The NBA regular season is winding down and is now at the point where only one thing matters. Playoff basketball. Most assumed that just like the past three years, the playoffs would ultimately be meaningless because Golden State and Cleveland were guaranteed to make the finals. This season, the league is far more interesting with the arrival of competing contenders like the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. So what should we expect from this year’s postseason?
The East
Who’s In:
The Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks have secured a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
LeBron James has been a lock for the finals ever since 2011 and will most likely be returning for his eighth straight season. Although the Cavaliers seriously struggled at times throughout the season, the trades they made at the trade deadline have given this team new life. Kevin Love’s return from injury has turned them into the best team in the Eastern Conference as the Cavaliers have won seven of their last eight. Love only played seven minutes in the team’s loss to Miami.
It’s safe to assume that James will elevate his game even higher for the playoffs. James is notorious for not competing at his highest level in the regular season. The 33-year-old is very conscious about the health of his body and always saves his best play for the playoffs.
The Raptors and Celtics have been impressive this year and are the only other teams that have a shot of beating LeBron in the east, but the Cavaliers have convincingly beaten both teams (the Raptors twice) in their latest matchups. The Celtics are filled with injuries right now and their chances of making it to the finals are severely hampered with Kyrie Irving being out with an injury for the rest of the season.
The other teams in the East don’t really have enough talent to compete with the top three seeds in the East. The 76ers might with the return of Joel Embiid in the playoffs and long anticipated recovery of Markelle Fultz. They have been impressive to close out the season but they're unproven. There lies the problem for the 76ers with their age. Their roster is young and hasn’t fully flushed out their skillset yet. The playoffs will be the first time Fultz will play with Joel Embiid so chemistry might be an issue.
The West:
Who’s In:
The Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and either the Minnesota Timberwolves or Denver Nuggets.
Golden State is the favorite to win the championship, as they have bee since 2015, but this year could be interesting and finally shake up the anticipated Golden State vs Cleveland finals matchup part four.
Houston has been phenomenal this season and has competed well with Golden State. Golden State doesn’t expect Stephen Curry to return until the second round of the playoffs and if he’s not 100 percent, then that series could swing towards Houston’s way.
The question mark for Houston lies with James Harden. He’s the MVP favorite and there isn’t anyone in the league Houston can’t beat when he’s playing at that level but will that continue in the playoffs. Throughout Harden’s career, it hasn’t. He’s never been able to shine at the level he has in the regular season when it matters most. Could this be the year where he finally plays at the elite level he’s capable of? Possibly. The addition of Chris Paul takes a lot of the workload off of Harden’s shoulders and Houston won’t have to rely on him to make a play happen every possession like they have in the past.
The takeaway here is that the Western Conference will come down to either Houston or Golden State. Portland has been great and the hottest team in the NBA since the all-star break, but they still feel like they’re one piece away from contending for a championship. Oklahoma City’s big three isn’t playing that well. San Antonio isn’t what they used to be and without Kawhi Leonard and his return is still questionable for the Spurs.