With a magic number of two and just four games left on the schedule, common sense says that the Toronto Raptors can do enough to lock down the sixth seed and ensure a real playoff spot instead of the chaos of the play-in tournament.
The Atlanta Hawks, though, might have something to say about that.
Winners of five straight, the Hawks — and Trae Young, in particular — are peaking at the right time for the second straight season, getting right into the meat of the play-in tournament and giving Brooklyn Nets fans (all 10-15 of them) conniptions over their team’s post-season path.