The Playoff Race

[Bricklayer]

With the season reaching it's midpoint surely it can no longer be taboo to talk about playoffs. Especially since the race for spots #5-#8 is so ridiculously close.

So I'm going to go ahead and start this thread and keep the standings updated daily right through the end of the season. I'm going to focus on the 5 teams right in it right now. Minnesota has obviously broken free as a Top 4 team*, and Utah is falling back -- if they recover with Gobert I'll add them in, but for now I'm just going to update the 5 teams in the dogfight for 4 spots.

* Note as of 1/25 Minny has fallen back within shouting distance, so I added them to the list for the time being.


Team Record L10 (Home/Away) vs Pels
-----------------------------------------------------
MIN: 31-20 6-4 (19-6H 12-14A) vs 2-0

OKC: 28-20 7-3 (18-7H 10-13A) vs 0-1

NOP: 27-21 8-2 (14-9H 13-12A) vs N/A

POR: 26-22 6-4 (14-10H 12-12A) vs 1-2

DEN: 25-23 4-6 (18-6H 7-17A) vs 2-1*

LAC: 24-24 6-4 (14-11H 10-13A) vs 0-1



* season series is complete -- only 3 games vs. DEN this year


**Updated Through 1/25

[Bricklayer]

Next 10 games:

Portland
@MIN - L
PHX - W
IND - W
DAL - W
@DEN - L
MIN - W
@DAL
@LAC
CHI
@TOR

Oklahoma City
@CHA - W
SAC - W
LAL - W
@CLE - W
BKN - W
WSH - W
@DET
PHI
@WSH
@DEN

Denver
@SAS - L
DAL - W
@LAC - L
PHX - L
POR - W
NYK - W
DAL
BOS
@SAS
OKC

New Orleans
@NYK - W
@BOS - W
@ATL - L
MEM - W
CHI - W
@CHA - W
HOU - W
LAC
SAC
@OKC

Los Angeles Clippers
SAC - W
HOU - W
DEN - W
@UTH - L
MIN - L
BOS - L
@MEM - W
@NOP
POR
CHI

[AusPel]

Depending on Spurs health - they have an average age of 35 - they are in danger of falling down to the pack we're in

[boardtown]

Good one. Pelicans have won more games against their immediate competition than I remembered. The fact that Minnesota has straight up owned this team is telling - and rather disappointing.

[jprdbulldog20]

Tomorrow root for Kings over Clips, Hornets over OKC, and Spurs over Nuggets

[Rheem654]

Who? MIKE JAMES.

Pels signed him to a two-way that should have him on the roster til the trade deadline. He was pretty good with the Suns, who knows, could be a surprise under-the-radar contributor find like D-Miller was

[billfromfinance]

DJ out for the clippers today, his first missed game from injury in his 10 year career. That is a bloody amazing stat. Hopefully Kings can take advantage.

Edit: whelp, games already over hahaha and kings did not come to the party.

[Bricklayer]

got no help at all from the lottery teams (SAC, CHA) today.

Fortunately tonight it's a matchup of the Home Spurs (18-2) vs. the Road Nuggets (7-15) rather than the Road Spurs (10-13) vs. the Home Nuggets (15-5).

[jprdbulldog20]

Spurs came through for us

[AusPel]

We moved up to 7th!

[Pelicanidae]

Spurs came through for us

Spurs are the ol' reliable of the NBA

[Pelicanidae]

We moved up to 7th!

And if we win tomorrow Vs the Knicks and the Blazers lose Vs the Wolves (both very possible) we leapfrog them to 6th seed too.

Optimism.

[AusPel]

Let's gooooooooo

[Bricklayer]

A good night, and into 6th.

[Rheem654]

A good night, and into 6th.

Who'd a thunk it? Pretty cool accomplishment, they just gotta keep it up, keep it rolling. Countdown 3 weeks til the trade deadline. Solomon returning in early February perhaps?

[Bricklayer]

Here's an interesting scenario -- the Wolves have moved all the way up to being only a half game back of the Spurs. Now with Kawhi back, again, you might expect the Spurs to start to get into gear, but it's been a lost half season for Kawhi, and frankly he has yet to really help them. If that continued on it might almost be more advantageous to be the 6th seed, face the Wolves in the first round, and Houston in the 2nd, than be the 5th seed, face the Spurs in the first round and the Warriors in the 2nd.

Then again, Minny has just looked like the superior team so far this season, so maybe you might have more luck matching up with the decrepit Spurs and hoping their arthritis is acting up.

[PaKwAn]

that 6th spot won't last long since we play boston next...

[pawel]

Agree. Soon Pels will be fifth

[tyler]

Idk I rather play the spurs than the timberwolves unless we make a big trade and get a very good small forward

[Rel11]

Idk I rather play the spurs than the timberwolves unless we make a big trade and get a very good small forward

I’d much rather play the Spurs.

[Bricklayer]

Too bad, looked for a while like the Kings might do the Pels a solid.

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

Too bad, looked for a while like the Kings might do the Pels a solid.

Nah Vince Carter and Randolph only play against the Pels.

[jprdbulldog20]

Pains me to type this, but go Rockets

[Bricklayer]

Indiana pushes Utah even further back. Math is starting to get real difficult for Utah. They'd need a 24-15 finish just to reach 41-41 now. If the Pels could make even the smallest push the second half, and reach 44-38 (requiring a 22-18 finish after the 22-20 start), it would make the Jazz have to go 27-12 just to match. In other words, it's entirely within the Pels own power to truly make this only a 9 team race for 8 spots, at least as far as the Pels are concerned.

[AusPel]

Clippers are beating Houston with some big names out. They are very very dangerous and will probably make the 8.

I could see one of OKC, Portland or Denver missing