Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
- Eight NBA teams have a less than 1% chance at making the playoffs while two teams are eliminated from the postseason entirely.
- The New York Knicks own the league’ worst record, but the bottom three teams share a 14% chance of getting the No. 1 pick.
- There is a month remaining in the regular season, but the playoff race isn’t a particularly close one, with only four teams still jostling to make it to the playoffs.
The NBA regular season is in its stretch run, but for many teams, the season is already over.
This year’s playoff race, at the moment, lacks drama, with eight teams boasting less than a 1% chance of making the postseason and two already eliminated entirely.
On the other hand, the race for the bottom is tight, with the New York Knicks owning the league’s worst record over the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers. With the NBA’s new lottery odds, the three worst teams share a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 pick, but the team with the worst record can’t pick lower than fifth.
We used 538’s playoff odds to determine who is out of the race and Tankathon for the odds at the No. 1 pick.
With a month to go until the playoffs, here are the teams whose seasons are finished and are now jostling for better lottery odds.
1. New York Knicks
Mary Altaffer/AP
Record: 13-52, 15th in East
NBA playoff odds: 0% (eliminated)
Odds to get No. 1 pick: 14%
One thing to know: Worry not, Knicks fans — after winning three of five games around the All-Star break, the Knicks have lost four in a row, including to lottery foes like the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks are giving themselves the best shot possible at Zion Williamson.
2. Phoenix Suns
Matt York/AP
Record: 15-51, 15th in West
NBA playoff odds: 0% (eliminated)
Odds to get No. 1 pick: 14%
One thing to know: Unlike the Knicks, the Suns are riding a three-game winning streak, including a win over the Bucks, the best team in the league, for the second time this season.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Frank Franklin II/AP
Record: 16-49, 14th in East
NBA playoff odds: less than 1%
Odds to get No. 1 pick: 14%
One thing to know: The Cavs are 5-3 since Kevin Love returned from a foot injury, and a +51 with him on the floor.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Why the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving free agency hype is reaching a fever pitch — and why the Knicks are involved
- What the NBA’s biggest stars looked like when their careers started
- The 29 athletes in the exclusive $200 million club for career earnings in North America
Source: Business Insider – sdavis@businessinsider.com (Scott Davis)