Four teams are still in the mix to earn top odds for the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
The New York Knicks earned a big victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, shocking fans and leading to a terse response from coach Gregg Popovich. The result didn't just knock San Antonio back in the crowded West standings, however. It pulled New York out of the NBA cellar with just weeks left in the season.
While everyone assumed the Philadelphia 76ers would be the de facto "favorites" to get the most ping pong balls in the upcoming draft lottery, we've instead been treated to several teams fighting for the bottom of the standings. Between the 76ers, Knicks, Lakers and Timberwolves, there's been a whole lot of tanking, a whole lot of losing and varying degrees of optimism depending on who you ask.
The Knicks were arguably favorites to get top odds before beating San Antonio, but now they're tied with Minnesota for fewest wins in the league. The Sixers and Lakers aren't far back, either, and there's still more than enough time to mix things up. How these teams fare over the next few weeks could go a long way to determining what the draft order looks like a few months from now.
As a reminder, the worst team in the NBA receives 25 percent odds of receiving the No. 1 overall pick. The next three teams receive odds of 19.9 percent, 15.6 percent and 11.9 percent, respectively.
So which team has the best shot at having the best odds of drafting the best player in June? For now, New York and Minnesota may be in the driver's seat, but things could change quickly.
The standings
| Team | Record | GB |
| New York Knicks | 14-53 | |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 14-52 | 0.5 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 15-52 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 17-49 | 3.5 |
Recent play
Even with the impressive win over San Antonio, New York has easily been the worst team in the NBA over the past few weeks. The Knicks have been outscored by 12.1 points per 100 possessions in their most recent 15 games, per NBA.com. No other team is close to that figure in the same span. Minnesota and Philadelphia round out the bottom three, but those teams are only getting outscored by closer to seven points per 100 possessions.
The Lakers, meanwhile, have shown some signs of respectability lately with Jordan Clarkson and Jordan Hill leading the way. The team hasn't been good, posting a 4-11 record over its past 15 games, but it's only getting outscored by 4.2 points per 100 possessions. Compared to the other teams at the bottom of the standings, that's easily the best performance.
That's largely translated to close losses and not wins, though. Since the start of March, the Lakers have lost by seven points to OKC, Memphis, Dallas and New York, by six points to Miami, by five points to Atlanta and by three points to Golden State. That's a bunch of close losses, many against great teams.
And yet, it's likely what L.A. management wanted. Wins aren't popular in these circles right now.
Upcoming schedule
Here's where things could get a bit tricky.
| Games Remaining | Overall | vs. over .500 teams | vs. under .500 teams |
| New York Knicks | 15 | 7 | 8 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 16 | 8 | 8 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 15 | 6 | 9 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 16 | 7 | 9 |
The toughest remaining schedule belongs to the Timberwolves, who get a few easy games after facing Toronto on Wednesday night, but finish with a brutal stretch. Minnesota's final five games include road contests in Portland and Golden State, and the season concludes with matchups against Oklahoma City and New Orleans. The Thunder and Pelicans likely won't be taking the foot off the pedal as they battle for the No. 8 seed in the West. The Timberwolves also have to face a red-hot Jazz team twice, and they get Houston on the road March 27. That could put Minnesota in a favorable position to lose enough to get the most ping pong balls, given it already is tied for the fewest wins.
But it's actually all the intra-tanker games that'll ultimately decide things. Here's a full list of all of games between these four teams in the next month or so:
March 19: Timberwolves at Knicks
March 20: Knicks at 76ers
March 22: 76ers at Lakers
March 25: Lakers at Timberwolves
March 30: Lakers at 76ers
April 5: 76ers at Knicks
April 10: Timberwolves at Lakers
Those seven games will be crucial. Each team has varying degree of difficulty in its remaining schedule, but when New York can beat a team like San Antonio, pretty much anything can happen. Still, assuming these teams lose the vast majority of their games from here on out, these seven games will be huge. Someone is going to get a win out of each one, and how that all sorts out will likely go a long way toward settling the lottery odds.
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1AZswAM
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