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.
Between the short offseason, the shorter schedule, an enduring coronavirus and the playoffs’ being structured differently this year, there was never much chance of the 2020–21 NBA campaign being “normal.”
As a result of the chaos, we’re approaching perhaps the most unpredictable finish in league history.
The reigning champs are in an absolute brawl to avoid having to participate in the postseason’s play-in round.