National Basketball Association

NBA Has A Growing Middle Class

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Recent seasons have seen an abundance of tanking teams, but this season nearly every squad is fighting for the playoffs. That means the middle class of the NBA is growing ever-larger.

The NBA in recent years has been clearly stratified, divided into classes of teams distinct from each other. While the occasional team moved between levels, before the season one could for the most part sketch out which tier a team would land in.

Last season the Eastern Conference had two top teams and those teams finished at the top of the standings by April — Cleveland and Toronto.

The same thing happened out West, with the top four preseason teams finishing in the top four seeds — Golden State, San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Oklahoma City.

The same basic idea is holding through this season. Each conference had a clear “top three” before the season started. In the West, the Clippers, Spurs, and Warriors lead the way as expected.

In the East, the Celtics have weathered key early season injuries to sit just a game out of third, just behind the Cavaliers and Raptors. The upper class is alive and well in the NBA; no team outside of those six is a realistic option to make the NBA Finals.

Where the league is different this season is not at the top, but at the bottom. In recent years headlines have been dominated by teams “tanking” and fighting for draft positioning. These teams entered the season knowing they were doomed for the league’s lower class.

This season saw fewer teams enter the league pegged for the league’s lower class and even fewer teams stay in it. This has caused the growth of the NBA middle class, those teams that are in contention to make the playoffs, but not to win a title.

That group is always the largest, but instead of numbering 15 this season, it numbers closer to 25.

The Los Angeles Lakers are one such team ignoring their preseason label and winning games. Now 9-9, the Lakers have notched wins against solid opponents — the Warriors, Hawks, Rockets and Thunder — and are firmly in the playoff picture out West.

Another team refusing to declare 2017 a lost season plays their home games in Denver and are a few last-minute results from being 10-7.

The Nuggets have the depth to weather early injuries and are showing the strength of a versatile roster, at times playing big or small to match up against opponents. They are still very much alive in the playoff hunt.

In the Eastern Conference, the two teams expected to inhabit the cellar are at the bottom of the standings in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. But the Nets started 4-5 before losing Jeremy Lin and sliding down to the bottom.

With his return imminent and no draft pick to lose for, the Nets will fight to rise up the standings once more.

The Nets are not the only team currently inhabiting the bottom of the standings with plans to move up. The New Orleans Pelicans are 6-4 after an 0-8 start, and are playing solid basketball with Jrue Holiday back in the lineup.

The Dallas Mavericks are currently a league-worst 3-13, but with Dirk Nowitzki expected back this team has aspirations to win games during Nowitzki’s twilight years.

The New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and Milwaukee Bucks have flipped the script on preseason prognosticators to stay in the playoff hunt in the East. Orlando and Washington, although under the line, are fighting to win games this year.

In the West both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings have positives to build on in attacking the eighth seed.

The list goes on. Looking at the current landscape, only two teams can firmly be said to inhabit the NBA’s lower class — the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s probably fair to add in the Miami Heat, who at 5-11 don’t show much chance of threatening for the playoffs.

This leaves a massive middle class all fighting for a playoff berth. Unlike recent years, where nine times fought for eight spots, each conference has at least 13 teams all vying for postseason play.

It will make for an exciting season as the uncertainty lasts for months and teams won’t be caught losing games on purpose to increase their lottery odds — at least not at first.

While the crowded center keeps us from knowing how good each team is, the mystery is intriguing and will draw us back again and again. The upper crust may be fixed, but things are roiling beneath the surface.

A larger middle class means more teams playing meaningful basketball, something that the NBA and its fans should enjoy all season long.