season. Only a handful can actually claim to be in that conversation.
By my estimation, there are 8 of them. Let’s dive into all of them and talk about what we should be watching for as the season winds down.