Right now, all is calm in the NBA. It's All-Star Weekend, after all, so the players are either having fun participating in the festivities or watching them. Heck, the same goes for coaches, front offices and fans, who can actually relax for once.
But, like all things, the All-Star break will come to an end at some point, and that point will be next week. Then, the stretch run of the NBA season will begin, where the playoffs draw nearer and nearer and hopes are either realized or dashed.
The thing is, some teams are under more pressure to win than others. Whether it's due to expectations, the market in which they play or the upcoming free-agent period this summer, different clubs have different reasons for really needing to win. Like, now.
Here are the three teams who are under the most pressure to win—and keep winning—after the All-Star break:
The 76ers have been very busy in the trade market this season, adding Jimmy Butler in a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves back in November and swinging a trade for Tobias Harris in a pact with the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the trade deadline.
In making those two moves, Philadelphia sacrificed some depth to bolster its starting lineup, which now features Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Butler and Harris. That's a pretty talent-laden starting unit.
Here is the problem, though: both Butler and Harris will be free agents this summer, so if the Sixers aren't able to win now, they might be in some trouble long term, as they emptied their cupboard of assets to acquire those two players.
76ers general manager Elton Brand has said he is confident he will be able to re-sign both Butler and Harris come July, but there is a general feeling that Butler will leave Philly, and either way, keeping Butler and Harris along with Embiid and Simmons will likely prove to be too financially straining for the Sixers.
There is a very good chance that Philadelphia may end up back at square one come opening night in October 2019, a team led by Embiid and Simmons and not much else.
I understand what the Sixers are trying to do, but acquiring Butler and Harris still did not make them favorites in the Eastern Conference, and now, they run the risk of becoming a treadmill team because of it.
So, there is a whole lot of pressure on the 76ers to come up big over these final couple of months and in the playoffs.
When the Lakers signed LeBron James last summer, they probably did not envision that they would be 28-29 and on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture at the All-Star break.
Now, to be fair, James missed over a month with a groin injury, and Los Angeles has been ravaged by injuries in general this season, with guys like Rajon Rondo, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram all missing extended time for one reason or another.
But the issue is that LeBron is 34 years old and does not exactly have a huge championship window, especially considering that he finally show some vulnerability in terms of his health this season.
Just how attractive of a free-agent destination is Los Angeles at this point?
The Lakers struck out on trying to put a star alongside of LeBron last summer, and they don't appear to be in any better shape to achieve that goal this coming offseason.
Let's get something straight: Los Angeles is not going to contend for a title this season, but it needs to show some semblance of competency over these last two months of the regular season in order to make the playoffs and show other free agents that it is a decent team.
Of course, one can make the argument that the Lakers would be better-served to miss the playoffs so they would get a lottery pick to use in an Anthony Davis trade, but it doesn't seem like the New Orleans Pelicans have any interest in what Los Angeles is offering regardless.
For the sake of offseason success, the Lakers need to make the playoffs. Oh, and it would probably help Luke Walton, too (but not really).
You may have assumed that the Lakers would be No. 1 on this list, but no. That spot is reserved for the Raptors.
Toronto took a big risk back in July when it landed Kawhi Leonard in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs, going into the deal with the full understanding that Leonard might be a one-year rental.
The general consensus is that Kawhi will leave the Raptors in free agency this summer, probably for the Clippers. If Leonard does, in fact, leave Toronto (and he likely will), then the Raptors are stuck.
With Kyle Lowry severely declining, Toronto won't have much of anything in terms of star power if and when Leonard bolts, which would essentially put the Raptors right back to where they were before they acquired Lowry during the summer of 2012.
The good news for Toronto is that it does have a legitimate chance to make the finals this season, especially after basically replacing Jonas Valanciunas with Marc Gasol at the trade deadline.
However, there will be ample pressure on the Raptors to win the rest of the way, as they know what's coming this offseason if they can't get the job done.
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