Schedule will help solidify Spurs' standing

By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Tuesday, March 2
Updated: March 2
2:04 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks have won five games in a row and are still four games behind division-leader Minnesota. The Lakers have won seven of their last eight games and are only half a game away from losing home-court advantage in the first round.

Heck, the Utah Jazz have just won four games in a row, are above .500, but are still the worst team in the Midwest Division by two whole games.

Welcome to the Western Conference playoff race of March where 14 games separate 10 different teams and at least one team with a winning record will find itself in the lottery.

By the way, the Memphis Grizzlies just went 10-3 in the month of February and are just as close to achieving home-court advantage in the first round as they are from actually being eliminated from the whole thing.

Western Conference March Schedules
1. San Antonio Spurs
Strength of Schedule: 16 (5 road, 8 quality, 3 b2b)
By the time the Spurs take on the Kings on March 31 in San Antonio, it may very well be for the Western Conference crown. As it stands now, the Spurs are four games behind the Timberwolves for the Midwest title and five games behind the Kings for the Western Conference title. But look at this schedule. Their first three games are at home. Their first road trip consists of two games, three rest days apart, followed by eight of their last 11 games back in San Antonio. And speaking of that Wednesday, March 31 showdown, the Spurs get two days rest after playing Phoenix on Saturday and Cleveland on Monday.

2. Houston Rockets
Strength of Schedule: 17 (6 road, 9 quality, 2 b2b)
The Rockets are currently enjoying the soft pocket of their schedule, where nine of 10 games have been at home and none of them back to back. That's a stretch from Feb. 25 to March 15 that includes only one plane flight to Minnesota on March 5. Of course, five of their last seven games of the month are on the road with five of them against playoff contending teams, but they should be able to pad their four-game cushion between them and the playoff have-nots.

3. Portland Trail Blazers
Strength of Schedule: 17 (6 road, 8 quality, 3 b2b)
They are one game below .500, three games behind that eighth playoff spot and four games away from a span of games that could very well determine their entire season and jeopardize their 21-season playoff run. On March 10, they get the Timberwolves followed by the Kings on March 12 followed by Timberwolves, again, Bucks and Pacers on the road. That's five games from one Wednesday to the next that will either put them into the playoff picture for good or eliminate them.

4. Los Angeles Lakers
Strength of Schedule: 17 (7 road, 7 quality, 3 b2b)
Shaq wants Yao on March 3 in Houston. Gary Payton wants to burn down the Sonics on March 5. And Karl Malone wants a little payback against the Jazz on March 8. Kobe, well, he can audition all he wants for the Clippers on March 17 and March 19. And then comes the Kings on March 24 in Staples Center. Circle it now. Nothing brings together a team like a common enemy. By the time the Lakers finish March, they'll either be poised for yet another playoff run like nothing's ever happened or be at each other's throats, and little may have to do with the outcome of the aforementioned games.

5. Memphis Grizzlies
Strength of Schedule: 18 (8 road, 6 quality, 4 b2b)
Who knows if the Grizzlies will show up in Minnesota and win or stay at home against Golden State and lose as they did last month? This month offers plenty of both after already beating the Spurs in San Antonio (without Duncan) and home games against the Clippers, Sixers and Raptors. They've also got home matches with the Spurs and Pacers as well as road games against the Warriors and Hawks. Win some, lose some, they've got March to get it together before running into a very troubling April.

6. Utah Jazz
Strength of Schedule: 19 (8 road, 7 quality, 4 b2b)
The Jazz can't win without John Stockton. They can't win without Karl Malone. They can't win without Matt Harpring. They can't win last Friday against the Kings. They can't win on Monday against the Pistons. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. And wrong again. So who's to say their next three games against the Pacers, Lakers and Blazers in Portland will be any different? Or the five-game road swing directly following? The Jazz are two games away from that eighth playoff spot, behind the Nuggets, who have lost five of their last games. But they can't possibly beat them in Denver on March 14 or March 27 at home . . . can they?

7. Denver Nuggets
Strength of Schedule: 20 (8 road, 8 quality, 4 b2b)
The Eastern Conference is coming to the Nuggets' doorstep, and if they can get by the Nets, Pistons and Pacers in Denver the first week of the month, and then a three-game road trip to Washington, New Jersey and Milwaukee in the second week, then they can start worrying about their Western Conference standing. They are currently 12-10 against Eastern Conference opponents after going 21-18 against the much tougher Western Conference. Time to correct that or spend the entire summer regretting it.

8. Sacramento Kings
Strength of Schedule: 21 (9 road, 9 quality, 3 b2b)
Chris Webber couldn't have picked a better time to work his way back into the lineup with the Kings opening up against the Clippers, Sixers, Heat, Magic and Warriors. By then, he should be ready for the Mavericks, Blazers, Spurs and Nets. And if he's survived that, then he's got five games in the next eight games. The Kings still have the best record in the league with an all-star power forward to spare. We'll see how he fits into a schedule that gets progressively harder as it gets along, ending with road games against the Lakers and Spurs.

9. Dallas Mavericks
Strength of Schedule: 21 (11 road, 6 quality, 4 b2b)
Not only do they get the Timberwolves and Spurs on their first road trip of the month, they get the Kings on their second trip and the Nets and Pacers on their third. And these aren't your typical carry-on road trips. They'll be gone for four- and five- and eight-day excursions from Los Angeles to New Jersey and Orlando to Minnesota that they may not even notice the five home games against the Sonics, Suns, Hawks, Celtics and Cavs. They very well could win every one of them. They just won't remember them in between all the metal detectors.

10. Minnesota Timberwolves
Strength of Schedule: 23 (8 road, 11 quality, 4 b2b)
If your team is going to the playoffs, then most likely it's playing the Timberwolves this month. In March alone, Minnesota plays the Spurs (twice), Lakers (twice), Mavericks, Rockets (twice), Nuggets (twice) and Blazers. Currently, they've got a four-game cushion on San Antonio but that may not be enough considering the Spurs' easy schedule. Many think that Timberwolves are already pre-occupied with getting out of the first round of the playoffs. Maybe they should be worried about getting there in one piece, first. That could very well be the difference between, perhaps, Dallas and Denver, come Mid-April.

11. Seattle SuperSonics
Strength of Schedule: 27 (11 road, 11 quality, 5 b2b)
This isn't a schedule as much as it is an obituary. Their first three games are on the road against teams going to the playoffs. Their last three game are on the road against teams going to the playoffs. In between, they got home games against the Pistons, Timberwolves and Nuggets as well as a five-game Eastern Conference swing, two of them coming on back-to-back nights. Already five games behind the Nuggets, their playoff run is over before it even begins. R.I.P.