It’s that time of year ladies and gentlemen, the NBA Playoffs are finally here!
This season of the NBA has been a weird one, with teams such as the Dallas Mavericks and OKC Thunder rising from the depths of the former season into some of the best teams in the league.
We believe the Western Conference seems very strong this season, the standings are as follows:
- OKC Thunder
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. LA Clippers
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Phoenix Suns
7. LA Lakers
8. Sacramento Kings vs NO Pelicans (Winner gets the no.8 seed and plays OKC round 1)
Now, all of these teams are strong contenders. But, which ones are most likely to make the conference finals? We think the OKC Thunder may struggle against Sacramento, but not New Orleans if Zion Williamson doesn’t play due to injury. OKC will take care of Sacramento, then we think the Dallas Mavericks will give OKC a run for their money, and Dallas will walk away with the series. OKC has a very young team, and that youth and inexperience may show in the playoffs.
On the other hand, we have the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves, at times, are a bit shaky. But their overall amazing defense and flaming offense makes up for that. Specifically, their superstars in Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves are a tough team, and even though we think that they will show some fireworks, the Nuggets lead by Nikola Jokic will conquer Minnesota and head to the conference finals.
That isn’t all for the West. The LA Clippers are also a fearsome team with some upset potential but might get knocked out by another fearsome team like the Mavericks, having an NBA MVP contender in Luka Doncic. Luka has averaged a whopping 33.9 pts a game for Dallas, by far the most in the league. What about the Phoenix Suns? We believe the Phoenix Suns are a middle of the pack team. Phoenix doesn’t possess the strength to beat a defensively and offensively strong team like Minnesota or Denver. However, Phoenix could still be a sneaky pick to make a deep playoff run.
Now, the Eastern Conference. We think the East doesn’t have as many good teams as the West, but still has some strong forces. The standings go as follows:
- Boston Celtics
2. New York Knicks
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Orlando Magic
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat (Winner gets no.8 seed and plays Boston round 1)
We believe the strongest contenders in the East are the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Boston has held the best record in the league for the entire season. Now that some of their star players are back (OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson), New York rose from the no. 5 seed to the no. 2 seed. Boston, led by Jayson Tatum, and New York, led by Jalen Brunson, are the two teams we think are destined to make the most noise in the East.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers are interesting teams as well. The Bucks have a superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the Cavs have their man, Donovan Mitchell. The Bucks and Cavs also have something in common: inconsistency. We think this common trait between these two teams will show in the playoffs.
Now, with all this in mind, who is going to win the 2024 NBA MVP? Well, our eyes are on Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jalen Brunson. Let’s look at some stats. Luka Doncic, who we looked at earlier, averages an insane 33.9 pts per game. We think that Luka is currently the MVP favorite. Next, Nikola Jokic averages 26.4 points per game, 9 assists per game, and 12.4 rebounds pergame. That’s almost a triple-double every single game. Speaking of triple-doubles, Nikola has an insane 25. Now for Giannis Antetokounmpo, he averages 30.4 points per game, 11.5 rebounds per game, and 6.5 assists per game.Last but not least, Jalen Brunson averages 28.7 pts per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, and 6.7 assists per game.
Overall, this season has been great watching our Knicks rise to one of the best teams in the league and seeing the Denver Nuggets continue their dominance of the Western Conference. Playoffs are this weekend, everyone. See you there.
