We are just over a month away from the beginning of the NBA playoffs.
Some teams are gearing up for a run up the standings to secure better seeding. Some teams are going to shut down their entire operation in hopes of a higher draft pick.
Either way, before the insanity of the playoffs sets in, the chaos of the Final Stretch is upon us. Here are the seven storylines you need to follow:
1. Who Will Take the No. 1 Seed in the Western Conference?
It’s been a hot topic of discussion all season. It has been a four team race:
Oklahoma City Thunder
The young Oklahoma City Thunder are the fun new kids on the block. Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander they actually are kids, too, with their average age being under 25, according to Sports Illustrated.
21-year-old seven footer Chet Holmgren has shone in his first full NBA season. The Thunder have maybe the brightest future in the league, but is that enough to compete with the rest today?
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are the defending champs, and currently lead this tight race for top seeding. They have the player widely regarded as the best and most unstoppable player in the league in Nikola Jokic. Rounding into form at the right time, Denver is a consensus title favorite.
However, when it comes to the one seed, the Nuggets have been known to limit Jokic’s minutes down the stretch. This is, of course, to keep him healthy for the playoffs. Last year it was a no-brainer decision as Denver had top seeding wrapped up early, but this year is different. What will their approach be?
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers were the hottest team in basketball for a long stretch after acquiring James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers. Kawhi Leonard looks like the version of himself that carried the Toronto Raptors to a championship in 2019. Paul George was sublime.
However, things have slowed down of late.
The Clippers have won just five of their last ten games, and George has picked up an injury. It is worth noting that when it comes to health come playoff time, both George and Leonard have proven to be unreliable. Harden has proven to be unreliable on the court in the playoffs.
They are at the bottom of the race, four games back of Denver. An undeniably talented team with so many questions to be answered.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The last team vying for the number one seed is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Led by budding star Anthony Edwards, Minnesota has been keeping pace despite losing all star center Karl-Anthony Towns to a meniscus tear.
It is still up in the air whether or not he will return this season.
Minnesota is a defensive force anchored by Rudy Gobert, Jaden Mcdaniels, and Towns’s replacement Naz Reid. Will they be able to cross that finish line on one foot?
2. Will the Philadelphia 76ers Get Healthy?
Before Joel Embiid’s injury over a month ago, the 76ers were one of the top teams in the Eastern conference. Embiid was putting together a season for the ages.
They have been in free fall ever since, and have sustained even more injuries. Star guard Tyrese Maxey has missed time with a concussion.
The Sixers have plummeted down to sixth in the conference and are in real danger of being overtaken by Miami and Indiana, forcing them into the play-in. Embiid plans to return this season, but by the time he gets going it could be too late.
3. Will the Milwaukee Bucks Finally Emerge as Contenders?
The Milwaukee Bucks came out of nowhere to cement themselves as the biggest soap opera in the NBA this season. As the number two seed in the conference, they fired former head coach Adrian Griffin before the All-Star break and brought in veteran Doc Rivers as his replacement.
On the court, they are led by two of the best players in the sport in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lilliard. Both have been sublime this season, but a string of abysmal defensive performances from Milwaukee before and after Griffin’s firing raised serious questions about their expected title candidacy.
The good news for Milwaukee is, things are turning around. Antetokounmpo and Lilliard are forming better chemistry on the floor together, the defense is improving, and they strung together six straight wins before a 1-3 road trip. Expectations are through the roof for this team, but can they hit a new level come playoff time?
4. Will the Lakers and Warriors Make a Run (Please)?
This one is a little bit personal. I think most NBA fans would agree with me when I say I want to see LeBron James and Stephen Curry in the playoffs. The two best players of the last decade are in the later stages of their respective careers, but can still put on a show on any given night.
Unfortunately, their teammates can’t do the same, leading Golden State and Los Angeles to languish at tenth and ninth in the West. After last year’s playoffs and various moments this season, we know Curry and LeBron still have the ability to go off in big games.
The problem is, we don’t know how many more times we are going to see that. I intend to see as much of it as I can in my lifetime. Please, Lakers and Warriors, get it together!
5. Who are the Phoenix Suns?
The Phoenix Suns are an experiment in throwing together talent without much vision or strategy and seeing what happens. Even though they are not competing for the one seed, they can be considered a title contender on any given night.
The problem is, they can also be seen sitting in a play-in spot on any given night. They are loaded with talent, led by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Grayson Allen has turned into one of the best shooters in the league! Heck, Jusuf Nurkic is playing some of the best basketball of his life!
And yet, with all this talent, here they sit. Seventh in the conference. A mystery, but one we will solve soon enough.
6. Are the Miami Heat Going to Do it Again?
I am just putting this in because they are the eighth seed. They were written off last year as the eight seed, and while I don’t think they are going to make another finals run, I am not going to count them out. Keep an eye on them. They are sneaky. And tough.
7. Who is the MVP?
The dry nature of this year’s MVP debate makes me yearn for the burning toxicity of yesteryear.
Perhaps this is due to Joel Embiid’s injury keeping Philadelphia fans out of the fight. Or, perhaps some even Boston fans are not fully convinced of Jason Tatum’s MVP bid, being that he plays on a loaded team. Maybe Denver fans are bored of doing this every year and Oklahoma City fans are new to the game.
General consensus will tell you that Jokic is the best player in the league. Almost every statistic will back it up. But, darn it, we love narratives in the NBA. And Shai Gligeous-Alexander is this year’s narrative champion. Will it be enough for the Canadian guard to bring home an MVP trophy? That, along with so much else, will be decided in this home stretch.
March Madness is just around the corner! If you want to read about the teams to watch check out this article.
