By Rory Zeman

As the NBA enters the final stretch of its season, teams are making final pushes to rise up in the standings as far as possible. Furthermore, multiple races between players vying for end-of-season awards are as tight as ever. Here’s a look at the NBA as it nears the season’s end.

To start, the power rankings in the NBA have dramatically changed for many teams after the trade deadline. Most notably, the Golden State Warriors have shot up the power rankings, rising to the number four spot. This comes after the Warriors acquired superstar Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat at the trade deadline in early February. Since then, the Warriors have been nearly flawless and have gone from the ninth seed in the West up to the sixth seed with a comfortable lead in front of the ninth seed. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Lakers, after completing one of the largest trades in NBA history by acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, have moved up to the fifth spot in the power rankings, even with some losses due to a LeBron James injury. Additionally, the Minnesota Timberwolves have moved to the sixth spot in the power rankings, mainly because the Timberwolves have, based on opponent win percentages, the league’s easiest schedule for the remainder of the year and have capitalized on this situation. However, Minnesota remains in a tight race with the Warriors for the sixth seed, as the seventh seed would mean a spot in the play-in tournament, while the alternative sixth seed means automatic entry to the playoffs. Despite all of the post-trade deadline movement, the top three power rankings have remained the same: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Boston Celtics.

As for awards, the defensive player of the year is a tight race among a few likely contenders, namely Rudy Gobert of the Timberwolves, Lu Dort of the Thunder, and Draymond Green of the Warriors. For the Sixth Man of the Year award, the clear favorite is Celtics bench leader Payton Pritchard, who is averaging an impressive 14 points per game on a 42 percent three-point percentage while being a bench player. Finally, the MVP award is the tightest it’s been all season, with the top two spots on the ladder switching nearly every single week. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and reigning MVP from the Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic have been contending for the award since the beginning of the season. Gilegous-Alexander, who is averaging 33 points per game and leading the league in scoring, is currently in the second spot and has led the Thunder to a commanding lead in the western standings. Jokic, who is a three-time MVP winner and is averaging a 29-point-per-game triple-double, leads the MVP ladder. With such a vacillating race, there is no telling who will take home the MVP or any of the other awards, as the most important and competitive stretch of the season still remains.

(Sources: CNN, NBA)