NBA Week 24 Rewind: Who has momentum for the playoffs?
By Tom West
Who’s Heating Up?
With the playoffs right around the corner, let’s check in on a few teams further down the standings who are ending the regular season on a high, hoping to carry some of their current momentum into the latter stages of April and climb up their respective conferences.
The Portland Trail Blazers were supposed to be a write-off before the 2015-16 season started. Last summer, they lost four starters including a perennial All-Star in LaMarcus Aldridge, surely ridding them from any chance to win as they did in 2014-15. They racked up 51 wins last season and with only Damian Lillard left in the starting lineup to spark the rest of the team towards anything respectable, a turnaround to the bottom of the Western Conference looked likely.
Yet, with Lillard leading the way at an even greater level and the emergence of C.J. McCollum, the Blazers have a new identity and have played with something to prove all season.
They’ve taken a page out of Lillard’s book, who plays with the kind of fire and urgency that anyone seeking to prove doubters wrong should. After being an All-Star snub yet again this season, he’s upped that anger and his teammates keep following. They’ve found success with high-energy play, perimeter shooting, a host of impactful role players, and strong leadership from head coach Terry Stotts.
In fact, the Blazers’ offense is one of the hottest in the NBA right now. Over the last month, they rank 3rd in points per game with 110.4 while shooting 40.1 percent from three (2nd to only the Warriors).
If it wasn’t for a buzzer beater from Karl-Anthony Towns in the dying seconds of their last game, the Blazers would be riding a three-game win streak into this week. After winning seven of their last 10, though, they’re still hot. And while they’ll struggle in the first round against the size and talent of the Clippers (should they meet as the current seedings forecast), the Lillard-McCollum duo and the rest of the team have something to prove, and can at least cause a little trouble.
After being a team who were meant to be a complete failure this season, the Blazers have shown what they’re capable of. If they improve their personal and strengthen their frontcourt in free agency, they’ll be even better in 2016-17.
The Dallas Mavericks didn’t defeat the most impressive teams in their six-game win streak that came to an end on Sunday, and they aren’t nearly as much of a threat in the playoffs as they have been in recent history. But at the very least, they’re climbing up the Western Conference when so many factors suggest they shouldn’t.
Until a 98-91 loss to the Clippers, the Mavs earned a win streak that saw Dirk Nowtizki shoot only 31.4 percent and J.J. Barea catch fire to be the Mavs’ leading scorer, all while the coinciding perfectly with rookie Justin Anderson’s entrance into the starting lineup. Since Rick Carlisle trusted him with extra minutes and he got the start at small forward, the team has gone 6-1.
Anderson has just received the most playing time of his young career so far, and the Mavs have been benefiting from his driving ability, strong rebounding, and overall energy on defense. In this seven-game span, he’s averaged 8.3 points, seven rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game with 48.7 percent shooting, highlighted by a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Grizzlies last week.
Alongside Barea, who’s averaged 20.1 points, 5.6 assists and 52 percent shooting over the last eight games, the two have become two sudden difference-makers in the Mavs’ late season push.
With a more resilient effort overall, with defense being the key after holding their last six opponents below 100 points, the Mavs have set up Dirk Nowitzki for another postseason effort as his retirement sadly draws closer. And while they’ll likely leave in the first round, they’ve still fared better than many expected with limited talent and no Chandler Parsons since March 20 due to season-ending knee surgery.
The Detroit Pistons‘ performance has been a pleasant surprise for their fans this season, with a 16-8 record since February 22 helping them into the playoffs as the 7th seed. It’s made even more impressive by the fact that they only won 32 games last season, although their young core improving and Stan Van Gundy assembling more pieces to support their star duo is a pretty good recipe for growth.
That star duo, of course, is Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond. Both have enjoyed the best season of their careers in 2015-16, combining for 35.1 points, seven assists, and 18 rebounds per game. Their combined scoring and pick-and-roll threat is surrounded by talent such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris and the newly acquired Tobias Harris from the trade deadline, who’s been scoring well and stretching opposing defenses as a combo forward.
With improved spacing around Drummond’s dominance in the paint and Jackson’s energy to start the offense, the Pistons are gradually on the rise. Unfortunately for them, though, they may have to face the Raptors in the first round.
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