After the All-Star Game, we saw the beauty of basketball. The fun is in the sprint to the playoffs, where we can see and feel the team’s sense of urgency, identity versus identity, trying to put more into the game plan. There is a difference between how to separate OK You are a team and are the key to how much you can do maintain That’s good. The team is trying to put each other in a box and they have to solve the problem to get out of the box.
How much do you believe in what you are doing? How many different ways can you get back to it?
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With that in mind, I’ve been thinking about the Western Conference, where the Oklahoma City Thunder have fallen behind their early historical pace and are now at the top of the league.
Thunder and San Antonio Spurs: Battle for top seed in Western Conference
Injuries have defined this period for the Thunder, but the team has found a way to stay in the right direction. We all have people in our lives who look out the window on the weekends, take a deep breath, and admire their work. That’s the feeling I got from Mark Daigneault during this time.
No matter who takes the floor, the Thunder remain consistent in their focus on the next man, executing offense and harassing the team’s defense. Adding Jared McCain’s playmaking and shooting prowess at will has helped, but the Thunder have been able to balance the strength on both ends of the floor with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Meanwhile, Carson Wallace, Isaiah Joe and many others may have shined brighter, but they kept the ball (and effort) going.
The trickiest part for the Thunder is That The San Antonio team refused to leave. It’s one thing for the Spurs to beat the Thunder four out of five times this season, but it’s another for the Spurs to not lose a game in February (nine straight wins), meaning they are now just three games behind the Thunder for first place in the Western Conference.
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It’s easy to point to Victor Vembanayama’s performance on both ends of the floor, but when you look at the Spurs, you see a team that’s calmer, more collected, and more confident in what they’re doing on both ends of the floor. Stephon Castle is willing to defend anyone on the planet, De’Aaron Fox brings a steady presence to this team, and when you watch them, you see a team that understands the mission.
The Spurs may not have everything they need, but they have positioned themselves as a real threat to run with the way they defend and attack.
This got me thinking about other playoff teams.
Big questions facing other West contenders
The Houston Rockets , Denver Nuggets , Los Angeles Lakers , and Minnesota Timberwolves have put me in a bind over the past few days. If you look at the Western Conference standings, you can see how tight they are. Each night, a win or loss could change their standing in the standings.
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At this time of year, when you should be honing your strengths as a team, the Western Conference’s malaise brings an alternative reality: two of those teams will advance and knock on the door to the Western Conference Finals, two of those teams will go home early and disappointed, and there’s a good chance they’ll decide their fates in head-to-head games.
It doesn’t help that it’s that time of year when that feeling of fatal flaw as a team starts to bite you. This may be an inability to perform at critical moments, an inability to defend consistently, and an inability to field a sufficient lineup to deal with difficult moments.
houston rockets: They are currently the third seed in the Western Conference, but sometimes, that’s not how it works. This is one of the top defensive units in the NBA, and they’ve built on that to put themselves in this position. But will it be enough to make up for the question marks on their offense?
This is a team that plays methodically in the half-court, but is that holding them back in crunch time? Kevin Durant increases their pace and has the ability to hit all the shots that get defenders over the top rope, but what enhances that? How much does this team need Alperen Şengün to not only play ball but also be an offensive player who gets help from the defense? How will Amen Thompson adapt to alternating between dunk position and ball-handling situations when defenses are willing to switch? Can the ever-growing Reed Shepard be consistent on offense and stay on the field when teams look for defenses to attack him?
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denver nuggets: On paper, they appear to be the team that’s been promoted from this group. Years of talk about “non-Jokic minutes” have turned into a balanced roster that thrives in those moments and has a 10-6 record when he’s sidelined with injury. In most years, that would be an incredible improvement, until you realize that their most recent 3-6 record has come with him returning to the court.
This feels like a team that needs to stay healthy the most (the Denver Nuggets are 8-2 with a starting lineup of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic), but what have they done in the meantime? How do they push themselves to get ready for the playoffs?
This stretch might be a reminder that while they strive to add more stuff on defense to adjust, they have no wiggle room on that end of the floor. The inability to control dribble penetration, rough defense in transition, and disruption to cutters is something their defense simply cannot afford. As good as Murray and Jokic are, Gordon’s absence diminishes their ability to punish teams in critical moments. As high as the Nuggets are, how many little things are undermining their ceiling as we approach the playoffs?
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Minnesota Timberwolves: They’ve made it to the conference finals back-to-back and this should be their go out members of this group, but the problem remains. This is a team led by Anthony Edwards — who should have won Key Player of the Year by now — with improved play from Julius Randle and Jalen McDaniels, and improved defense from Rudy Gobert. The formula is there. The Wolves can beat any team in the NBA. But it also feels like they could lose to anyone in the NBA.
There should be more effort and focus come playoff time, but will they be able to take advantage of it? Are they a team built in secret for the playoffs, understanding the mission, or do they have fatal flaws as a team destined to knock on doors they shouldn’t open?
Los Angeles Lakers: They have Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reeves, and I don’t think you want to face those three in the playoffs. Availability has been the hardest part, as they’ve spent much of the season waiting for their big three to all be healthy to find a level of consistency that matches potential. While most people focus on the defensive end, my focus remains on the offensive end.
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The top players on this team not only need to score, but they have to score high enough to make the defense feel needed, thus providing opportunities for others to play. Can the Lakers continue to pressure teams when they feel they can apply pressure and stay home? When the offense slips, do you really feel how limited the defense’s ability to make up for it is in the moment?
This team has a high ceiling and plenty of firepower, but little room for error. The Lakers use zone defense, switches, help defenses and activities to cover up their defensive woes, but it’s difficult for them to cover up these problems if the offense doesn’t have 100% firepower. The talent will always give them a chance, and the game plan for the playoffs should open things up, but they have to keep making defenses blink.
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All of these teams have strengths, but most have weaknesses. The question is, how do they blame each other on their way to the championship? In order to navigate this session, you have to do it on both ends and use versatility to get back to who you are and an identity you can rely on. Only time will tell which teams are sharp enough to find their way in the spring.
