The first half of the NBA season has ended! Man, was that fast. At this point in the season NBA teams are either trying to win games in order to get into the playoffs or lose games in order to get a higher pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Please join us as we take a division by division look at the NBA and what you might be able to expect for the rest of the regular season.
Southeast Division
Washington Wizards: The Wizards are currently sitting at the top of the Southeast Division and have been without star point guard John Wall for a while now. There still isn’t a timetable for his return but the Wizards have been getting big production from shooting guard Bradley Beale. They will head into the second half winners of their past two games and 7-3 over their last ten. The Wizards are in the top 12 in both offense and defense but have a tough row to hoe as they play 18 of their final 25 games of the regular season against teams with a .500 record or better. That doesn’t bode well for the Wizards as they are just 14-15 against above .500 clubs this season.
Prediction: Their second half schedule is brutal and most likely will finish second in the Southeast and should secure the eighth seed.
Miami Heat: The Miami Heat gets no respect; ever since LeBron James decided to return to Cleveland folks have been writing this team off. This season the Heat have had injuries galore and plenty of reason to head to tankapalooza land yet they continue to fight and are currently in second place in the Southeast and have a 1.5 game lead over the Detroit Pistons for the eighth seed in the East. Miami’s top ten defense rebounding and efficiency complements their number 24 ranked snail pace offense perfectly. The Heat has 24 games remaining with 11 of them coming against below .500 teams; the Heat have gone 16-10 against the teams under .500 this season and barring any further injuries the Heat might finally get some respect.
Prediction: Miami finishes their second half strong, wins the Southeast Division and winds up with the fourth seed in the East.
Charlotte Hornets: The Hornets have been a huge disappointment this season; Head Coach Steve Clifford missed an extended period of time, Kemba Walker pouted about possibly getting traded and Dwight Howard is playing good ball and seems to be getting along with folks in Charlotte. The Hornets average the least amount of turnovers and are a top 16 in offensive and defensive efficiency. So why in the world are they 5.5 games behind the Heat and on the outside looking in? Their biggest problem is their 11-27 record against teams over .500 and that has to do more with their schedule than anything else. The Hornets head into the second half of the season with a 4-6 record over their past ten and they do play under .500 teams in 13 of their final 25 games. This could be an interesting few weeks for the Hornets.
Prediction: The Hornets have a favorable schedule but they are too inconsistent and could miss the 2018 NBA playoffs.
Orlando Magic: Disney isn’t the only thing that’s “Goofy” in Orlando; they also have a NBA team called the Magic that is anything but magical and more resembles Goofy. In fairness Nikola Vucevic has missed over 20 games, Aaron Gordon missed 17 and they traded away Elfrid Payton so they do at least have an excuse for their difficult season. Orlando has a bottom five defense and 18th ranked offense just isn’t going to get it done in today’s NBA. 11 of their last 25 games are against teams below .500 and it will be interesting to see what type of rotations Head Coach Frank Vogel will use to close out the season.
Prediction: The Magic are in full tank mode and will not only miss the playoffs but won’t finish with the worst record in the NBA.
Atlanta Hawks: After ten consecutive seasons of reaching the NBA playoffs the Atlanta Hawks will be making travel plans immediately following their final game of the season. This is what happens when you don’t have a plan in place and allow All Stars like Al Horford and Paul Millsap to leave via free agency without compensation. The youth movement of Taurean Prince, Dennis Schroeder and John Collins had decent yet unspectacular seasons. Thankfully for their fan base the Hawks only 23 games remaining on their 2018 season but only six of those games are against under .500 clubs so maybe they wind up with the number one pick in the 2018 NBA Draft!
Prediction: With one of the most difficult schedules in the East the Hawks will finish dead last in the NBA, get the top pick in the Draft and be really bad again in 2019!
Up next: The Southwest Division.
Follow Phil @Flashtennis31 and The Phil Naessens Show.
