The sprint toward the NBA playoffs is fully underway.
With the trade deadline, All-Star break and buyout deadline for playoff eligibility all in the rearview, teams can now shift their focus to improving postseason seeding, escaping the play-in mix or simply getting in at all.
That's especially true in the Western Conference, where 12 teams can realistically make a run for at least a play-in spot -- a number that would have been 13 before Victor Wembanyama's season-ending diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder -- and several teams believe they are legitimate contenders to win the West.