Post All-Star, what are the biggest NBA stories you're looking for?

[murksiderock]

This is when I generally start watching. Football season is over, and the quality of games generally improves as we ramp towards the playoffs...

Everybody has played roughly ⅔ of their schedule, give or take. So this final third of the seasons the race and jockeying for seeding. This year, everyone has between 26 and 30 games left on the schedule. When the calendar hits March, I love this time of year...

A few things I'm looking towards:

•can the Kings stay afloat and make the play-in?

•can the Sixers, Suns, or Spurs make the play-in?

•I wanna see where Milwaukee, Dallas, and the Lakers finish. Lakers have been better than expected but have a center problem. Bucks will get Giannis back but it's been an inconsistent season, and I gotta see if they can compete with the Top 3 in The East. The Mavs will probably stay afloat within the play-in, and if they have a fully healthy AD could be a real threat come playoff time...

•the Nuggets probably won't catch OKC but they are gonna shrink the margins, they are the most dangerous team in The West...

•I don't know if I believe in Memphis or Houston against any team in the playoffs. Great seasons for them both, though!

 

[triplehate]

Don't think it counts as a great season for Memphis considering they've been the number 2 seed before and not a threat. So they just haven't progressed. They need a hall of famer to be a contender. This season is cooked

 

[god shamgod]

I’ll check the nba April 15th

 

[triplehate]

I’ll check the nba April 15th

Why check it then

 

[murksiderock]

Don't think it counts as a great season for Memphis considering they've been the number 2 seed before and not a threat. So they just haven't progressed. They need a hall of famer to be a contender. This season is cooked

If their pace holds, they'll finish with ~55 wins, which is where they were 3 years ago. It's a progression in the sense that it's been 3 years since they were this good...

But I agree, it's not enough of a progression. I don't think the pace will hold, they'll lose ground to Denver. The question is how far do they slide. They're too good to fall to a play-in spot, but they're also only 3 games ahead of the 5-seed Lakers. So I think they finish between the 3 and 5 seed...

If they draw Houston or the Clippers in Rd1, I like Memphis, but I'll be honest. It's hard to take them over anyone else. I can't envision Memphis winning a series vs the Lakers, Wolves, Mavs, or Nuggets. Seems like the second round is their ceiling, same with Houston...

Memphis has no shot to land said Hall Of Famer unless Jackson or Durant develop into that. Those two could be new era Durant and Westbrook, but something is missing. They don't give off the "feel" or fear Durant and Westbrook did...

All that said, I love new blood and seeing new, young teams succeed. So I'd love to see Memphis make a real run------>I just don't envision it!

 

[triplehate]

If their pace holds, they'll finish with ~55 wins, which is where they were 3 years ago. It's a progression in the sense that it's been 3 years since they were this good...

But I agree, it's not enough of a progression. I don't think the pace will hold, they'll lose ground to Denver. The question is how far do they slide. They're too good to fall to a play-in spot, but they're also only 3 games ahead of the 5-seed Lakers. So I think they finish between the 3 and 5 seed...

If they draw Houston or the Clippers in Rd1, I like Memphis, but I'll be honest. It's hard to take them over anyone else. I can't envision Memphis winning a series vs the Lakers, Wolves, Mavs, or Nuggets. Seems like the second round is their ceiling, same with Houston...

Memphis has no shot to land said Hall Of Famer unless Jackson or Durant develop into that. Those two could be new era Durant and Westbrook, but something is missing. They don't give off the "feel" or fear Durant and Westbrook did...

All that said, I love new blood and seeing new, young teams succeed. So I'd love to see Memphis make a real run------>I just don't envision it!

There is literally no team I see them beating in the first round. The only possible case would be Minnesota because they don't have multiple scoring options anymore.

1st round sweep, fire the coach.
New coach leads team to playoffs, 1st round exit.
Break up the team, in a few years make the playoffs!!!! early round exit.


And one note on the they are "too good to slide." They are only good against bad teams, they only play maybe 4 games against teams that aren't going to be trying to win the rest of the year. So it's about to get real embarrassing in a few weeks.

 

[Trojan 24]

There's only one story in the NBA now, Luka and the Show

 

[Flex Grossman]

This is when I generally start watching. Football season is over, and the quality of games generally improves as we ramp towards the playoffs...

Everybody has played roughly ⅔ of their schedule, give or take. So this final third of the seasons the race and jockeying for seeding. This year, everyone has between 26 and 30 games left on the schedule. When the calendar hits March, I love this time of year...

A few things I'm looking towards:

•can the Kings stay afloat and make the play-in?

•can the Sixers, Suns, or Spurs make the play-in?

•I wanna see where Milwaukee, Dallas, and the Lakers finish. Lakers have been better than expected but have a center problem. Bucks will get Giannis back but it's been an inconsistent season, and I gotta see if they can compete with the Top 3 in The East. The Mavs will probably stay afloat within the play-in, and if they have a fully healthy AD could be a real threat come playoff time...

•the Nuggets probably won't catch OKC but they are gonna shrink the margins, they are the most dangerous team in The West...

•I don't know if I believe in Memphis or Houston against any team in the playoffs. Great seasons for them both, though!

After they play the Hornets right out of the break, they have a tough schedule the rest of the way. The ‘23 team had a tough stretch of games right after the all star break where they looked really good, and that stretch was what really made me believe that they were gonna win it all.

I’m excited to see how this year’s team looks.

 

[MustafaSTL]

Lakers winning title number 18. Everything else is second.

 

[ALonelyDad]

How shameless Utah can get in tanking wars

 

[HandyWithTheSteel]

Pistons are the sleeper team in the East.

 

[DropTopDoc]

I’m tired of the bulls being more ass than Meg

 

[Belize King]

Will Orlando get right? When is Suggs coming back?
Will the Rockets get right? When is FVV coming back?
Will the Sixers shut down Embiid and Paul to keep their draft pick?

Who will get the tenth spot in the East? Bulls, Sixers, or Nets.

The Suns are playing like trash. KD should have got traded. Will they play for pride and make a run for the tenth spot?

Will Spurs make a run for the last spot?

 

[The God Poster]

Like everyone else I’m interested to see how well Luka/Bron mesh on a consistent basis.

GS with Jimmy should be able to get out of a play in spot once Kuminga gets back. They need to find a way to keep Post on the court & hide em defensively.

I’m still not sold on OKC or Houston doing anything in the playoffs. Can the Spurs go up a notch?

East wise I’m not sure anyone is stopping Cacston unfortunately

 

[Conan]

Don't think it counts as a great season for Memphis considering they've been the number 2 seed before and not a threat. So they just haven't progressed. They need a hall of famer to be a contender. This season is cooked

This nikka was definitely dropped on his head as a baby