There’s always been a fine line between winning and losing games, but considering how good the Western Conference has become, the divide between a W and L is growing more defined by the day — and, along with that, so is the gap between playoff and lottery teams.
Last season, the 45-win Oklahoma City Thunder missed the West playoffs. The season before, 48 wins wasn’t enough for the Phoenix Suns to qualify for the eighth seed. By comparison, only five Eastern Conference playoff teams finished with a winning record last season.
When, for example, one game in the standings separates the second and sixth seeds in the West — as was the case last season — the importance of individual games across the span of an entire campaign is understandably magnified.