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With the Final Four a few short days away, it means the end of the NBA regular season approaches. The ultimate week of games brings a mess of last-minute jockeying for playoff seeding, player shutdowns and guys you never heard of getting a shot to make an impression on the league.
Somebody named Christian Wood averaged almost 18 and 10 for the Pelicans over the past week and a half. Walt Lemon Jr., a real live person, debuted for the Bulls on Saturday and has been playing 30 minutes a night, tallying over 16 points and 6 assists. Hoop dreams are staked and hoop dreams are made in early April. It’s all really beautiful.
The wrap-up also means walking all our favorite teams to the terminal before they jettison into the offseason. While not good enough to make the playoffs, they contain some of the best players and storylines of the year. There’s some I’ll miss more than others.
Charlotte — The Hornets are 2.5 games back of the division-leading and current No. 8 seed Magic with four games left. Prematurely counting out proverbial underdog Kemba Walker seems like a foolish thing to do, but that’s a big ask even with his prowess. Though before I say goodnight sweet prince and project his upcoming free agency, their last game of the season comes against Orlando at the hive. We can only hope the Southeast crown will hang in the balance. Buzz buzz.
Sacramento — Dare I say it, but the Kings showed the semblance of being a real team. De’Aaron Fox was tremendous. Buddy Hield is shooting a net-scorching 43 percent beyond the arc. Marvin Bagley isn’t a bust. The seeds of success are sewn. Most importantly, one of the most dysfunctional franchises is devoid of any drama…oh, nevermind.
New York — The music is slowing on the Knicks “oh yeah, he was a lottery pick a few years ago” carousel. Are they the worst team in the league? Big time. But does a groundswell of excitement culminate, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in years? *extremely nervously* OH YEAH. It all starts at the top and the latest front office has done a great job drafting and building. Just need another frozen envelope on May 14.
Los Angeles — The 2018-19 Lakers sunk under their own weight. Grand hoopla followed them in the door, but it was an ill-fitted roster from the jump and injuries decimated the team. LeBron’s first season in Hollywood didn’t go according to script and there will definitely be a lot of new faces in L.A. next season. It may have been a comedy of errors but the Lakers never failed to entertain.
Now soak up those remaining games and find your gems among the tire fire.
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