In a perfect world of basketball utopia, we wouldn’t have to investigate the question of whether certain teams actually want to win.



But this is the NBA, where the inherent nature of the draft often takes this conversation from the floor to the front office. Playing for picks was a thing long before the infamous Process in Philadelphia, and it remains one to this day. And yes, that’s still the case even with the modifications made in Sept. 2017 that were geared toward deterring such boorish behavior.



Which brings us to the race for eighth in the Western Conference, where just four games separate fifth-place Houston from the 10th-place Lakers and Utah, San Antonio, the Clippers and Sacramento are in between. For the purposes of this playoff breakdown, we’ll hone in on the three-team logjam between the Clippers, Kings, and Lakers.



CLIPPERS



The Clippers, believe it or not, swear they want in on this playoff party.



Sources say...