A year ago to the day, the Celtics were in the soft underbelly of the Eastern Conference. The following ? An epic comeback in the standings and an incredible run that took them all the way to the NBA Finals. Inevitably, the question arises for this 2022-23 season: can another team follow in Boston’s footsteps?
January 23, 2022.
Boston. pic.twitter.com/guLFzCMIBt
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) January 23, 2023
We know that some fanbases are going to be picky so we are going to give our current rules for this paper. Boston was tenth in the East on January 23, 2022 and again eighth on January 24, 2022 so we will only take into account teams that are play-in zone or even further in the rigor. Teams that have not met expectations in this first part of the season but still have roughly 35 games to reverse the trend and finish strong. Let’s take a look at our candidates.
Golden State Warriors
Record: 23-24, 10th in the West
The defending champion, just that. Only tenth in the West halfway through the season, the Dubs are currently far from honoring their trophy acquired last June. Admittedly, there were sores to manage and several leaders in the infirmary but we expected something else from the Warriors. Why imagine them finishing strong then? Quite simply because the infirmary is finally emptying, because we can well imagine Bob Myers coming up with a clever little deal or two to strengthen his bench and perhaps also find an interior that holds up if possible (Poeltl?). And then it’s the Warriors in fact, not a team that can be buried like that on the pretext that they missed half a season. Stephen Curry seems to have a great desire to close mouths, we know the quality that this group can demonstrate. Few people saw them going to the end last year, they made the predictions lie, it’s up to them to play.
Phoenix Suns
Record: 24-24, 8th in the West
Another team that was announced as the favorite at the start of the season and the fall was heavy for the Cactus. Again, injuries have taken their toll with Devin Booker who has been squatting in the infirmary for weeks. Without forgetting that Chris Paul, already not in top form, has also been on the sidelines more than once. Hoping that the arsonist back will return soon, it seems difficult not to imagine the Suns rising in the standings by April. Cam Johnson has also returned after a long stay with the doctor, we can expect reinforcements at the deadline with Jae Crowder ever closer to the start. Which means an additional asset compared to the start of the season. As a whole, the Suns are one of the strongholds of the West and a team to be reckoned with in the Playoffs. But still it is necessary that the injuries leave this group alone.
We do not put a hand to cut on them but we never know?
Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 22-25, 12th in the West
We find the Lakers where we left them last year, outside the Play-in zone. Pretty incredible for a team that still has LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook in its ranks. Except that between AD’s injuries and the supporting cast next door, not everything is rosy in Los Angeles. Despite its rocky season, LA is not so far behind in the standings. There are only two games away with the Clippers who are sixth! With Davis announced to be close to his return and betting on good deals at the deadline (like with Rui Hachimura for example), why not imagine a great dynamic being set up at the Crypto.com Arena? If Rob Pelinka grabs a bit of defense and shoots outside, the Lakers can come back with a much more conquering face for the end of the season. That’s a lot of “if” but we say why not?
:quality(70):focal(1583x1318:1593x1328)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/liberation/UFINQHZXEZFMVKUENCO7E5SMWU.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1)
