Sixers Draft Pick Tracker – March 5th, 2015

Overview:

Sixers Draft Pick Tracker

2015 Top-of-Draft Standings

Sixers pick (currently 2nd):

• Sixers lost (good): An incredible, exciting, entertaining game, and one I couldn’t possibly have been upset if they won. But losing does undeniably help their positioning. With all the other top-4 teams losing, the Sixers loss keeps them right where they were.
• (Side note: Remember when the Knicks, Lakers, and Wolves were all on little winning streaks? Gone. The 5 worst teams in the league have lost a combined 16 straight games, with the Knicks on a 2 game skid, Wolves on a 4 game skid, Lakers losing 3 in a row and Orlando 4).
• Knicks lost (bad): The Knicks loss to Indiana keeps them with one less win than the Sixers.
• Lakers lost (bad): The Lakers lost a heartbreaker to Hassan Whiteside and the Heat. Lakers are still 3.5 games back from the Sixers in the race for the most ping pong balls.
• Minnesota lost (bad): After a finally healthy, post-deadline shot in the arm, Minnesota has now lost 4 straight. Minny beating Denver would have been big, both for the Sixers pick and the Lakers pick.

Lakers pick (top 5 protected, currently 4th): 

• Lakers lost (bad): Again, just sad. With Orlando and Sacramento both losing, this was a (legitimate) chance to make up some ground. Instead, the Lakers remain 3 wins back of Orlando and 5 back of Sacramento.
• Orlando lost (good): Orlando fell to Phoenix, keeping them at 19 wins. They’ve lost 4 in a row, and the Lakers passing them remains the (realistic) best-case scenario. Finishing 5th would give the Sixers a 44.2% chance of getting the Lakers pick.
• Denver won (bad): Denver looks like a different team after firing Brian Shaw, sweeping both halves of a back-to-back, albeit against Milwaukee and Minnesota. Now 6 wins up on the Lakers, the chances of the Lakers catching them are virtually non-existent.
• Sacramento lost (good): If you’re holding out hope for a miracle, which the Lakers falling to the 6th slot would be at this point, Sacramento is your best bet. Their loss keeps them 5 wins ahead of the Lakers.

Heat pick (top 10 protected, currently 16th):

• Heat won (bad): The Heat beating the Lakers was a double-whammy. The win keeps Miami at 16th, a win up on both Charlotte and Indy, and 2 wins up on Brooklyn, who is now 11th.
• Detroit lost (good): Detroit is currently 8th with 23 wins, so keeping them away from Miami is key.
• Boston won (bad): Boston is 10th at 24 wins. Unless Brooklyn falls, Boston cannot pass Miami. The positive: it did give Utah a loss. Either outcome of the game had both pluses and minuses, really.
• Charlotte won (good): Charlotte has been playing better of late, winning 3 in a row, and is now at 26 wins, jumping up to the 15th slot. They’ve been very, very streaky of late, so they could go either way.
• Indiana won (good): Indy has now won 3 in a row and 8 of their last 10, so them passing Miami seems like an eventuality.

Oklahoma City Thunder pick (top 18 protected, currently 18th):

• OKC won (good): With OKC’s win over the Sixers, the Thunder (who have Westbrook back) are tied with Washington at 34-27. If they pass Washington, the Sixers get the pick.
• New Orleans won (bad): However, Anthony Davis also returned, and dropped 39 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks on the Pistons. The win keeps New Orleans a game out of Oklahoma City and the 8th seed in the West. Despite having a better record than Miami, Milwaukee, and tied with Washington, New Orleans passing OKC would prevent the Sixers from getting that pick.
• Milwaukee lost (good): Milwaukee is on a tailspin of late, having lost 4 in a row. They remain at the 17th slot at 32-29, now 2 games in OKC’s rearview mirror.

Tonight’s games:

• OKC @ Chicago: Big game for the OKC pick. A win puts OKC a half-game up on idle Washington, and also pulls them a full game closer (3 wins) to Chicago as a backup plan.