Power Ranking 10 Cinderella Underdogs to Root for in the NBA Stretch Run
With less than 20 games for each NBA team and the playoff picture starting to take shape, there are obvious contenders and teams still fighting just to get to the postseason.
With every win and loss, conference playoff races are heating up and fans are checking the scoreboard each night to see if their team is still in a playoff position.
No matter how these teams have performed earlier in the season, each one still has the chance to make the playoffs.
Several of them are even fighting for the fourth spot and a home-court playoff series.
The following slides will rank the 10 underdog teams that must perform well down the stretch and finish strong so they can compete in the playoffs rather than focus on the draft lottery.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves
1 of 10Current Record: 24-26
Current Playoff Position: 11th in the Western Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: Kevin Love needs some love.
Last 10 Games: 3-7
Even though many believed that the playoff hopes for the Minnesota Timberwolves went down with the season-ending injury to rookie point guard Ricky Rubio, no one told Kevin Love.
Over the last several games, Love has done all that he can to keep his team in the playoff hunt.
Despite being three spots outside of the playoffs, the Timberwolves sit just three games out of the final position.
If Love continues to have the type of games that he has and the team can find a way to win down the stretch, the Timberwolves could end up in the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and with a winning record for the first time since 2005.
9. Memphis Grizzlies
2 of 10Current Record: 26-21
Current Playoff Position: Sixth in the Western Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: Can the Grizzlies do it two years in a row?
Last 10 Games: 4-6
The Memphis Grizzlies entered the season as one of the favorites in the Western Conference after shocking the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs last season and making it deeper in the playoffs than expected.
The Grizzlies have quietly put together another good season and are currently in the sixth position in the playoffs. They are within three games of the third position and are coming off of an impressive win on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Grizzlies showed that they are an athletic team capable of playing against anyone in the Western Conference, and now have some playoff experience.
It would help the team out in the playoffs if they have a good run down the stretch, but if history repeats itself, it will not really matter where the Grizzlies end in the playoff standings.
Just like the showed us last year, they are still a team that is capable of winning in the postseason.
8. Philadelphia 76ers
3 of 10Current Record: 27-22
Current Playoff Position: Fourth in the Eastern Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: To find out if the 76ers are for real.
Last 10 Games: 5-5
The Philadelphia 76ers have been a great underdog story all season long.
Not expected to lead their division coming into the season, the 76ers have found a way to surprise the league and keep pace with the Eastern conference leaders throughout the year.
Things are getting much more difficult for the team down the stretch as other teams are pushing them for the Atlantic division lead.
It is critical for the 76ers to finish strong and win the division title so that they have a home playoff series. If they end up in the seventh or eight position, it will likely be a quick playoff exit for the team.
Now is the time for Philadelphia to step up and finish the season and find success in the playoffs so they can quiet the critics and be taken more seriously among the best teams in the East.
7. Denver Nuggets
4 of 10Current Record: 27-23
Current Playoff Position: Ninth in the Western Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: They need all the support they can get.
Last 10 Games: 5-5
Whether they will admit it or not, the Denver Nuggets are still out to prove that they got the better end of the deal in the Carmelo Anthony trade.
The Nuggets have a good team but have been beat up with injuries all season long.
Denver currently has the same record as the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets and are not far from a higher playoff spot.
To make the playoffs, the up-and-down season for the Nuggets needs to even out over the last month.
If they play like they did in a recent blow out win on the road in Chicago, the Nuggets will make it into the playoffs where they will present a good challenge to other Western Conference teams.
6. Houston Rockets
5 of 10Current Record: 27-23
Current Playoff Position: Eighth in the Western Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: They are still fighting without two starters.
Last 10 Games: 6-4
With the possibility that starting guards Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin may both miss the rest of the season, the Houston Rockets are going to have a hard time holding onto the eighth and final playoff spot that they currently find themselves in.
From the start of the season, when they endured a difficult opening schedule to the adversity they now face as they hit the final weeks without Lowry and Martin, the Rockets are a team who will refuse to give up.
Having won three of their last four games, the Rockets have shown that they still have what it takes to compete in the NBA and are capable of finding continued success.
The last few weeks will be difficult for the Rockets, but if they can keep winning, it will turn out to be a great Cinderella story for the team.
5. Boston Celtics
6 of 10Current Record: 27-22
Current Playoff Position: Seventh in the Eastern Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: We are not ready to watch the Boston Celtics rebuild.
Last 10 Games: 6-4
This postseason could be the last run for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
With aging superstars Allen and Garnett in the final year of their respective contracts, the Celtics are going to have some big offseason decisions to make, and any of these three may not return to the team.
The Celtics are in a good position in the Atlantic division and could move up to the fourth playoff spot if they can overtake the Philadelphia 76ers and hold off the New York Knicks.
With a game left to play against each of those teams, the Knicks have a good opportunity to be in control of their playoff position.
It will be interesting to see how the Celtics' playoff experience plays out this season, especially if they earn a first-round series at home.
4. Milwaukee Bucks
7 of 10Current Record: 22-27
Current Playoff Position: Ninth in the Eastern Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: To see this team not give up on the season.
Last 10 Games: 7-3
By this point of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks could easily have packed it all up and forgotten about any success this year.
After enduring another serious injury to Andrew Bogut, and struggling through the mistake of trading for Stephen Jackson, the team rolled the dice at the trade deadline and acquired the scorer they have needed for several seasons.
The Bucks are currently 2.5 games behind the New York Knicks and could sneak into the playoffs with a good run down the stretch.
The tight race in the Atlantic division could be a benefit to the Bucks, who would have to call it a success just to get into the playoffs this season.
A recent loss to the Knicks did not help things out much, but a string of a few wins in a row would put the Bucks in a position that few expected them to be in earlier in the year.
3. New York Knicks
8 of 10Current Record: 25-25
Current Playoff Position: Eight in the Eastern Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: To see what Linsanity looks like in the playoffs.
Last 10 Games: 7-3
No underdog story is complete this season without a little bit of Jeremy Lin mixed in.
Unfortunately for the New York Knicks, they are in a position that they did not expect to be in at the beginning of the season.
After firing their head coach and dealing with injuries and adversity, the Knicks are fighting for their playoff lives.
The Knicks have had several good winning streaks this season and are in need of another down the stretch.
Currently in the eighth playoff spot, the Knicks trail the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics by only 2.5 games and still have a chance to win the Atlantic Division and earn a home playoff series.
2. Phoenix Suns
9 of 10Current Record: 25-24
Current Playoff Position: 10th in the Western Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: Steve Nash
Last 10 Games: 7-3
At 38 years old, Steve Nash is still playing at a high level and doing all that he can to help his team make it into the playoffs.
Nash continues to lead the league in assists with over 11 per game and is finally getting some support from teammates other than Marcin Gortat, who has played well all season.
Despite the struggles that the Suns have endured this year, they have one of the NBA's best overall records this month and have worked themselves into the playoff picture.
The Suns are only 1.5 games out of the eighth playoff spot.
Regardless of whether you are a Suns fan, it would be great to see Steve Nash finish this season by leading his team to the playoffs.
All he needs is a little bit of help each night and the Suns will make it there.
1. Utah Jazz
10 of 10Current Record: 27-23
Current Playoff Position: Seventh in the Western Conference
Why We Should Root for Them: They are the most exciting underdog to watch.
Last 10 Games: 8-2
After enduring one of the worst seasons in franchise history and missing the playoffs last year, expectations for the Utah Jazz were very low heading into the season.
With recent wins over the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the Jazz have played to one of the best records in the NBA this month and proven that they can beat the top teams in the league.
The Jazz are an exciting mix of veteran and developing young players who are ahead of schedule and helping the team to stay consistent throughout the game.
Currently in the seventh position, the Jazz are only 1.5 games out of the fourth position and are in charge of where they finish in the playoff race.
The Jazz will need to win more road games down the stretch but are setting themselves up well to be a surprise team in this year's playoffs.
They have proven that they can beat the best teams in the league and nearly topped the Atlanta Hawks in quadruple overtime.
