The Very Strange World of NBA Purgatory

The middle is an odd place to be as an organization, fan, and coach in the NBA. But the decision to stay there is a little more complex than meets the eye.

In life, it is often considered a good thing if you are balanced. People that operate in the middle are often more even-keeled and rational, without a propensity to sway drastically one way or another. Sports tendencies often imitate life tendencies, but not in this case. In sports, you often don’t want to be in the middle. No league personifies this detest of the mean more than the NBA. There is a term for basketball teams that are stuck in the middle of the pack, and that term is purgatory. The world of these teams is fascinating, and the logic of their moves challenges everything that is supposed to matter when running and rooting for a team.

What is Purgatory?

In Catholicism, purgatory is the stage after death in which the soul is in a final purification state before it can ascend to heaven. It is not pleasant, yet it is also not quite the torture of hell. This is an apt description for being a middling team in the NBA. These teams are not competing for championships (which is the…