NBA news: Regular season concludes with compelling stories in this year’s playoffs
The NBA Regular Season concluded this past Sunday, with plenty of compelling team dynamics to reflect on and stories to look forward to in the Playoffs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference as they have done all season long, with the Cleveland Cavaliers fending off season-long foes, the Boston Celtics, to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Sports News Blitz and Film News Blitz writer Aidan Leo offers his thoughts on the final round of the NBA Regular Season and what we can all expect in this year’s postseason.
Looking back on the final round of regular season games - Western Conference
The Denver Nuggets concluded a struggling season by their high standards with an emphatic 126-111 win over the Houston Rockets, who find themselves on a three-game losing streak after the loss.
The Rockets’ form is certainly in question considering their youthfulness, who are set to go up against experienced veterans depending on the result of the Play-In Tournament.
Questions loom over the Nuggets’ heads as well, who, after sacking previous Head Coach Michael Malone on April 8, have conversely found themselves on a three-game winning run.
However, we all know the playoffs are an entirely different beast, and locker room disconnects can cost you dearly in this game.
The Dallas Mavericks’ dire state continued after a battering at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, who ended a two-game losing run with their win against the Mavs.
The contest finished 97-132.
Utah Jazz concluded their horrendous season, ending dead last in the West with a 105-116 loss to the ‘Ant-Man’ Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder showed the New Orleans Pelicans who the current best team in the West is after deep frying the latter’s second-to-last end to the season, winning 115-100.
A Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs ended their tough season with a home 118-125 win over the Toronto Raptors.
The final/OT clash between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors finished 124-119.
The game was marketed as a playoff-play-in decider, with the Clippers advancing to the postseason and the Warriors falling back into a scrap to save their season.
The Los Angeles Lakers rang the changes in their defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers, ending their season 81-109.
They were always willing to give up this game as they wanted to give their starters much-needed rest after securing the 3-seed in their last outing against the Rockets.
The turbulent season for the ridiculously underachieving Phoenix Suns is finally over after yet another loss away at the Sacramento Kings.
After their 98-109 defeat, the Suns’ torrid season ended with a shocking one win in their last 10 appearances, sporting an overall regular season record of 36-46, 10 games under .500.
Looking back on the final round of regular season games - Eastern Conference
With stars out for both teams, the 7-seed and 8-seed, Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks tussled horns in an end-of-season clash ending 105-117 in favour of the Hawks, however, both teams find themselves in the play-in vying for a spot in the postseason.
Incumbent title holders the Boston Celtics concluded their relatively successful season defeating the Charlotte Hornets 86-93, taking home the 2-seed on the season.
I use the term ‘relatively’ as the Celtics are expected to be top dogs in the East every season. That is just the nature of the dominant franchise that they are.
The story of the New York Knicks’ 3-seed regular season was their injuries and the talk around the league of overplaying their starters.
They did, however, end the season on somewhat of a high, defeating 12th-placed Brooklyn Nets 113-105, whose grim season has now come to a close.
The postseason dark horses in the East are the No. 4-seed Indiana Pacers, who ended up thumping the East-dominant Cavs in 2OT, 126-118, in their final outing of the regular season.
The calamitous Washington Wizards went out on a high in their final matchup 119-118 against the relative underachievers, the Miami Heat, who just about made it into the play-in at the No. 10 seed.
Joining them will be the Chicago Bulls, who smashed the typically disastrous Philadelphia 76ers, 122-102.
The Milwaukee Bucks edged a seven-point deficit in OT against the Detroit Pistons, both of which wrapped up their season in the 5-seed and 6-seed, respectively.
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West-side story
Conference leaders in the West and overall league leaders, the Thunder, along with their star man and MVP favourite, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are set to confront the confirmed 8-seed once the events of the play-in have concluded.
As a result of their overall record in the regular season, they have secured home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
Further down the pecking order, we have confirmed matchups between No. 3 seed Lakers and No. 6 seed Timberwolves, along with No. 4 seed Nuggets going up against No. 5 seed Clippers.
Set up to be ‘King’ James’ possible final hoorah, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and the rest of their supporting cast will be hopeful they can deliver the unexpected to James on his possible farewell tour.
However, do not think for a second that showstopper and rim shaker, ‘Ant-Man’ Edwards will go down without a gruelling battle.
Rising star Edwards loves breaking the hearts of his opponents and their fanbases in the most vital of moments. He will bring his A-game in what is set to be a sensational clash.
The league’s undisputed best player, the reigning league MVP and second in MVP voting odds this season, fresh off of averaging a triple-double, the first ever for a Center, ‘The Joker’, Nikola Jokic will have his work cut out for him when he is expected to carry his team throughout their first round matchup against the James Harden and Kawhi Leonard led Clippers.
The story surrounding Coach Malone’s sacking is evidence enough that Jokic was not happy with his team’s performances and overall effort levels, especially on defence, which resulted in a dropoff from their expected level this season.
However, ‘playoff Jamal Murray’ has been a different beast previously; he will need to find that energy and harness it because The Joker will need his Robin if they are to have any chance this time around.
Contrastingly, the Clippers, now with their star player, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Finals MVP in Leonard, will hope his body holds up as he has been notably over-scrutinised due to his injury history.
He is a champion, and a great one at that.
Harden, on the other hand, who has been consistently criticised for his drop-off in performance in the playoffs, will be readying himself to put an end to any doubt.
He, along with shooting guard Norman Powell, have led the Clippers tremendously throughout the season in Leonard’s absence.
West play-in
OKC will play one of either the Kings, Mavs or the loser of the Warriors-Grizzlies contest in the first round, determining the 8-seed.
The winner of the 7-seed Warriors and 8-seed Grizzlies matchup will proceed to face the 2-seeded Rockets in the first round.
Head Coach Ime Udoka will be hopeful his youthful squad can overcome the dynamism and unpredictability of both Steph Curry’s Warriors and the Ja Morant-led Grizzlies.
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Narratives out in the East
Despite their loss in the final round of the regular season, the Cavs remain in the top spot in the East, warding off the impressive Celtics.
However, both of the top two teams will be sweating over two of their star players’ availability, with ‘Spida’ Mitchell only recently recovering from an ankle sprain but is set to feature in the first round.
One of the Celtics’ main two-man punches, Jaylen Brown, is doubtful for the start of their defending championship postseason campaign.
They are optimistic of his return, though, as Brown at full health is paramount if their projected matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavs comes to pass.
No. 3 seed Knicks will encounter the season resurgent Pistons, led by 2021 no.1 draft pick, Cade Cunningham, who has been electric this season, averaging 26 points per game at just 23 years of age.
Furthermore, Tyrese Haliburton’s Pacers will have to give it their all against two-time MVP and NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks when 4-seed plays 5-seed in the first round on the road to Eastern Conference glory.
East play-in
With both top-seeds sporting postseason worthy records of 64-18 and 61-21 respectively, the Cavs will contend with the Bulls, the Heat, or the loser of the Magic versus Hawks contest.
The Celtics will clash with the winner of the Magic vs Hawks.
Prepare yourselves for postseason madness
There is something in the air in this season’s playoffs.
There seems to be a lot of uncertainty and possibilities all over the NBA for teams to make an unexpected run to the finals.
In the East, I expect either the Cavs, Celtics or Bucks to clean up all comers in the conference.
In the West, however, as it is every season, it is extremely difficult to tell who will reign over all their playoff contemporaries.
You could genuinely make an argument for anyone in the top six and even a few teams in the play-in, especially considering the Warriors’ postseason experience.
With stars all over the West and heavily-stacked line-ups in the East, this postseason is bound to be utter fireworks when proceedings begin on April 19 in the aftermath of the play-in taking place this week.
The NBA playoff bracket is all set, the postseason chaos begins this weekend.
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