{"id":1861816,"date":"2026-04-02T14:30:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T11:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1861816"},"modified":"2026-04-02T14:30:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T11:30:50","slug":"the-bounce-the-wests-best-are-charging-toward-the-playoffs-with-zest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1861816","title":{"rendered":"The Bounce: The West\u2019s best are charging toward the playoffs with zest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Bounce Newslette<\/b>r<\/strong>\u00a0\":basketball:\"<\/span>\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

On this date in 1975, Bob McAdoo won the MVP award. In the previous season (his second in the NBA), he finished second in MVP voting to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. McAdoo averaged 34.5 points in the 1974-75 campaign to lead the Buffalo Braves to a 49-33 record. His 2,831 points are the eighth-most points ever scored in a season. Only Wilt Chamberlain (four times), Michael Jordan (twice) and Kobe Bryant have scored more in a season.<\/p>\n

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Gearing up<\/h3>\n

West\u2019s top four teams are on fire<\/strong><\/p>\n

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, \u201cYou want to be playing your best basketball as you enter the playoffs.\u201d Actually, it might have been a basketball coach. Napoleon died 76 years before basketball was invented. But the message is true regardless of who said it. Flipping the proverbial switch is a dangerous game when it comes to success in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

In the Western Conference, the top four teams are currently on fire. <\/strong>The Thunder have lost once in their last 16 games. The Spurs are on another double-digit win streak and have barely lost in two months. The Lakers keep racking up wins<\/a> as they secure the No. 3 seed in the West. And the Nuggets are back to their winning ways. All four of these teams are surging right now, and we may even have to hold space for the Timberwolves and Rockets if they get back to their potential.<\/p>\n

How important is it to be hitting your peak two weeks before the playoffs begin? While it\u2019s not a prerequisite for winning a title, the last two champions were on fire as they entered the playoffs. The Celtics won 27 of their last 33 games in 2024 before rolling through the postseason with a 16-3 record. Last year, the Thunder won 22 of their final 25 games, winning by historic margins before finding their way to the trophy.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s examine the top four West teams and how much this collective stretch might set them up for a title run.<\/p>\n

Thunder: <\/strong>15-1 with a +9.6 net rating in the last 16 games.<\/p>\n

16th in offense (eighth on the season), first in defense (first on the season) during stretch.<\/em><\/p>\n

Record versus top 10: <\/strong>7-1 | Record versus middle 10: <\/strong>3-0 | Record versus bottom 10: <\/strong>5-0<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City is still trying to get healthy, and more specifically, get Jalen Williams back to the level of player we saw last season when he was All-NBA and All-Defense. The Thunder offense being mediocre during this stretch is interesting, because it shows they have another gear to still hit. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defense are carrying OKC. And the Thunder are doing this against a good cross-section of good versus not good teams. The Thunder look the most poised for a title run when you factor in their championship experience from a year ago. Title threat level: <\/strong>\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n

Spurs: <\/strong>26-2 with a +14.4 net rating in the last 28 games<\/p>\n

First in offense (fourth on the season), second in defense (third on the season) during stretch.<\/em><\/p>\n

Record versus top 10: <\/strong>6-2 | Record versus middle 10: <\/strong>11-0 | Record versus bottom 10: <\/strong>9-0<\/p>\n

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Of the four teams, this is the longest current stretch of dominance by far. San Antonio has been playing like this for two months, although you can see the schedule has been quite favorable. The Spurs\u2019 two losses came via blowout against the Knicks and the Nuggets squeaking one out. This level of offense is fueled by Victor Wembanyama playing absurd basketball, and everybody around him is attacking at a super high level. They\u2019re playing so well that it\u2019s getting easier to ignore their lack of playoff experience. Title threat level: <\/strong>\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n

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{“endpoint”:”https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql”}<\/p>\n

Lakers: <\/strong>16-2 with a +10.2 net rating the last 18 games<\/p>\n

Fourth in offense (seventh on the season), ninth in defense (20th on the season) during stretch.<\/em><\/p>\n

Record versus top 10: <\/strong>5-2 | Record versus middle 10: <\/strong>3-0 | Record versus bottom 10: <\/strong>8-0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m much more interested in the defensive execution during this stretch for the Lakers than I am in everything else. That\u2019s still their biggest question going into the postseason. Can they actually defend? It looks great right now, but they\u2019ve also played a pretty easy schedule during these 18 games. The losses were to Denver and Detroit, so no shame there. Maybe Luka Don\u010di\u0107 has become so dominant that the defensive questions won\u2019t need big answers. L.A. plays the Thunder tonight. Title threat level: <\/strong>\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n

Nuggets: <\/strong>10-2 with a +10.6 net rating the last 12 games<\/p>\n

Second in offense (first on the season), ninth in defense (21st on the season) during stretch.<\/em><\/p>\n

Record versus top 10: <\/strong>2-1 | Record versus middle 10: <\/strong>4-0 | Record versus bottom 10: <\/strong>4-1<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the shortest stretch of the four teams, but this is coming at a very necessary part of the season. The Nuggets are starting to get healthy, as they pray Aaron Gordon\u2019s hamstring stays intact. Denver had a confusing loss to Memphis and a fun loss to the Lakers. It\u2019s one of the few teams to take down San Antonio the last two months. If this team gets healthy, then the defensive performance becomes more believable as sustainable. We know the Nuggets can score but they need to defend and that only happens with Gordon and Peyton Watson healthy. Title threat level: <\/strong>\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6\ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n

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The last 24<\/h3>\n

\ud83d\udc40 Game recognize game.<\/strong> Cue the Spider-Man pointing meme. Wembanyama is changing the game like Steph Curry once did, and Curry talks about what he sees in Wemby in this exclusive interview with our Jared Weiss.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 He\u2019s back. <\/strong>Speaking of Curry, he could return from his knee injury on Sunday, and he brought back his famous pregame warmup show last night. We shouldn\u2019t even debate whether he should have shut it down for the season<\/a><\/strong>, Sam Amick writes.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf0d Big money. <\/strong>NBA Europe has received a lot of bids for teams. Including $1 billion offers<\/strong><\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2600\ufe0f H(ire) to the Izzo? <\/strong>Michigan State legend Tom Izzo was approached for the Suns job last offseason. He nearly took the position<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 Ivey\u2019s fall. <\/strong>Jaden Ivey was recently waived following his controversial comments. He wasn\u2019t always like this<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83c\udf73 Good eats. <\/strong>What\u2019s a secret to the Cavaliers\u2019 success? They go all out when it comes to feeding players \u2014 and their familes.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stream the NBA on Fubo (<\/em>try it for free!<\/a>)<\/em>\u00a0and catch out-of-market games on\u00a0<\/em>League Pass<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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About last night<\/h3>\n

Tatum messed around and got a \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Celtics 147, Heat 129: <\/strong>Jaylen Brown poured in 43 points and Jayson Tatum had a triple-double<\/a> with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists. Both teams combined for 45 made 3-pointers with the Heat knocking down 24. But Miami could not stop the Celtics from making 58 percent of their shots. The Heat (40-37) fell to 10th in the East.<\/p>\n

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Hawks 130, Magic 102: <\/strong>Nickeil Alexander-Walker continues his Most Improved Player campaign with 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and Jalen Johnson added 18 points, 14 boards and eight assists. The Magic shot 19 percent from three and had 18 turnovers in the game. Atlanta (44-33) is now a full game up for the No. 5 seed.<\/p>\n

Spurs 127, Warriors 113: <\/strong>The Warriors had nine players available last night, and six of them were undrafted. The Spurs did not take mercy on them. Wemby became the fourth fastest to get a 20-point, 10-rebound game. He had it in 12 minutes and 55 seconds. He finished with 41 points and 18 rebounds with three dimes and three blocks.<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s head to the Dunk Tank!\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n