As the college basketball postseason is wrapping up, the world’s premier basketball league has reached the beginning of the ever-so-exciting playoffs. While fans have come to envy watching regular season matchups that feature minimal defense and load management, teams step up their game when it matters most. The new play-in format has made the regular season less competitive in some ways, as now ten teams can earn a bid to the postseason. However, only the top six teams in each conference can feel secure after their 82nd game. This NBA season has featured great success from a group of teams who have been known to underperform in the past decade. No team has embraced this role more so than the new-look Sacramento Kings. Under first-year coach Mike Brown, the Kings are currently the 3rd seed in the Western Conference. The New York Knicks have put together a great second half of the season, led by Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. Randle lit up Madison Square Garden by posting a sizzling 57 points on March 20th vs the Timberwolves.
The aforementioned play-in tournament has not been quite this contested since its initial season, especially in the West. Five teams are separated by just 1.5 games as of March 27th. The final few matchups will have great seeding implications for teams like the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Another team caught up in this mad race for playoff positioning is the new look Mavericks. After losing Brunson to the Knicks this past offseason, Dallas acquired former Nets star Kyrie Irving at the deadline. Injuries and usage, though, have kept the duo of Irving and Luka Doncic from achieving much since the trade. On the topic of trades, another Nets star, Kevin Durant, was traded to the Suns, making Phoenix one of the betting favorites to win the title. His time has also been cut short due to injury. Running away with the west is the Denver Nuggets, led by two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Denver has benefited from a fully healthy team after losing two starters to injury last year.
The Eastern Conference has been the premier conference of basketball this season, with the league’s top three teams by record all vying for the top spot. Those teams are the Bucks, Celtics and 76ers. After completing the rebuild from Lebron James’ departure, the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves running fourth in a competitive east. Guard Donovan Mitchell exploded for a franchise-record 71 points earlier this season, and according to dunkest.com, now ranks 8th all-time in that category. One of the players tied with Mitchell for that spot is another current player, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers. Even with Portland’s struggles this season, Lillard also went for 71 points right after the All-Star break. Not only is the race for playoff positioning as close as ever, that for the MVP award is also heavily contested this season. Trying to win his third straight is the previously-mentioned Jokic. His 28 triple doubles this year are already sixth all time for a single season, still with games to play. Joel Embiid has had his share of disappointment recently, finishing second in MVP voting the last two seasons. His recent dominance has led the 76ers to one of the top records in the league. Leading the way for the league’s top team is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Already considered one of the best power forwards ever, the two-time MVP is averaging 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. His impact, along with the remarkable statlines, has led the Bucks to a 52-22 record so far. Injury has kept Mavericks star Luka Doncic sidelined recently, but the 24-year-old has been putting up impressive tallies all year, as he gives 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists to Dallas per night.
This year’s NBA season has also featured some highly-televised drama away from the court, for both good reasons and bad ones. For the minority of teams out of playoff contention, the focus has seemingly shifted to the top pick, and French prospect Victor Wembenyama. NBA legends like Magic Johnson and Lebron James have given the 7’4’’ star heavy praise. Forbes writer Grant Mitchell dubs that Wembenmyama’s playstyle and build is “astonishing”. Off the court, Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been the clear center of attention, with violence threats hampering his status outside of the game. Memphis, in spite of this, has still stayed in contention for a top two seed. Denver is still more than three games ahead of their foes out west.
The NBA playoffs will be broadcasted on ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBATV starting on April 15th. Look for this year to be one of the most competitive playoffs in recent memory, as there is no clear top team. Along with the quantity of contenders, there are many teams who have yet to play at full strength, which will be interesting to watch in the next few months.
