Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: Who’s Going To Win The No. 2 Seed In The West?

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 10, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. The Spurs won 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. The Spurs won 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
NBA
Apr 11, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (right) drives the ball as he is defended by Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (left) during the third quarter at Staples Center. The Los Angeles Clippers won 94-86. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

Remaining Schedules:

At present, the Spurs sit in the second slot by virtue of last night’s win over the Phoenix Suns. They are 10.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors for the first seed. The Clippers are in third, 11.0 games behind the Dubs and 0.5 games behind San Antonio.

The Blazers get their guaranteed fourth seed, the Grizzlies sit at fifth (also 11.0 games back) and the Rockets bring up the rear at sixth (11.0 games back as well).

With everyone so close together, a look at each team’s remaining schedule can give us a clue as to who will walk about with the second best seed in the West:

  • San Antonio Spurs: at New Orleans Pelicans
  • Houston Rockets: at Charlotte Hornets, vs. Utah Jazz
  • Memphis Grizzlies: at Golden State Warriors, vs. Indiana Pacers
  • Los Angeles Clippers: vs. Denver Nuggets, at Phoenix Suns

At first glance, it’s pretty obvious that the Rockets and Clippers have the easiest remaining schedules. The Hornets are out of the playoff picture, they’ve gone 3-7 over their last 10 games and they’ve been playing without Al Jefferson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Lance Stephenson and Cody Zeller.

The Jazz could be a bigger challenge, but Houston is 2-1 against Utah on the season and in a must-win scenario, I’d bet on James Harden and company emerging victorious.

As for the Clips, they face two teams who have absolutely nothing to play for. The Nuggets have enjoyed resurgent play from Danilo Gallinari, but this team gave up on its season weeks ago. The Suns have lost nine of their last 10 games and are limping toward the finish line, both figuratively and literally (Alex Len, Brandon Knight and Brandan Wright have all missed time recently).

The Spurs have a tough road game to close out the season. Anthony Davis and the Pellies are desperate for the playoffs, so unless they beat the the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow AND the Thunder lose to the Blazers, they won’t leave anything to fate. There’s a chance the Pellies secure their playoff spot tomorrow, but if not, the Spurs will be facing a playoff-desperate team.

As for the Grizzlies, it’s unclear how brutal their matchup with the league-leading Warriors might be. On the one hand, Steve Kerr has rested his starters when he’s been able to. On the other hand, the Dubs have been competing as hard as ever, even with the No. 1 seed locked up. If the Warriors continue to play as well as they have been (37-2 at home), Memphis could have their hands full even before a matchup with the playoff-desperate Pacers.

Next: Recent Play