NBA Friday: Mavericks push past Grizzlies, Jazz blow game to resting Clippers

These are your Western Conference playoff teams for the bottom four seeds. Portland is the only saving grace -- an inconsistent but over-performing team with an electric scoring backcourt. The rest of the teams are injured, tired, overwhelming or a combination of the three.

But hey, that’s just how basketball goes sometime. Dallas should be proud of their surge even as the season grew the darkest. Memphis is hanging in there as best they can, despite everything. Utah should be proud if they make the playoffs, regardless how it happens. It may be ugly, but the bottom of the Western Conference playoffs aren’t apologizing for anything.