As we approach the end of January in the 2014-15 NBA season, it’s pretty clear that it’s been one surprising ride so far. Teams we expected to contend aren’t and teams that were supposed to be laggards are in the playoff mix. Expect the musical chairs to continue as we play through the second half of the season. Here are three teams that are currently on the outside of the playoffs that are likely to make the cut.
Detroit Pistons
This is the most likely pick to make the playoffs for a few very specific reasons. First of all, the Pistons are in the much weaker Eastern Conference. They do not have to win as many games or climb as high in the standings over the remainder of the season to get into the playoffs. Detroit has to get past the Charlotte Hornets and then just one of either Miami or Brooklyn, who are both tied for the seventh and eighth spots at the moment.
The Pistons have shot up the standings since they released Josh Smith. They were just 5-23 with him but are 12-3 without him. They’re second in the NBA in rebounding at 45.8 rebounds per game with Andre Drummond is pulling in 13.1 per game. He’s been a monster on the glass and has become extremely hard for opponents to handle.
Detroit should be able to handle Miami in a race down the stretch and should also be able to deal with Brooklyn as well. The Nets are just 2-8 in their last 10 games and have players whose legs seem to be dead. Lionel Hollins is a quality head coach but he has older guys who seem to be near the end of the line.
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Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have only one team to catch in the West and that’s the Phoenix Suns, who are four games ahead of OKC right now. This might make things seem tough for the Thunder, but they have a healthy Russell Westbrook and a healthy Kevin Durant. Oklahoma City was consistently a top-two or top-three seed in the Western Conference playoffs as long as it had its main stars healthy for most of the season. Now that the team is healthy, it has 40 games in which to make up four games.
Since Phoenix ran out of gas late last season, the Suns – who give up roughly six points per game more than OKC does (104.8 to 98.6) – shouldn’t be trusted to hold on in the race for the number eight seed in the West. Oklahoma City is still more likely to get that prize right now. If nothing changes in the next 20 games, then this might have to be reconsidered.
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Charlotte Hornets
It is true that the Hornets are one game ahead of Detroit, which means that they have the closest proximity to a playoff spot in the East. However, this team should be behind the Pistons because of the way Detroit has played ever since it let go of Josh Smith. Detroit has beaten more high-quality teams than the Hornets have, winning at San Antonio and Dallas on back-to-back nights a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, Charlotte is one of three teams in the league that has a great chance to get in because of how they’ve played recently. They’ve won three straight and eight of their last 10 games.
The Hornets might not stay in front of Detroit but if they beat both Miami and Brooklyn in the standings, they’ll get the No. 8 seed in the East. Charlotte just beat Miami in a 78-76 game, so the odds look god, and the Hornets have given the Heat problems this season even with Miami even when they hadn’t begun to improve. The fact that Brooklyn is in freefall should help the Hornets just as much as it should help the Pistons. Charlotte’s path to an eight seed is clear.
