Some things are near-guarantees as we enter the final stretch of the regular season. Giannis Antetokounmpo will secure his second MVP, the Lakers will hold onto the top spot in the West, and the Knicks will suffer at least one public relations disaster. The first week of April could be largely drama free, with stealth tanking and not-so-secret load management taking center stage. But don’t expect the final sprint to be completely devoid of drama.
The Western Conference should see consistent jostling for the No. 2 through No. 6 seeds, and we’ll see a similar pile-up in the East.