Less than one week remains in the NBA regular season. In the next four games, or three or two for some teams, there are a number of things to watch out for. Playoff scenarios aplenty, there are several other storylines to keep an eye on.
Will the Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago Bulls' regular season record?
What has been the top story all season has become increasingly intriguing. Having lost two of their last three homes games going into Thursday night, the Warriors' chances of topping the '96 Bulls' regular season record of 72-10 have diminished. They had been undefeated in 54 straight games at Oracle Arena until losing to the Boston Celtics on April Fool's Day, but it was no joke.
Now, the Warriors need to win the rest of their regular season games if they want to become the first team to finish a season 73-9. A win at home against the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night locked up home court advantage for the Dubs. Now the question becomes, do they rest their starters? They have made it clear that 73 wins is their goal and Steve Kerr will have to decide whether or not it is worth sacrificing rest for their remaining games against Memphis (twice) and at the Spurs.
Will the San Antonio Spurs go undefeated at home?
Two home games stand between the Spurs and the NBA's first undefeated home record in the regular season. The Spurs are already an NBA-record 39-0 at AT&T Center this season. But, having already locked up the second seed in the Western Conference, it is all but guaranteed that Gregg Popovich will rest his starters. They will welcome the Warriors this Sunday and the Oklahoma City Thunder next Tuesday to wrap up their regular season at home.
While the Warriors were undefeated at home for most of the season, they have now lost two, dropping them behind the '86 Celtics, who currently hold the best regular season home record in NBA history at 40-1. The Spurs can split their last two home games to tie that record.
Will Russell Westbrook pass Magic Johnson's triple-double total?
Westbrook has 17 triple-doubles going into Friday, tying Magic Johnson for most in a single season in the past 30 years. The Oklahoma City Thunder have three games remaining, giving Westbrook a great opportunity to break it. The Western Conference Player of the Month had seven triple-doubles in March, the most in a calendar month since Michael Jordan had seven in 1989. Westbrook has already put himself in impressive company, but to top Magic Johnson in something would be special.
Can the Portland Trail Blazers steal the 5 seed?
Having clinched a playoff berth, the Blazers are now tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for fifth place in the West. There are several of outcomes for the Blazers, who have already played 80 games. The Grizzlies, who have limped through the season, have four games remaining, all of which are against Western Conference playoff teams. The Blazers, on the other hand, play the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. While it is possible they could fall to the seventh seed, it appears likely the Blazers will enter the postseason with a first-round matchup with the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
Will the Chicago Bulls make the playoffs?
The Bulls have been in turmoil for much of 2016. Relations between rookie head coach Fred Hoiberg and his players have been crippled and injuries continue to mount. After losing to the Miami Heat on Thursday night, the Bulls dropped three games back from the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons. They are now one loss away from being eliminated.
With three games remaining in their season, and the Cleveland Cavaliers on their horizon, the Bulls' playoff hopes are bleak. Although the Cavs are in a position to rest players (namely, LeBron James), the Bulls are not healthy enough to scrap out a win. The bigger story here may be whether or not they decide to fire Hoiberg at the end of it all.
Is there any way the Toronto Raptors catch Cleveland?
Three and a half games behind the top-seeded Cavs and, with four games remaining, the Raptors have a shot. They will conclude their 2016 regular season on a three-game stretch against the three teams in the Atlantic Division who will not be in the playoffs. The Cavs, on the other hand, finish their regular season against three teams that are in the playoffs or still in the hunt (Bulls). As the great Kevin Garnett once said, anything is possible.
Who will the third seed belong to in the East?
One of the hardest things to forecast before the playoffs, four teams are a few wins from obtaining the three seed. The Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets are all within a game and a half of each other in the standings. It has been a logjam in the East for the majority of the season and only until recently did the Celtics surrender the third seed to the Hawks.
It will come down to the wire with these teams battling not only for the third seed, but also home court advantage. The Celtics are in control of their own destiny. Their regular season schedule concludes with the Hawks, Hornets, and Heat in succession.
Who will get the final to playoff spots in the West?
A devastating loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday pushed the Rockets a game and a half out of a playoff spot in the West. The Utah Jazz are directly above them in the standings, with the Dallas Mavericks, who have won five straight, a game ahead of the Jazz. The Jazz will host the Mavericks on Monday, which will likely decide the fates of the two teams. Although the Mavs have the tougher schedule between the three, they have put themselves in a good position before the final stretch.
The Rockets, on the other hand, will need help. A team that was the second seed in the Western Conference Playoffs last season and was three wins away from the NBA Finals has seen their playoff hopes diminish with each passing day. A win against the Mavs on Wednesday would have won the season series, but the Rockets could not get it done on the road and lost by two. Their final schedule includes three games against teams bound for the lottery, but nothing is guaranteed for the Rockets, as they have continuously shown throughout the season.
Is Blake Griffin going to be fully healthy for playoffs?
It has been three games since the Clippers' leading scorer returned from injury and a subsequent suspension. He has scored a combined 23 points and has yet to play more than 25 minutes in a game. Griffin will sit out the Clippers' next game against the Jazz for rest. He is clearly not 100 percent, at least in terms of conditioning, and the Clippers have the flexibility to rest him in upcoming games. They are locked in at the four seed after a stellar season with Griffin on the sideline.
Which head coaches will be fighting for their jobs?
Randy Wittman of the Washington Wizards may be out of a job this summer if the Wizards cannot reach the playoffs. Their chances are slim (three and a half games back with four games remaining). Injuries have played a factor, but it would be the second time in four years as head coach that Wittman would miss the postseason. The Wizards have not won the division in his four-year tenure.
The aforementioned Fred Hoiberg is another candidate. Although it would be surprising to let him go after just one season, the Bulls' collapse cannot go unnoticed and management will surely take a long, hard look at the team's situation this summer if they indeed miss the postseason.
Meanwhile, Alvin Gentry, Byron Scott, and George Karl each cling to jobs for teams that have long been eliminated from playoff contention. Nothing their teams do over the next week will do much to change their bosses' minds, but offseason firings would certainly be justified by poor seasons.
The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, and Phoenix Suns will likely be searching for potential head coaching candidates this offseason. They have all fired a coach at some point this season. J.B. Bickerstaff of the Rockets is in the best position to be re-hired for the 2016-2017 season if the Rockets can make the playoffs.
Will every eliminated team rest starters?
The Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets have been fantasy killers and will continue to be for the rest of the fantasy season. Both teams have rested key players. Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay, and DeMarcus Cousins have sat out for the Kings, while the Nets have shut down Brook Lopez for the season.
11 teams have been eliminated and one player that hopes to finish out what will be his final season is Kobe Bryant. The farewell tour has come down to four games for the Black Mamba. The Lakers will embark on their final road trip of the season on Friday, making stops in New Orleans, Houston, and Oklahoma City before returning home to face the Jazz in Kobe's final game at Staples Center.