Adelman is keeping an eye on the league despite a packed schedule.
The Denver Nuggets are in the thick of it, and head coach David Adelman wants his players to know exactly where they stand.
Adelman spoke at practice about the importance of paying attention to what's happening around the Western Conference, and he didn't hold back when asked if his team should be monitoring the standings on a daily basis.
"Yes. And if you don't know that, that's embarrassing if you're a professional basketball player," Adelman said.
His comments come at a time when the Western Conference race is as tight as it's been all season.
The Nuggets (41-27) are sitting as the fifth seed in the West, just one game behind the Houston Rockets (41-26) for fourth and two games back of the Los Angeles Lakers (43-25) for third.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are right there with Denver at 41-27, and the Phoenix Suns (39-29) are only two games back in the seventh spot.
That kind of separation between the third seed and seventh seed is exactly why Adelman is pushing his group to stay locked in.
The Playoff Mindset
Adelman took it a step further, comparing this final stretch to the postseason itself.
"This is the playoffs for us," Adelman said.
"There's, I'd say, 3 through 6, 3 through 7, anything could happen these next weeks. So yeah, a daily look at what's happening and who's playing who."
With Nikola Jokic averaging 28.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game this season, Denver has one of the most dominant players in the league driving things for them every night.
Jamal Murray has been just as important, posting career-best numbers with 25.4 points and 7.1 assists per game in what has been a breakout year.
That star power gives the Nuggets a real shot at climbing the standings before the regular season wraps up, especially with some favorable matchups on the schedule.
Respecting the Grind
For Adelman, this isn't just about wins and losses over the final stretch, it's about appreciating the position his team has put itself in.
"This is the fun part of sports, you know, this time of the year," Adelman said.
"You grind to be in these situations. You get through adversity like you were talking about earlier, to put yourself in spots to play in big games."
Denver has dealt with its share of adversity this season, working through injuries to nearly every starter at one point or another while still staying in contention for a top-four seed in the West.
Adelman pointed to last week as proof, where the Nuggets played four straight games that felt like playoff matchups, including a 129-93 blowout of the Rockets and a comeback win against the Spurs.
The Road Ahead
Looking at what's ahead, Denver has some games that could help them move up before the postseason begins.
After hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, the Nuggets have home games against the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers (33-36), Dallas Mavericks (23-46) and Utah Jazz (20-48) over the next two weeks.
Those are games Denver should win, and taking care of business could push them into the fourth or third seed depending on how things shake out with Houston and the Lakers.
"That's part of the honor of being in this whole thing, being part of the conversation," Adelman said.
"And we are. And if you're going to be part of it, you should respect it and have the knowledge of what's happening."
The message from the first-year head coach is direct, and his players should be taking it to heart heading into the final stretch.