Playoff picture thread

[TimberKat]

I checked out last night’s scores, but the standings are so close, it’s hard for me to know which results I should be happy about. LAL beat GSW? SAC beat POR? UTA beat OKC? Yay?

MIN is solely in the #7 spot, a game behind DAL

Here is how I look at the playoff picture:
Sure in 1-4:
DEN, MEM, PHX LAC

Fighting for spots: 5- 10
SAC 33 - 26 (assume LAC wins)
DAL 32 - 29
MIN 31 - 31
NOP 30 - 30
GSW 30- 30
LAL 28 - 32
(Root for these team to lose and hope Wolves win which is a little difficult these days)

Please don't make me do play-in teams:
UTA 30 - 31 (Danny Ainge is pulling his hair out trying to figure out how to lose properly, traded away half the team and they are still win)
OKC 28 - 31
POR 28 - 31 (don't tell me they are serious about a run, if they rested their best players on Thursday after the all star break and they don't play the next game until Sunday)
These team will eventually drop out - the lottery is more important for them.

[younggunsmn]

If KAT doesnt come back soon ( in the next week to 10 days), we will be fighting utah/OKC/POR for 10th seed. Lakers and Warriors will pass us.
13 on the road/7 at home, with 2 Brutal west coast trips and road games with competetive east teams we always struggle with.
Not looking good.
Losses to Wiz and Hornets may knock us out of the play-in. we could be 4 over 500 now, its an absolute killer.
I will honestly be very surprised if we finish above .500 now.

[Note30]

Oof this is looking rough.

[moss_is_1]

It's too bad we just blew so many games this season. We could be at least 3rd in the west of we took care of business. I hope that's part of having a younger team. Even just those last 3 losses(Washington, Charlotte and gs) would make a massive difference for us right now.

Luckily the Clippers have a brutal schedule and a lot of teams are just playing each other.

[shrink]

We’re a half game behind the Mavs for the #6 seed, and we hold the tie-breaker over them!

[urinesane]

We’re a half game behind the Mavs for the #6 seed, and we hold the tie-breaker over them!

I smell a positivity thread candidate!

[Domejandro]

The only realistic (even if unlikely) pathway to the Western Conference Finals is getting the sixth or seventh seed. Minnesota can be competitive with both Sacramento and Memphis, but I don’t see any shot of victory against Denver or Phoenix.

Other than today’s game, March 26th, and March 27th, I’m cheering for Sacramento and Golden State from here on out. The sixth seed is the sweet spot (unless Phoenix climbs to the third seed).

[thinktank]

If KAT doesnt come back soon ( in the next week to 10 days), we will be fighting utah/OKC/POR for 10th seed. Lakers and Warriors will pass us.
13 on the road/7 at home, with 2 Brutal west coast trips and road games with competetive east teams we always struggle with.
Not looking good.
Losses to Wiz and Hornets may knock us out of the play-in. we could be 4 over 500 now, its an absolute killer.
I will honestly be very surprised if we finish above .500 now.

Nah.

[cpfsf]

The only realistic (even if unlikely) pathway to the Western Conference Finals is getting the sixth or seventh seed. Minnesota can be competitive with both Sacramento and Memphis, but I don’t see any shot of victory against Denver or Phoenix.

Other than today’s game, March 26th, and March 27th, I’m cheering for Sacramento and Golden State from here on out. The sixth seed is the sweet spot (unless Phoenix climbs to the third seed).

i think memphis could implode. doubling down on stupidity right before the playoffs.

[Domejandro]

The only realistic (even if unlikely) pathway to the Western Conference Finals is getting the sixth or seventh seed. Minnesota can be competitive with both Sacramento and Memphis, but I don’t see any shot of victory against Denver or Phoenix.

Other than today’s game, March 26th, and March 27th, I’m cheering for Sacramento and Golden State from here on out. The sixth seed is the sweet spot (unless Phoenix climbs to the third seed).

i think memphis could implode. doubling down on stupidity right before the playoffs.

Unfortunately, Brandon Clarke just tore his Achilles tendon, which is pretty brutal for them. Alongside the bizarre Ja Morant stuff (two game suspension), I could see them sliding a bit to end the season.

[younggunsmn]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's more than 2 games with Ja on camera waving a gun around in a nightclub.
Someone needs to have an intervention with him before something really bad happens.

I really don't want Memphis in the first round because I can't stand Ja and Brooks.
Give me a series like the 3 games we've played with Sacramento this year.
Denver or Phoenix would be fun too.
I think Phoenix would be our toughest matchup as we always struggle to contain Booker but would have to deal with Paul and Durant too.
We've played Denver pretty well this year.

[shrink]

Nice afternoon to watch some hoops. ABC has PHX @DAL at 12:00, and GSW @LAL at 2:30.

[_AIJ_]

Nice afternoon to watch some hoops. ABC has PHX @DAL at 12:00, and GSW @LAL at 2:30.

Obviously, i want the Suns to win and the Warriors because i really cant stand the Lakers

[Colbinii]

As of this morning we are...
4 seed: Suns, 2 games behind
5 seed: Warriors, 1 game behind
6 seed: Mavericks, tied
7 seed: Us!
8 seed: Clippers, 1 game ahead
9 seed: Jazz, 1 game ahead
10 seed: Pelicans, 2 games ahead
11 seed: Lakers, 3 games ahead

OKC is in 12th but starting to tank quite blatantly
Utah is starting to tank as well [bit more stealthy]

[Calinks]

The Mavs just lost, we are currently out of the play in! Now lets hope the Lakers take down the Warriors lol.

[TimberKat]

The Mavs just lost, we are currently out of the play in! Now lets hope the Lakers take down the Warriors lol.

Oh no, we are out of the play in! . Vanderbilt is having an amazing 5 min to start the Lakers game. He is getting a lot of love from national media. Van Gundy had a shout out to Twolves and coaching staff. Let's see what Chuck and Shaq will say on Tuesday. Good thing we can't lose until Tuesday.

[shrink]

Jeff Van Gundy calling the Lakers-Warriors game had a nice little bit about the Timberwolves:

“And a quick, shout out, to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Playing for so very long without Karl-Anthony Towns. To be in the position they’re in, to win here, to go up to Sacramento last night, and win, in what some tell me is the loudest arena in the league right now? They’ve done a great job at managing their situation, their roster, Chris Finch, lot of praise to go around. Outstanding job.”

[shrink]

Btw, it’s way too early for me to mention this, but the #6 seed might be better than the #5. Things may change in the last three weeks, but take a look at the standings right now

1. DEN
2. MEM. 6 GB
3. SAC. 7.5 GB
4. PHX. 9.5 GB
5. GSW. 11 GB
6. MIN. 12 GB
——————————
7. DAL. 12.5 GB
8. LAC. 13 GB
9. UTA. 14 GB
10 NOP. 14 GB
=================
11 LAL. 15 GB

If you ask me about matchups, the teams you want to avoid are DEN, PHX, GSW .. which would all be in the other bracket if the season ended today, I don’t want a first round match up against the Suns. Grizz, Kings, and Mavs all seem like beatable teams, and if we play well against them, it seems like an easier path to the West Coast Finals.

[Klomp]

Interesting scheduling quirk...

Our next 8 games are against the Eastern Conference. While every game is still important of course, it's still somewhat significant that a loss in these next 8 games won't simultaneously help another team in the West by improving their record as well. If we lose, those teams still have to pull out their own win to gain ground/pull ahead.

Total games left against the East:
3. Sacramento 6
4. Phoenix 3
5. Golden State 3
6. Minnesota 9
7. Dallas 7
8. LA Clippers 4
9. Utah 7
10. New Orleans 2
11. LA Lakers 5

[moss_is_1]

5-8 race is going to be insane to end the year. 4 teams seperated by half a game right now, 2 in the playoffs and 2 for the play-in.