The NBA season is coming to a close after a long run. With around 4 games remaining, some teams are confirming their spots in the playoffs while others focus on the play-in tournament, looking to book a spot in the postseason.
This has been a season filled with ups and downs alongside some impressive teams playing a very good brand of basketball. Other teams, however, have not lived up to the expectations set for them back in October.
There have been some especially impressive teams that NBA fans didn’t expect to see at the top of the standings.
The first team that I will discuss is the Pacific Division team that reached the number three seed in the Western Conference: the Sacramento Kings.
“Light The Beam”, “Light The Beam”, Kings fans chanted as the clock ran down at The Moda Center in Downtown Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, March 29.
Sacramento had clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2006, and they have finally snapped their 16-year postseason drought!
Just last season, the Kings ended with a record of 30-52, leaving them 13th in the Western Conference without a spot in the play-in tournament.
The success this season started with the hiring of Golden State Warriors Assistant Coach Mike Brown; he joined the team with a ton of championship experience and strengthened their roster around De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Sacramento also had a successful offseason. They drafted Power Forward Kegan Murray from Iowa State, acquired sharp-shooting guard Kevin Huerter from the Atlanta Hawks, and signed guard Malik Monk in free agency.
At the time of writing, The Kings have the number one offense in the association, netting around 121 points per game with a record of 47-21. The one downside is that they’re ranked 4 to last on defense, receiving around 118 points per game.
Point Guard De’Aaron Fox leads the team in points, averaging 25.2 per game along with Power Poward Domantas Sabonis who averages 20 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists.
This Kings team has been nothing but incredible, playing electrifying basketball and a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. They await the news of who their opponent will be in the postseason.
There has been some disappointment with some teams, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers have struggled, although lately, they have picked up. The Miami Heat ended with the number one spot in the Eastern Conference and they have also struggled this season sitting seventh.
The team that I will turn to is the defending NBA Champions Golden State Warriors
Golden State currently sits sixth in the West with a 41-38 record.
Warriors finished third in last season’s standings, winning 53 games and losing 29. They were third in defense and eleventh in offense, scoring 111 points per game ( the difference between first and eleventh was just four points).
Steph Curry and Co. made a deep playoff run and defeated the Boston Celtics in six games to win their fourth championship in eight years.
This season, the Warriors have the third-best offense in the league, but their defense is sadly sitting 22nd.
The Warriors being two completely different teams this season is their performance at home and on the road.
At the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, they have a 32-8 record. On the road, however, they have a whopping 9-30 record.
Golden State hasn’t been able to figure it out on the road. As of now, they would start their first-round series away from home.
4-time champion Steph Curry missed significant time due to injuries, while all-star forward Andrew Wiggins also missed out on crucial games.
Curry has still led the team by scoring 30 points per game, alongside Klay Thompson scoring 22 points a night.
This team was expected to be a top 3 team in the West, anticipated to potentially repeat their last championship win.
Still, it’s never over until it’s over. With the experience the Warriors have in the playoffs, they could pull it off, but other teams are ready to make a finals run.