This year's NBA Playoffs are officially underway in about an hour. The year's matchups are competitive in every way. There is no telling who is going to come out on top and make it through each round.
I was hoping this would be the year for my Grizzlies, but injuries and Ja's suspension spoiled that dream. Perhaps next year.
The West is ultra-competitive, but don't sleep on these East teams as the Celtics finished with by far the best record in the entire league (64-18), and their roster is full of talent. Remember that Boston's 4th best player (Jrue Holiday) just made it on the USA Olympics team. Their talent runs deep.
I think that the Timberwolves have the most difficult route ahead of them. First-round Suns, second-round Lakers/Nuggets, and then who knows which team could be waiting for them in the Conference Finals. As long as the Wolves can stay healthy through these playoffs, they have a serious chance to make it far.
Although the Nuggets are defending champs, I don't trust them to not get upset by the Lakers. The league loves having the Lakers around as long as possible for ratings reasons. LeBron and company always seem to get calls that nobody else does. The free-throw disparity is extremely obvious at this point. The Nuggets are one of the best teams in the league, but I can't help but remember how my 2nd seeded Grizzlies were upset first-round by the Lakers last season.
I think that of all the Western teams, the Mavs are the hungriest and they also finished the season very strong. Kyrie and Luka both have a chip on their shoulder. Luka is getting snubbed for MVP honors yet again, despite his insane stats this year. Then Kyrie getting left off Team USA in favor of Holiday and Haliburton is just insane to me. This dynamic duo has finally found some chemistry and I would not want to face these guys in the playoffs. Plus, they have what I consider the easiest path in the West. Clippers always seem to choke or get stuck dealing with injuries. The Thunder are too inexperienced in the playoffs. Whoever is left in the Conference Finals will likely be exhausted because I expect a lot of those games to go to 7 in their series.
As for the East, I don't see anybody capable of shutting down the Celtics. They are far from my favorite team, but it's undeniable that they are stacked. Their roster seems almost perfectly put together. Tatum/Brown/Holiday/Porzingis/White and then a respectable bench to go along with those guys.
Knicks can only be carried by Brunson so much. Bucks, well they are struggling to be the team that everyone thought they were going to be. Nobody else in the East even comes close to the Celtics besides maybe the Sixers if Embiid can play heavy minutes and show up during the Playoffs. That last part is a major IF since Embiid just came back from an injury and still doesn't look like himself.
In the end, I suspect that the Celtics will be the champion this year. The West is the stronger and more competitive of the two conferences, but that doesn't mean they have the best team in the league right now.
What do you think? Comment your 2024 NBA Playoff predictions.