Death and taxes tier: We know what these teams are, and, perhaps more importantly, what they are not. Low ceiling, but a high floor – predictable
Teams: Jazz, Thunder, Mavericks
These three teams have all been the definition of steady throughout the season. All three have either 40 or 41 wins, a reliable playmaker who runs most of their offense, and have almost identical home and road splits. They’re as solid as they come.
And while being solid is great and gets you in the playoffs, it caps your ceiling. No one is picking any of these teams to win the West and at the same time, no one thinks they’ll lay an egg and get swept out of the first round.
They’ve all had good seasons but all of them will leave Orlando in a predictable fashion. Death and taxes.