Thanks for coming tier: Teams who will make the playoffs and will be happy if they can force a 5th game in the first round before leaving Disney World
Teams: Grizzlies, Nets, Magic
The Grizzlies and the Magic will at least have a serviceable roster for the postseason assuming they can cling to their playoff spots during the final regular-season games. But the Nets are rolling into Orlando and most likely a playoff spot while nearly all of its best players sitting out.
With Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler, and Nic Claxton all sitting out the restart, the Nets roster looks more like a runner-up at the TBT tournament than a team in the NBA playoffs.
The silver lining in this tier is the return of 40-year-old bucket-getter, Jamal Crawford, who was picked up by the Nets after thousands of Twitter users refused to be silenced and bullied an NBA team into signing him. We’ll also get to learn the answer to the burning question that everyone’s been asking: Can a team built around Chris Chiozza win a championship? I can’t wait to find out.