While enduring four months of NBA basketball so far, the Association has provided several highlights. From the resurgence of the Celtics and Lakers to one blockbuster trade after another to the crammed Western playoff race, sparks of water cooler discussions continue to keep this season interesting.
Unfortunately, not every team can vie for the title by this time of the year. For those left behind in winter's bitter chill, we offer them a carrot by giving them the chance to play the role of spoiler. Sure, it's not even as good as understudy to the actor playing townsperson No. 3 in the local theatre production, but you still get to keep the uniform.
This is also a fluid role, meaning some of these teams (or, maybe a couple) can pull their way back up to playoff barnacle status. So, who will make the best spoiler over the next few weeks? Even though more teams won't make the postseason, for right now, I think nine teams fit into this category. That excludes Atlanta, Indiana, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, and Portland in their respective conferences (records before Monday's games in parentheses).
Sacramento Kings (27-32); Haven't Got the Magic
The Kings were an up-and-down team in February, winning six (three out of four and three straight) and losing eight (including streaks of four and three). They beat New Orleans and Utah early and almost pulled off wins at Golden State and Houston. However, this was before the organization shipped Mike Bibby off to Atlanta. I'm not sure that the retooled lineup (now led by Ron Artest) can pull many surprises in a month where nine out of 15 games should be against teams with winning records.
Charlotte Bobcats (20-39); Not Quite There Yet
The Bobcats might simply be running out of steam. After averaging six wins the first three months (not great by any means), they only managed one in February. That goal has already been achieved for this month with a win against Toronto on Sunday. However, I don't see spoiler status in their future. It could be due to the absences of Sean May and Adam Morrison. Playing 11 of the next 15 on the road doesn't simplify matters, either.
L.A. Clippers (19-38); Won't Replay Familiar Role
The season got off to a good start with a 4-0 record. Since then, only four of the Clippers 15 wins have come against what some would call quality teams. Basically, this team has been feeding off of bottom-dwellers like themselves. Even though the squad got younger by letting Sam Cassell go, they also lost quite a bit of experience at the point. Oh yeah, and no Elton Brand could be just a minor factor. They might be able to get some momentum heading into a meaty second half of March, but I doubt it.
New York Knicks (18-41); Can in Spots
The train wreck continues to roll on. Isiah Thomas remains the head coach. James Dolan has his head up in the clouds as the owner. Starbury's aura is still present, even though he's not physically on the court. Above all, the team still stinks. Yet, for all of those bad vibes, they can still pull off a shocker (see Cleveland, Detroit, Utah, and Toronto) at home. After Monday's visit from the Hornets, they have five more tips at Madison Square Garden against quality teams. Maybe the Knicks can prove that the old hall has some fighting spirit left in it, because a road win doesn't look to be in the cards.
Seattle SuperSonics (16-43); Just Might Turn Some Heads
This may be a team to keep an eye on. Are they young? Sure. Did they have a horrible stretch run starting on New Years' Eve and resulting in a 14-game losing streak? Absolutely. Has rookie stud Kevin Durant hit a wall? No doubt. But they did end that streak against San Antonio and followed it up with a win over Cleveland. These guys are inconsistent, to say the least. But it's that spotty play that can bite a contender in the rear end on any given night. The Sonics will have plenty of chances, including two specific stretches in mid-March and all of April.
Memphis Grizzlies (14-45); That Would Be, No
Now, we've come to the "ship be sinkin'" part of the tour. I had this one wrong from the start. But if you'll let me take a mulligan on saying that the Griz would be the surprise team of the playoffs in '08, I can let it slide. Memphis went one-for-February, got conked on the head by double digits in nine of their 11 losses, and traded away Pau Gasol for what amounted to chump change. Even though they'll actually play a lot of pretenders over the last few weeks of the season, I still wish them luck in their search for victories.
Minnesota Timberwolves (12-46); The Best of the Bunch
I know this team has the worst record in the Western Conference. I understand they are one of the youngest teams in the league. But, inexplicably, almost half of the Wolves wins are against the top dogs of the West (New Orelans, Utah, Golden State, and two against Phoenix). Al Jefferson has brought a bit of a silver lining to his side of the Kevin Garnett trade. The Wolves' best chance to do damage will be in a six-game stretch from the end of March through early April. And with a chance to get a little head of steam going into it, they may just do that.
Miami Heat (11-46); Pride Won't Help This Lost Cause
The scale has officially tipped from great to mediocre to buried in the span of less than two years. Pat Riley continues to spit out comments that conjure up an image of Wile E. Coyote just as he notices he's falling off the cliff. Now that Shaquille O'Neal is gone, at least the team looks a little less like the Old Men on the Atlantic (apologies to the memory of Ernest Hemmingway with that one). However, the talent cupboard just seems to be bare. I admit, there's only up when you've had losing streaks of 11 and 15. Problem is ... it's too steep a climb against any of the top-tier teams in the league.
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