NBA Playoffs
Alexander Fry
Staff Writer
(This article was written as play-ins concluded and playoffs started)
As the regular season of the NBA has concluded and the postseason is upon us, the playoff picture has nearly been settled with some interesting matchups ahead. The seeding in the Western Conference was a photo finish as the Los Angeles Clippers (5) edged out the Golden State Warriors (7) in overtime to secure the 5th seed, as the Warriors now play the 2nd seeded Rockets. The Eastern Conference was less exciting, with most matchups set before Game 82 occurred.
Before diving into specific first round matchups, there are multiple teams that could contend for the title this year. The Oklahoma City Thunder (1) are favorites to win the title as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had an amazing scoring season while also being one of the most impactful players on the court, having a 122.1 offensive rating with him playing. Shai is the MVP favorite, but he’s not the only reason the Thunder are excelling this season. They have an extremely strong lineup with all-star Jalen Williams and two-way stud Chet Holmgren to help. Their supporting cast is also quite talented, as Lugentz Dort, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace are great defensive guards with the other guards being effective scorers. This is all without mentioning Isaiah Hartenstein, who’s proven himself to be one of the most solid centers in the league after a breakout season with the Knicks last year. The Thunder may be young, but after a decent outing in the playoffs last year and roster improvements, they’ll be an extreme threat to win the title this season.
The Boston Celtics (2) are also strong contenders to win the championship with their deep roster and star power. The reigning champions flex the best starting lineup in the league with superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the charge. Their other starters are nothing to scoff at as Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingus would be second options on many other teams in the league, with Jrue Holiday still being a solid point guard even after regressing slightly this season. Even if Jrue Holiday has a bad outing this postseason, they have arguably the best backup point guard in the league with Payton Pritchard and an extremely solid bench outside of him. Staying healthy could be an issue for this team as Porzingus missed a majority of 2024’s playoffs while Holiday and Al Horford are aging, but even without Porzingus the Celtics still cruised their way to the finals, proving that even an injured Celtics roster can demolish a majority of the league.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (1) have had a shockingly good season, holding the one seed strong with Donovan Mitchell spearheading their victories. They too flex a deep roster, with a solid starting lineup and an impressive bench, but they could end up the regular season powerhouse that doesn’t show out in the playoffs. They gained valuable playoff experience last year, but their younger roster relies heavily on Donovan Mitchell’s star power in the playoffs. As Jarrett Allen himself said about the Celtics gentleman sweeping them last year, “the lights were brighter than expected”. The Cavaliers have a cake walk to the conference finals, but I suspect once they face the Celtics they’ll lose in 6. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make vast improvements from last year’s playoff run and potentially force a Game 7 on the Celtics, but they would need a miracle to compete against reigning champions.
As the other top teams go, the Houston Rockets (2) aren’t real contenders to win the title as their hodgepodge roster lacks the playoff experience needed to make a championship run, but they’ve surprised everyone with their successful regular season. The New York Knicks (3) would be favored to make a deep playoff run, but they’ve struggled heavily against the best teams in the league, going 1-11 against the top four teams – with their only win coming from the Rockets. Tom Thibodeau is one of the most interesting coaches in the league as his torturous minute allocation for starters favors the intense atmosphere of the playoffs, but I suspect even with heavy minutes going to stars like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, they’ll fall brutally short to the powerhouse Boston Celtics. The Los Angeles Lakers (3) could make a run with Luka Doncic and LeBron James, but the team’s depth leaves much to be desired.
As specific matchups go, it is doubtful that either 1 seed will fall to a play-in team, and it is unlikely the Celtics will lose to the Orlando Magic (7) in the East. In the West, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler III’s Warriors team shouldn’t be counted out despite being the seventh seed, as the second-seeded Rockets also didn’t make the playoffs last season. The Detroit Pistons (6) have had a great comeback season after their tragic 2023-24 showing, but the New York Knicks (3) should easily take them down due to Detroit’s lack of playoff experience together. The Indiana Pacers (5) versus the Milwaukee Bucks (4) could be an interesting series, but with Damian Lillard out with a blood clot and an iffy supporting cast, Giannis Antetokounmpo will have to put the team on his shoulders if the Bucks want to advance. For the other two Western Conference matchups, the Los Angeles Lakers (3) versus the Minnesota Timberwolves (6) could be interesting as LeBron and Luka uniting mid-season could shake up the entire playoffs. I suspect the Lakers will come out on top and make a run to the Western Conference finals, but the Timberwolves have a solid roster with Anthony Edwards at the helm of the ship. The Denver Nuggets (4) and Los Angeles Clippers (5) will be an exciting matchup as three-time MVP Nikola Jokic battles the overperforming Clippers with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. However, with the recent firing of Denver head coach Michael Malone, I don’t expect the Nuggets to make a run this offseason or even make it out of the first round, but the series will be close.
Overall, the Western Conference should be chock full of exciting matchups as the standings were settled by a mere two game gap for the 2-8 seeds, while the Eastern
Conference will likely be cut and dry, with the exciting matchups coming towards the end. While the Oklahoma City Thunder (1) and Boston Celtics (2) are favored to win this year’s NBA championship, but don’t count out the Cleveland Cavaliers (1) as their strong regular season performance indicates that they can compete at the highest level. The Los Angeles Lakers (3) are my ‘dark horse’ pick to make a deep run this season, but I suspect even with their maximum star power they’ll fall short to carefully constructed Oklahoma City Thunder. The playoffs should be thrilling this year, with potentially the best finals matchup of the 2020s on the horizon if the Celtics and Thunder both make it there.
Contact Alexander at alexander.fry@student.shu.edu