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The NBA postseason begins on Tuesday evening with the play-in event.
The highest six groups from every convention have already certified for the playoffs whereas seeds seven by 10 enter the play-in event for a chance to qualify for the ultimate two playoff spots in every convention.
Listed here are three key Western Convention speaking factors forward of the NBA playoffs:
1. Can anyone beat the defending champions Denver?
The Nuggets have been the one workforce within the NBA common season that seemed like they have been in “cruise management” for giant chunks of the season with an extra gear out there when wanted.
Listed here are some compelling the reason why Denver ought to repeat as Western Convention champions:
They’ve the NBA’s Most Invaluable Participant (MVP). Nikola Jokic is an odds-on favorite to win his third MVP this season, putting him in illustrious firm. Extremely, the centre nearly averaged a triple double for the complete season (26.4 factors, 12.4 rebounds and 9 assists), however Jokic doesn’t care about stats – solely successful.
They win when it issues. Since early within the season, many specialists have predicted a Boston vs Denver matchup in June’s NBA finals. Of their two conferences this season, Denver swept the league-leading Celtics, controlling the video games within the pressure-filled ultimate minutes to win each contests.
NBA’s finest beginning lineup. Relying on how one charges Denver’s lineup, in addition they have the league’s finest beginning 5 with Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon. They’re gifted, they’ve nice chemistry and every participant clearly understands their function throughout crunch time.
West’s finest quantity two. NBA TV commentators aren’t exaggerating after they name Jokic’s teammate Murray “Playoff Murray”. Within the 2023 playoffs, the purpose guard averaged a scintillating 26.1 factors, 7.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds in 20 video games en path to his first NBA championship. When wholesome, Murray has been practically unstoppable from the perimeter throughout his playoff profession and relentlessly assaults the enamel of the defence to attain from shut vary.
Murray’s solely weak point is his frequent harm historical past – and it’s maybe the one factor that might derail one other Western Convention title cost for Denver.
2. Can the ageing greats from the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors make one final run within the West Convention postseason?
The 2 famous person faces of the league – LeBron James (Lakers) and Stephen Curry (Warriors) – should battle their means out of the NBA play-in event simply to participate on this 12 months’s playoffs.
The Lakers (17-9) and the Warriors (19-10) have been spectacular for the reason that All-Star break, however with so many sturdy Western Convention groups already forward of them within the standings, they have been unable to chase down a top-six seed to mechanically qualify for the playoffs.
Now, they should do it the laborious means.
But when latest historical past is any information, there is perhaps some trigger for optimism for these two league icons. Final season, the Lakers clawed their means out of two play-in eliminator video games and all the way in which to the Western Convention finals.
To climb the Western Convention mountain once more with evergreen 39-year-old James enjoying heavy minutes could also be too large an ask, even for the “King”.
However extremely, James has added an additional dimension to his sport in his twenty first season: super-efficient three-point taking pictures, making 41 p.c of his makes an attempt and turning into a respectable menace from past the arc.
Curry, in the meantime, has endured a irritating “what may have been” kind of season with the Warriors, thanks specifically to the unstable actions of key teammate Draymond Inexperienced.
Inexperienced made headlines in the course of the season for all of the flawed causes, getting suspended twice for a complete of 17 video games associated to 2 aggressive on-court incidents: placing Minnesota Timberwolves centre Rudy Gobert right into a chokehold in November and hanging Phoenix Suns participant Jusuf Nurkic within the face in December.
Curry used the Inexperienced adversity as a rallying cry to reclaim their season, and now the Warriors postseason success or failure will journey on the shoulders of the 35-year-old guard, thought of by many to be the most effective shooter of all time.
Followers world wide – to not point out the NBA itself – will probably be hoping James and Curry progress out of the NBA play-in and deep into the Western Convention playoff fold.
With such a loaded convention, these stellar four-time NBA champions will possible want somewhat luck to prime the West.
3. Are the Dallas Mavericks now the primary challenger within the Western Convention?
Regardless of ending in fifth place within the Western Convention, no workforce comes into the postseason with extra momentum than Dallas.
A transparent case might be made for the Mavericks to make a deep playoff run within the Western Convention. Previous to their meaningless ultimate season sport blowout loss to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on Sunday evening, Dallas had:
- The league’s finest win-loss file within the final month of the season (13-3).
- The NBA’s finest offence within the final 10 video games.
- The NBA’s finest defence within the final 10 video games.
- Arguably the league’s finest (or second finest) participant in Luka Doncic, who completed with season averages of 33.9 factors, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists per sport.
- Guard Kyrie Irving is as soon as once more enjoying like an All-Star, ending within the prime 15 in scoring with 25.6 factors per sport.
The Mavs made an enormous gamble again on the 2023 commerce deadline, buying Irving from the Brooklyn Nets to supply an electrifying 1-2 offensive mixture with Doncic.
That gamble didn’t repay final season – they missed the playoffs – however this season, Doncic and Irving, plus a solid of dependable function gamers, have the Mavericks primed to do one thing particular this postseason.
Probably the most sudden motive why the Mavericks may win the West lies with the one factor they’re least recognized for: defence.
Within the ultimate month of the season, the Mavs have been the NBA’s primary defensive workforce.
If their defensive depth holds up within the playoffs, coupled with Doncic and Irving’s scoring masterclass – averaging a mixed 59.5 factors per sport – it’s going to be awfully tough for anybody to disclaim Dallas within the Western Convention.
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