NBA Pretender or Contender: Bucks look legit; Celtics, Grizzlies fading?

There is one week left in the NBA’s regular season. There’s no better time to play NBA Pretender or Contender with the playoffs on the horizon.

The NBA Playoffs are a little over a week away. And with just a handful of regular seasons remaining, there are many teams that are already beginning to round into championship form. At the same time, there are others that have left a bit to be desired heading into the stretch run.

The final stretch of the regular season is officially here and there isn’t much room for error for many teams looking to make one last push toward the postseason.

The last week of the NBA regular season

Heading into the last week of the regular season, there is still plenty that teams, especially in the Western Conference, are playing for. The bottom portion of the West’s seeding remains unresolved. Teams are still trying to slide into the final couple of spots in the Play-In Tournament.

In the Eastern Conference, much more is settled and, for the most part, most teams know where they’re going to be seeded heading into the NBA Playoffs.

Golden State Warriors

As easy as it would be to label the Golden State Warriors as a non-contender, I simply can’t do it. There’s too much experience, star power, and high-ceiling potential that this team still has on their roster. If there’s any veteran-laden team that is going to be able to “turn it on” in the playoffs, it’s probably going to be the Warriors.

And if they can somehow get Andrew Wiggins back, watch out. The Warriors’ chances of making a deep playoff run will largely depend on how the bracket lines up for them, but this is a team that should still be considered a dark horse contender in the West.

Verdict: Contender