The benefits of NBA parity are now

As many as 25 teams have real reasons to win games down the stretch, where we're more used to teams tanking and resting.

Good morning. I overslept; hence the shorter than expected newsletter. Let’s basketball.

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The Benefits of Parity Are Now

Shrovetide Revellers, Frans Hals, 1616-17

In the past when there were a couple of clear title contenders and the standings had been mostly sorted out, this period after the All-Star break and before the playoffs was known as one of the more boring stretches of the NBA regular season. You’d start to see more tanking, you’d see standings leaders rest players more frequently, fewer and fewer games would have stakes.

That’s out of the window. The race for top seeds in the East is on — every one of the top 10-12 teams has something to play for. While Nos. 1 and 2 seem a little more set in the West, Nos. 3-13 are completely in flux, with most of those teams seemingly seeking a playoff nod. Denver is fighting for No. 1 overall; Memphis needs to keep winning to stay ahead of any of the West pack teams that get hot.

There’s a ton at stake just about every night. By my count, 24 or 25 of the 30 NBA teams have real stakes that incentivize winning games during the stretch run. (I’m on the fence about Orlando and Utah, hence the 24 to 25 wiggle room.) That’s pretty incredible.

We’ll see if that helps the NBA capture the public imagination, and if it keeps us close observers more engaged through the home stretch.