Netflix's "Drive to Survive" became a huge hit for its dramatic storytelling in Formula 1's midfield, focusing on the teams not involved in the championship chase but under high pressure with huge financial stakes and major names involved.

You could do a similar documentary on the second half of this NBA season -- and, not coincidentally, Netflix is filming one with several big-name players on "midfield" teams such as Kevin Durant and James Harden -- because the drama is high with the teams fighting to get out of the middle.

Just look at who made the massive moves at the trade deadline. You would not say moves such as the Golden State Warriors getting Jimmy Butler, the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers dealing Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis, or the Sacramento Kings swapping De'Aaron Fox for Zach LaVine represent teams that were satisfied with their current situations. All of them are in the middle of the pack, expensive and not happy about it.

The teams at the front in both conferences, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, are likely to stay there until the postseason tests their legitimacy. The championship-holding teams behind them, the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets, are in this for the long haul and will be in a position to make another run.

But that midfield, well, that's where the action is going to be. There are a lot of reputations, contract extensions and jobs on the line over the next two months. There simply isn't enough room at the all-in stage in this zero-sum game. And you're going to see the pressure, and the desperation, really show up.

So which matchups should you keep your eye on? We put together a viewers guide for the past few months of the regular season, including trade deadline reunions and potential playoff races to watch. -- Brian Windhorst

Middleton back against the Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards (Feb. 21, 7 p.m. ET)

Before the Bucks traded him to Washington ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month, Khris Middleton had been with Milwaukee since 2013-14, Giannis Antetokounmpo's rookie season. Bucks general manager Jon Horst called the trade the toughest move of his career. It represented the end of an era for a franchise icon who had been slowed by injuries this season. But acquiring Kyle Kuzma in the deal is another effort by Milwaukee to keep extending its championship window during Antetokounmpo's prime. Time will tell whether the Bucks made the right gamble, but Middleton will have an opportunity to play against his 2020-21 championship teammates right away after the All-Star break. -- Jamal Collier

AD, LeBron reunite, and Luka returns to Dallas

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers (Feb. 25, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)

Less than a month after Davis and Dončić were traded for each other, the Mavericks head to Los Angeles for a game that will lose a lot of its luster if Davis is out. The big man aggravated a left adductor injury in his Dallas debut after showing out with 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks and has been sidelined since. Lakers fans will surely welcome him back with raucous applause, remembering him for his key contributions to the 2019-20 championship, but it just won't be as impactful if he's not in uniform and playing against his former teammates. Max Christie, however, will also be making his return and could see some time defending Dončić, which should cause conflicting emotions from Lakers fans who embraced Christie while he developed in L.A. -- Dave McMenamin

Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks (April 9, 7:30 ET, ESPN)

This is certainly going to be one of the most surreal scenes we've seen in the league's recent memory. The Mavericks' fan base will still be mourning the loss of Dončić in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history. It's a solid bet that the vast majority of people in attendance, even longtime Dallas fans, will be hoping to see an epic revenge performance from both sides. The tribute video for Dončić, assuming there is one, will be an all-time awkward event as the fans haven't seen him play in a Mavericks jersey since he got hurt on Christmas Day. -- Tim MacMahon

Eastern Conference finals matchup?

Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (Feb 28, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

After losing at home to the Celtics right before the NBA's trade deadline earlier this month, the Cavaliers made a bold move to get De'Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks for a package including Caris LeVert and Georges Niang. Cleveland easily could have stood pat amid its outstanding regular season, but getting a bigger wing to go up against Celtics frontmen Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was proof the Cavaliers have big ambitions. This game will be the first chance to see what Hunter can do in what easily could be the Eastern Conference finals matchup this spring. -- Tim Bontemps

Chet vs. Wemby, Part 2

Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (March 2, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

This matchup marks the fifth regular-season meeting between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, and the former owns a 3-1 head-to-head record.

When these 7-footers clashed back in October, Wembanyama scored a season-low six points, marking the only time he has been limited to single digits in 2024-25. Wembanyama's lone win in this matchup came last February, and although his supporting cast has improved through the Fox trade, the Spurs still don't have OKC's full power.

Expect a tall order for Wembanyama as he'll have to contain Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (who missed the first game because of a hand injury) for this clash. -- Michael C. Wright

Fox returns to Sacramento

San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings (March 7, 10 p.m. ET)

San Antonio emerged from the All-Star break sitting 3½ games behind the Kings in the Western Conference standings. So, while Fox's return will be a topic of discussion in Sacramento, it pales in comparison to the desperation the Spurs are starting to feel as spring approaches. San Antonio wants to make a real push for the postseason, which is why it brought in Chris Paul in the offseason and now Fox. Expect a spirited effort from Fox, who was drafted in 2017 by the Kings and spent his entire career playing for that franchise but had not shown a willingness to commit long term to Sacramento and was traded to the Spurs the week of the trade deadline. -- Wright

MVP Clash

Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (March 9, 1 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+, March 10, 8 p.m. ET)

This is the opener of a back-to-back between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder and Nikola Jokic's Nuggets. Could those games factor into the MVP battle? Sure. But perhaps more intriguing is that this baseball series is a potential West finals preview, pitting the heavy favorites against a recent champion that is arguably the Thunder's biggest challenger in the conference. The Nuggets were probably one of the teams in Sam Presti's mind when the Thunder GM prioritized beefing up the roster over the offseason, wooing Hartenstein in free agency to complement fellow 7-footer Holmgren. -- MacMahon

NBA Finals preview?

Oklahoma City Thunder at Boston Celtics (March 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

The Celtics are still behind the East-leading Cavaliers in the standings, but Boston and Oklahoma City remain the consensus favorites to face each other in the NBA Finals.

And while both teams didn't make any major upgrades at the trade deadline, Holmgren didn't factor into the last matchup in early January when the Thunder pulled off a come-from-behind victory with a dominant fourth quarter.

If these two teams make it to the Finals, it'll be interesting to see them face off at full strength, and we should get a sneak peek of that in mid-March. -- Bontemps

LaVine and DeRozan team up against Bulls

Chicago Bulls at Sacramento Kings (March 20, 10 p.m. ET)

The breakup between the Bulls and LaVine was drawn out for more than a year before finally concluding ahead of the trade deadline. LaVine is back playing with DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento after three seasons together in Chicago. Meanwhile, the Bulls will attempt to rebuild without the limitations they believed LaVine created for their roster (on the floor and because of his maximum salary). For now, both sides are happy and parted on good terms, which should make the reunion cordial. But LaVine and the Bulls are going to be motivated to prove themselves better off without the other. -- Collier

The return of Jimmy Butler to the 305

Golden State Warriors at Miami Heat (March 25, 7:30 p.m. ET)

When Butler met with the media for the first time after his trade from the Heat, he made it abundantly clear how he felt to be on the Warriors and out of Miami. He repeatedly talked about how happy he was to be with a team that wanted him, about having joy again on the court and about being able to play his game. It's a good bet that when Butler returns to Miami, he will want to remind the Heat of what he looks like when he's motivated and happy. For the Warriors, Butler has been "a franchise changer," as Draymond Green put it. In just four games with his new team, he's averaging 21.3 points and 5.3 assists. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

Best bets

With 30 games left to play in the regular season, what are the best bets to make on award races and team-oriented futures?

Los Angeles Lakers to win Western Conference (+700)

Dončić and LeBron James give the Lakers two elite offense creators, providing teammates more opportunities to produce, including Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. While the Lakers have question marks in the middle, they mitigate that by starting a lineup featuring four players with power forward size (including James and Dončić) that can help them remain strong on the glass even when they play small ball. -- Andre Snellings

Golden State Warriors to win Western Conference (+1800)

Newcomer Butler sure looks good as a Warrior, and the franchise gets young Jonathan Kuminga back from injury soon. Would it be so shocking if Curry, Draymond and the new Warriors got hot at the right time and shocked the Thunder or Nuggets? -- Eric Karabell

Oklahoma City Thunder to win the championship (+230)

I picked the Thunder to win it all before the season started, and they've completely lived up to the hype, going 44-10, tying the Cavaliers for the best record in the league. They're young and have two of the NBA's best players with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, and I simply don't see anyone beating them in a seven-game series. -- Steve Alexander

More best bets for the rest of the regular season

Key playoff races to watch

Eastern Conference

Only six teams in the top-heavy Eastern Conference have winning records -- and one of them is Detroit, which hasn't won a playoff game since 2008. Staying in the top six would clinch an automatic playoff berth for Cade Cunningham's Pistons and likely allow them to avoid facing the top-seeded Cavaliers or second-seeded Celtics in the first round.

But while the top six teams appear to be in solid shape to stay ahead of the play-in pack, there's more potential for movement behind them in the standings, as a group of middling-at-best squads jostle for position. Amid a lengthy slump, the Orlando Magic didn't make any moves at the trade deadline, while the Hawks, Heat and Bulls moved on from notable stars -- but they're all still in play-in spots as they exit the All-Star break. Even the Bulls, who are on pace for a 33-49 record, remain two games ahead of the injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers and semi-tanking Brooklyn Nets for the 10th seed.

That opens a door for Philadelphia to qualify for the postseason and attempt to salvage what has been a down season for Joel Embiid & Co. But the 76ers have lost five games in a row and are running out of time to turn things around, no matter how many second (and third, and fourth) chances they get. With all the sub-.500 teams involved, the East's play-in race looks more like a slog than a sprint. -- Zach Kram

Western Conference

The Thunder are practically guaranteed to finish with the West's best record, but the conference's other playoff seeds are up for grabs. Only three games separate the Grizzlies, Nuggets, Rockets and Lakers for the Nos. 2-5 seeds, which means the difference between home-court advantage in the first two rounds and no home court at all. And only 3½ games separate the Clippers, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Kings and Warriors for spots Nos. 6-10, with the Suns lurking close behind in 11th place.

Every win counts in such a crowded race, and one key difference between the conference rivals is their remaining strength of schedule: Minnesota and Golden State have the easiest slates, while the Suns and Kings must battle a brutal set of opponents down the stretch. The Mavericks have an easier schedule but must survive the absence of all their injured centers to remain in the playoff hunt. With 11 teams battling for just eight playoff berths, multiple teams with championship aspirations are guaranteed to miss the postseason.

Those dramatic stakes set the stage for crucial games almost every night for the rest of the season. Just look at the NBA's first weekend back in action: Timberwolves-Rockets and Warriors-Kings on Friday; Lakers-Nuggets on Saturday; and Mavericks-Warriors on Sunday. Every one of those games has the potential to flip an important spot in the standings. -- Kram