All three NBA teams from the state of Texas could miss out on the playoffs in 2023, which would be the first instance of that happening in the history of the league.
It has been a rough year for both the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, but mostly by design.
All 3 NBA Teams From Texas Could Miss Playoffs
Texas has had three NBA teams since 1980-81. If Dallas’ slide continues, this would be the first time in all that time that the Lone Star State sends zero teams to the playoffs.
(H/T to my fellow Substacker @jkubatko with the confirming research.)
More: https://t.co/LGN9cVpeGP
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 26, 2023
Neither team had high hopes, both going into the season with young and inexperienced rosters. They would both use the down year to their advantages, as there was an obvious prize to be had for whoever could secure the number 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Victor Wembanyama is being touted as one of the best basketball prospects that we have ever seen, and there isn’t a team in the NBA that wouldn’t want him on their roster. The grand prize for being the team that tanks the best during the 2023 season, is a shot at a generational talent.
Both the Spurs and Rockets have been among the league’s worst teams since the start of the season. Houston fell into last place in the Western Conference when they dropped to 1-7 on October 31st, and they’ve been there essentially the entire time since. The only team to drop further in the standings at any time was the Spurs, when they took over last place for two weeks in December.
Spurs, Rockets In Mix For Wembanyama, Mavs Struggling
Mavericks' Luka Doncic expressed that he doesn't feel the same joy on the court lately. He mentioned there's "a lot going on" beyond basketball. pic.twitter.com/tgpViirHEo
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) March 25, 2023
And then there are the Mavericks, who have suffered quite the collapse over the last few weeks. The Kyrie Irving trade was supposed to put them over the top, but Dallas has done more losing than winning since the acquisition, and are currently outside of the playoff picture completely.
The bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture is tightly packed, and the race for the play-in tournament will come down to the final game or two of the season. The Mavericks are currently a half-game back of the 10th spot, but have a few tough road games coming up on their schedule.
Could all three miss the playoffs? It would be the first time in NBA history that all three Texas teams sat out during the postseason, thanks in large part to the success of the Spurs over the last couple of decades. While Greg Popovich and company will miss out on the playoffs for the 4th straight year, they qualified in 29 of the previous 30 seasons.
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