The season so far has been one of surprises. James Harden and Stephen Curry have surprised and become MVP frontrunners. The Atlanta Hawks have surprised us and raced out to the best record in the east. There are countless others, but the theme of this season so far has been just that: surprises. In the second half of the season, who will surprise us in a bad way? Which teams are starting to show signs of cracking, now that the pressure is getting dialed up? Let’s take a look at 5 teams who are set to falter down the stretch.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets find themselves on top the list of teams set to crack. Perhaps the trade deadline passing might come as a blessing, but it seems unlikely that this team can make a charge up the standings. The team has been inconsistent at best, yet still sits just outside the eastern conference playoffs. After the all-star break, things are more likely to get worse than they are to get better. They went into the break losing three straight, and seven of ten. No one can seem to stay healthy, with the exceptions of maybe Joe Johnson and Mason Plumlee. Rumors have surrounded just about everyone on this team, and the recent trade of Kevin Garnett for Thaddeus Young looks better on the payroll than it will on the court. It was clear that GM Billy King wanted to trade Brook Lopez, but was unable to swing a deal that would benefit the Nets in any way. With Miami, Detroit, and other eastern conference teams making more substantial moves, it’s hard to believe the Nets can mount a legitimate push.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers have been one of the best teams in the league so far, racing out to a hot start and surviving some tough injuries. However, they have been shaky over the last few weeks, and some faults are starting to show. It is clear that LaMarcus Aldridge is playing in tremendous pain after foregoing surgery on his thumb. He has played exceptionally well, but this could certainly be a problem going forward. The bench has regressed, with injuries to depth players throwing a wrench in the rotation. Damian Lillard was rightly named to the western conference all-stars, but his three-point shooting was abysmal going into the break. Finally, Nicolas Batum has been a shadow of himself this season, and leaves a weak spot at the wing, where several teams in the west thrive the most. The Blazers are starting to tread on thin ice, and we’ll have to see if they can ride out the storm.
Phoenix Suns
Of all the teams on this list, the Phoenix Suns are facing the most legitimate turmoil. Losers of seven out of their last ten, their grip on the eighth spot in the west is slipping quickly. Oklahoma City is hot on their tail, and the roster is in flux after Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, where they sent away Goran Dragic, Miles Plumlee, and Isaiah Thomas. Dragic said he would not sign an extension in Phoenix this summer, and then followed that by saying he no longer trusted Suns management. Ouch. Phoenix now no longer has two of the three guards that made their three-guard lineup so potent, although Brandon Knight is a quality replacement. The Suns made a move to look towards the future, and may have done themselves in for the remainder of this year.
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans has played admirably this season, and remain in the hunt for the last spot in the western conference playoffs. However, they are unlikely to stay there for long. Anthony Davis is dealing with a shoulder injury, and without him the Pelicans are just not that good. Jrue Holiday has also re-aggravated his leg injury, and is sidelined indefinitely. They are a shade above .500 now, and are about that good when healthy, but with all the injuries mounting and the competition getting stronger around them, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see the Pelicans fade down the stretch.
Toronto Raptors
This selection may seem unlikely, and is more of a gut call than anything else, given that Toronto is currently second in the east behind the Hawks. However, watching the Raptors shows that this team has a few notable, and potentially fatal, problems. Number one is that they don’t play defense particularly well. Toronto is 22nd in the league in points allowed per game, and they have trouble defending the perimeter. Terrence Ross has seriously regressed this season, and DeMar DeRozan is still finding his way back from injury. Next is that head coach Dwane Casey can’t seem to figure out when or how to play Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas is one of the better centers in the league, but regularly runs into playing time issues if there are a few breakdowns. This is a situation worth monitoring, as back-to-back home losses to the Bucks and Nets shows this team is very mortal.