I consider Dallas basically a lock. They've played consistently solid basketball the entire season. I think it's more that we have 4 team race with two to make it -- us, Rockets, Blazers and Kings for two slots.
Good news is that the Rockets and Blazers literally play each other three times over the next two and a half weeks. The Kings, while they have dropped recently, have a decently easy schedule coming up -- 4 of their next 6 games are against the Sixers, Nets and Nuggets. Of course, they then enter a really tough patch with the Spurs 2x, Thunder, Clips, Grizz and Mavs comprising their next six games after that. They also play the Cavs. That's definitely the make/break stretch for the Kings.
We have to T.C.B. heading into the all star break (beating Buck and Suns and then one of Mavs or Pelicans), and then start playing consistent basketball on the road. Our schedule post All Star break is perfectly average, with good teams, bad teams, and teams around our skill level. We have a crucial road game at the Blazers later this month -- if the Blazers win, they secure the tiebreaker. Basically, we play teams like the Rockets, Blazers. Mavs, Celtics, teams that aren't bad by any means but aren't great either. Teams that we should be able to beat if we have any business considering ourselves a legit playoff team.