Can These Teams Compete for NBA Title
The NBA season is almost over with most seeded teams in place for the playoffs. The one and two seeded teams have the advantage of home court but there can be teams who emerge to contend with the top seeded teams.
Can any middle seeded teams rise up as a long shot contender for an NBA title ?
The heavy favorites are the expected front runners with Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in the West and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East. The last two NBA finals were the Warriors and the Cavs and this year is supposed to be the same teams again. But you never know about injuries or upsets. With the Cavs being inconsistent on defense and the Warriors waiting for an injured Kevin Durant to return, what other teams have an outside chance of winning it all.
The Celtics and Spurs will be heard on the court but which sleeper teams will emerge to push the elite teams to the limit with a possible upset. The Washington Wizards are a real threat in the Eastern Conference. Their earlier season slump was turned around as they have the best record since the All Star break. Their current performance puts them a few games behind the conference leader in Cleveland and L James.
The Wizards are an offensive force and capable of a deep playoff run.
The LA Clippers are a potential dangerous team to face if they find their identity and get back their winning form. Their 500 winning percentage since mid-December is a shadow of their rel ability to compete with any team. They need a healthy team to get hot leading into the playoff stretch. If DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin get healthy, the talented Clippers team can go far if they make it out of the first round. Teams that play well in the first round will gain momentum and confidence to go far. But consistency is a problem for some teams who cannot bounce back from a loss and regain their will to win.
Another long shot team is the Utah Jazz who have some impressive wins this season and a solid consistent performance this year. Their consistency is mostly on the defensive end which all playoff teams need to advance. Their difference maker in the middle is Rudy Gobert, more of a defensive impact player and averaging almost 13 rebounds per game and shooting 65% from the field. Gorden Haywood, George Hill and Rodney Hood are a group of top performers this year and have pushed the Jazz to emerged as the most improved team ready to move ahead. A young team with no post season experience but a winning season to make them dangerous.
One more long shot to do some damage in the playoffs is the Toronto Raptors. They are a little under the radar with an unknown factor for upset potential. Their uncertainty going into the playoffs can be a motivating force taking on the Cavs or Celtics. They need to be completely healthy and play back to their winning form when they started the season. With star player DeRozan back and healthy, the Raptors have regained their winning form as they close out the season.
If the Raptors can continue their recent winning ways, they can get the three seed if the Wizards drop to the four seed. However, the three to six seeds is where a first round elimination is possible. But the Raptors have shown their talent to compete with any Eastern Conference team and continue to a Conference final.
