The most important thing for teams in any sport, is to get hot at the right time. Specifically for the NBA, the weeks leading up to the playoffs will tell which teams will do well in the playoffs and which will fall apart.
Just last season, there were two teams who got hot and made deep playoff runs. One being the Indiana Pacers, going 17-10 in their last 27 games to make an Eastern Conference Finals run. And the Dallas Mavericks, going 25-8 to end the season and making it all the way to the NBA Finals.
There is just over a week left, and there are three teams that are playing scorching hot and three teams that are slowly falling apart.
Subscribe to the Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like it, share it with an enemy!
2. The Milwaukee Buck sare falling apart
For a majority of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks were maintaining a top four seed in the Eastern Conference. As an older team, they were mainly focusing on getting to the postseason because when they had postseason adjacent games during the Emirates NBA Cup games, they won the whole thing without losing a game.
In the team’s last 15 games, they have earned a 6-9 record and fell to the sixth seed but are now tied with the Detroit Pistons, where they hold the tiebreaker.
A big reason for the Bucks recent struggles is Damian Lillard. He recently suffered a deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot) in his right calf. This is the same injury that has left Victor Wembanyama sidelined for the last two months, but Milwaukee is expecting Lillard back for the playoffs.
In the seven games that Lillard missed, the Bucks have gone 4-4. with the four losses coming consecutively. In the previous seven games that he played in, Milwaukee went 2-5.
Milwaukee was in a similar position last season, where they were playing well but an injury to one of the superstars resulted in a first-round exit. There's a chance that is the same path they are heading towards for this year's playoffs. If Lillard can return and stay healthy, then you can't rule then out making a deep playoff run.
1. The Memphis Grizzlies are circling the drain
There is no other team that has unraveled more than Memphis Grizzlies. In late February, the Grizzlies had a 38-20 record and competing for the second seed in the Western Conference. They have gone 7-12 and since then, fell to the eighth seed, and have a half game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers.
Despite Ja Morant playing in just 47 games, they managed to play well and were one loss behind the two seed just over a week ago. Management decided to go in a different direction with the head coach, firing Taylor Jenkins and Tuomas Iisalo stepping in as the interim head coach.
In Iisalo's first four games, the Grizzlies have gone 1-3, with the one win coming in a 110-108 victory over the Miami Heat, that ended with a game winner by Morant.
A coaching change this late in the season is extremely risky, especially with the circumstances in Memphis. Jenkins has been the head coach for the entirety of Morant's career, developing a relationship and system with these players. Considering the injury problems they've had; he's coached them to multiple top records in the West.
Suddenly changing the lead voice, system, and chemistry between the head coach and players, with nine games, is too short time frame. It's shown in the early goings, losing their first three games and instead of battling for a top four seed to avoiding the Play-In Tournament.
2. The Boston Celtics are heating up
The season the Boston Celtics have put together after winning the championship season, isn't to be overlooked. They currently have a 56-20 record, but since Jan. 15, they had the second-best record in the league and have gone 20-4 in their last 24 games.
There was a 15-20 game stretch from mid-December to mid-January where they were going through the motions but have caught fire late in the season. There was a point the Cleveland Cavaliers were ahead by eight wins but have since chopped it down to five.
Even though Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford have had their fair share of injuries, they've still managed to flex their depth and continue to dominate. When healthy they run a five-out offense, that has shown to be ungradable.
The injuries have allowed for a new weapon to develop, Payton Pritchard. Pritchard is the run-away 6th Man of the Year favorite, averaging 14 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on .464/.410/.838 shooting splits. One of the games including 43 points and 10 threes made; a game where Derrick White also had 40 points.
The mindset the Celtics have had all season is dominating the postseason. Whenever they needed to flex their muscles, they did. For a team that has won it all, they have been playing like a team who has for their last 24 games and reminding everyone why they'll be hard to beat.
1. The Oklahoma City Thunder are peaking at the right time
The Oklahoma City Thunder is not only a team that has been heating up, but they've been hot for the entire season. Currently with a league best 64-12 record and looking to finish with the third best regular season of all time.
In the Thunder's last 11 games, they have gone 11-0. With wins coming over the Celtics, twice against the Pistons, the Bucks, the Los Angeles Clippers, and Grizzlies. This marks the second time this season of having a winning streak of 11+ games.
Oklahoma City has been the best defensive team in the league for the whole season and have been during this stretch. Due to the increase offensive efficiency, having the best defensive rating since the 2019-20 season, makes them one of the best defensive teams ever.
This 11-game stretch that the Thunder are in, is solidifying them as one of the greatest regular season teams of All-Time. They have spent more minutes leading by at least 15 points than trailing during a game. They have already won 21 games by at least 20 points, which is the most of all time, 50 wins by at least 10 points, tied for the most (likely to be broken), and are tied with the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the highest net rating, 13.4.
Even though they are the youngest team in the NBA, there is no team playing better than them right now, and no team that has played better than them the entire season. They got healthy and are playing their best basketball entering the postseason.