The second half of the NBA season is winding down and with the final stretch right around the corner, all eyes are on the playoff picture with a focus on which teams will get in and which teams will not. Here is a look at the four teams currently on the outside looking in that could still make a run and potentially make the playoffs.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards have won four straight to close the gap on the final playoff spot to just a half-game heading in to Thursday night’s action and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they found a way in. John Wall has been excellent this season, but the key to their recent success has been their bench play and development of their young wing Otto Porter Jr. He and Alan Anderson have provided Washington with a spark off the bench and that has taken some of the pressure off of their starting unit. The Wizards are 7-2 since the All-Star break and suddenly it looks like they could make a run down this final stretch and find a way to get in to the postseason. Remember that last year, head coach Randy Wittman spent a huge portion of the season on the hot seat before the Wizards got it together. That looks to be the case this year again as the Wizards looking like a completely different team after the All-Star break.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have dropped four straight and seven of their last 10 games. Jimmy Butler has been sidelined and that’s a major reason for the team’s slump. Suddenly, they are on the outside in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Their 5-14 skid is the team’s worst through 19 games in any of the past 11 seasons. Maybe firing Tom Thibodeau wasn’t such a bad decision after all.
However, there is reason to believe they can turn it around down the final stretch. Getting Butler back would be huge, but the reality is that this team has to get back to playing the same high level of defense they played throughout the first half of the season. Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott can still carry this team at the offense end of the floor while Butler is sidelined and if they get him back sooner rather than later, then Chicago could still find a way to keep the league’s third-longest playoff streak alive.
Utah Jazz
Quinn Snyder has done an incredible job coaching up the Jazz this season. He likely won’t get the credit he deserves, but based on what he has accomplished so far, he certainly deserves to be considered among the best in the NBA. Injuries have taken their toll on Utah and they have dropped four in a row, but they are still just one-half game back of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The schedule isn’t an easy one, but Gordon Hayward has really stepped up and the addition of Shelvin Mack seems to be a good one. The Jazz have a tough road ahead of them, but they are right there in the mix in the Western Conference and could get in if they can find a way to make a run down this final stretch. They finished last season on a hot streak and are aiming to do the same again this year.
Sacramento Kings
Sacramento is the third team on this list that has dropped four in a row to fall further down the standings and be on the outside looking in. However, they could just as easily string together four straight wins and be right back in the mix. DeMarcus Cousins has been an absolute beast so far this season and when the players around him are making their shots, they can be a very dangerous team. Finding some sort of consistency will be important the rest of the way and it would certainly help if they could play better basketball at the defensive end of the floor. The Kings have enough talent, but ultimately it will come down to putting it all together if they want to contend.
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