The NBA season has come to a close, and the playoffs (or play-ins) are set. Some teams like the Celtics, Thunder, and Cavaliers look primed to dominate yet again, but you never know in the NBA. Here are some predictions on who has it and who doesn’t.
Who are the true contenders and the pretenders in this year’s NBA playoffs?
Contenders: Boston Celtics
This one is easy. The defending NBA champs don’t appear to have lost a step and are battle-tested in various playoff runs through the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are an obvious impediment, but with the confidence of a successful championship run under their belts, I doubt the Celtics feel too troubled by the 64-win Cavs. Barring serious injury, the Celtics have a terrific chance at a repeat.
Pretenders: New York Knicks
The Knicks once again had a great season but will once again be stymied in the playoffs. Even fully healthy, this team has failed to win a single game against the Cavs, Celtics, or Thunder. While regular-season performance doesn’t necessarily guarantee playoff results, it is an absolute indicator. The Knicks are just a tier below the top teams in the postseason.
Jaylen Brunson will not only have to replicate his playoff performance from the previous year, but Karl Anthony Towns will have to wake up from his typical playoff slumber and play to his full potential for the Knicks to have a shot at even reaching the finals this year.
Contenders: Cleveland Cavaliers
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While the Cavs have not been as completely on fire since their 15-0 start, they still have been one of the most dominant regular season teams since the 15/’16 Warriors. Donovan Mitchell can completely carry a game if needed, but the team is loaded with stars like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. They also put out two massive defensive monsters down low in Mobley and Jarrett Allen, guarding the rim.
The mid-season addition of DeAndre Hunter as a 6th man helps put them completely over the top for the NBA playoffs, making them a terrifying opponent for anyone not named the Boston Celtics.
Pretenders: Houston Rockets
The Rockets have had a terrific season, finishing with the second seed in the extremely difficult Western Conference. However, the team is young and inexperienced. With veteran teams like the Lakers, Nuggets, and Warriors hanging around, it’s difficult to imagine they’ll be able to get through even the second round. Make no mistake, this Rockets team will be around for years to come, but these playoffs are far too stacked on the Western side for the young guns to make a deep run.
Contenders: Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic is simply the best player in the NBA. We know SGA will likely win the MVP, but Joker is the most ridiculous player since LeBron entered the league, and that’s saying something with the bevvy of Hall of Famers that have entered in that span. If any of his conspirators wake up and play to their potential, the Nuggets will be almost impossible to stop in the NBA playoffs.
With a title under their belts, the Nuggets are surely hungry for more and have the pieces to get it. It won’t be easy in the West, but we’re not counting any squad led by Jokic out.
Pretenders: Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have been hanging around the Eastern Conference Playoffs for the past decade with absolutely nothing to show for it. From Paul George to Sabonis, they’ve been trying to put it together for a long time. However, it doesn’t look like Tyrese Haliburton can be the guy either. He failed to get 20 points a game this season, and we know that in the NBA playoffs, you need an automatic bucket getter to really succeed.
Pascal Siakam was the leading scorer. Make no mistake, Siakam is a great player and champion, but he has had the most success as a secondary or tertiary option. We don’t think he can do it as the number one, especially getting through the Celtics and Cavaliers.
Contenders: Los Angeles Lakers
The Luka/LeBron Lakers look very nice, but that needs to be said. LeBron is obviously an all-time great, still doing it all at age 40, but the addition of Doncic has created arguably the best 1-2 punch in all of basketball. LeBron will be playing his heart out for another ring, and if he is going to put every last drop into the game he loves, Luka will be right there with him.
Luka already willed a Mavs team to an NBA finals, but now, with a guy who did the same thing in Cleveland a number of times on his side, there may be no stopping these two. You have two players capable of putting up a 35-point triple-double nightly, a scary sight for any opponent.
Pretenders: Minnesota Timberwolves
While the Timberwolves have a formidable duo in Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, we can’t see them breaking through in the West. The Division is simply too loaded for a team relying on Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid as its tertiary scoring options to succeed. We know Ant-Man can go nuclear in the NBA playoffs and carry a team, but getting past teams like OKC, the Lakers, and the Nuggets just seems completely unrealistic.
Contenders: Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have flown under the radar this year but finished with the same record as the Lakers and the Nuggets. While this only earned them a five seed, it’s still pretty impressive in the very tight West. The big factor here for the Clippers is Kawhi Leonard. If he’s fully healthy, almost anything can happen. He’s carried a team to a championship before and could do it again, especially if James Harden plays to his MVP caliber alongside him.
Pretenders: Detroit Pistons
We’re not going to sit here and pretend the Pistons are getting out of the East. There’s a lot of talk about the Pistons beating the Knicks in the first round, and frankly, we’re not so sure of that either. The Pistons are a solid team to be sure, but with essentially just Cade Cunningham running the show, there’s not much to be done.
Jaden Ivey is still not back from a broken leg, which leaves secondary options quite slim. Tobias Harris typically disappears in the playoffs and has diminished as a player overall since his prime, leaving the Pistons in a difficult position for the postseason. Not much to have faith in here.
