Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of SI.com’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.
The season that never really felt like a season and somehow also a marathon slog after the short break postbubble is almost over. By Sunday night, every team will have played its final game of the regular season before the brand new play-in tournament kicks off on May 18.