The NBA is fighting the final battles in the race to qualify for the ring

On Sunday, April 9, the regular phase of the tournament was held NBA. There are still a little less than eight games left, and the fight to enter the qualifiers that decide the title is open, exciting and uncertain, the likes of which has not been seen for a long time.

Are they fifteen teams per conference. The top six qualify directly. And the next four play a passport for one game, seventh against tenth and eighth against ninth. This is the so-called play in that was tested in the pandemic campaign and remained. Add interest and include more teams in the title fight.

At this point in the course, only four franchises were excluded: Charlotte and Detroit in the Eastern Conference and San Antonio and Houston in the West. Detroit, San Antonio and Houston are teams that already know what it’s like to win the NBA.

In the east, the first three (Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers) already have enough margin to avoid the game. and Ricky Rubio’s Cleveland Cavaliers They are one step away from that. In the West, the first two, DVer Nuggets and Memphis Grizzliesthey also have a direct passport to the play offs, surprisingly Sacramento KingsWith Spanish Jordi Fernandez in the technical staff, they will see it.

In the East knicks they are fifth with 42 wins. From there, a tight battle for sixth place, to avoid a play-in or at least get the home field factor: Brooklyn and Miami, 40; Atlanta and Toronto, 37; and Chicago, tenth, with 36. Indiana, Washington (33) and Orlando (32) have a very difficult return.

Madness reigns in the west: Phoenix, Clippers and Golden State are fourth, fifth and sixth with 39 wins; Minnesota, seventh with 38; New Orleans, Lakers and Oklahoma, eighth, ninth and tenth, with 37.

The Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks in decline since the arrival of Kyrie Irving, they are now out of the game, at 36. Utah is at 35, and Portland is all but shut out at 32.

There are only eleven days left in the regular season and it is harder than ever to make predictions about the upcoming games.

Spaniards in the “play off”

The Spanish quota in the NBA has dropped by whole numbers compared to the long period led by the Gasol brothers. The character that appears the most is that of Santí Aldama, who will be in the play off with Memphis Grizzlies. The pivot does not stop progressing and getting quotas for prominence in the team.

And the veteran will be Ricky Rubio, has recovered from a knee injury he suffered last season. He is a quiet leader in the ranks Cleveland Cavaliers. His coach, JB Bickerstaff, made an example of him in front of all his teammates after the victory against the Bulls (97-89), shortly after his return. He played sixteen minutes in which he did not score, but he handed out five assists, grabbed a rebound, threw a block and three steals. The coach did not want to miss the opportunity to point out that “there are different ways to influence and help in the game”, and the Spanish point guard just gave an example of “how not to be selfish towards the team”.

In case of Willy Hernangomez It’s the x-file. When they give you the minutes in the New Orleans Pelicans, use them. But he didn’t just earn the coach’s trust. The team’s franchise player, zion williamsonhe was injured at the beginning of January and there is no date for his return to the gym.

Looking for an MVP

Another incentive that animates the final part of the season is the impact that the final games will have in the battle to win the award of the most valuable player, the MVP.

Nikola Jokic, the center of the Denver Nuggets, was selected the last two seasons and returns to the opponent. Two other headquarters, antitokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks and to incorporate in the Philadelphia 76ers, they are his main rivals. Luka Dončić was also in the pools, imperial in the first part of the competition. Coinciding with the arrival of Irving, his performance declined and he was relegated from the league.