As the end of the season gets closer and the playoffs beckon, amid the race to the NBA Finals, fans up and down the country are hoping their team can find some form and keep their key players fit. Throw in a bit of luck and you never know where it can take them.
We’ve already had plenty of unforgettable games this year including the Cavaliers stunning comeback against the Chicago Bulls when Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points and rallied his team from 21 down to triumph in overtime. Mitchell’s total matched the eighth-highest in NBA history.
Another record-breaking game saw an epic battle between the Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers, which ended 176-175 in double overtime. This historic match was the second-highest-scoring in league history and only the second time ever that both teams have scored at least 170 points. Sacramento and Los Angeles also combined for 44 3-pointers, tied for the most in a game in NBA history.
If those games are anything to go by, the postseason is going to be a lot of fun to watch, but who are the favorites to make it all the way to the finals in June?
Boston Celtics
Judging by their form this season, last year’s NBA finals defeat to Golden State Warriors has not been forgotten by the Celtics, and they look eager to put things right this time around. A historic title number 18 beckons for them if they can do it, putting them one clear of the Lakers in the all-time list.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are Boston’s key men, and their great form saw them recognized when they made the 2023 NBA All-Star Game rosters. But Celtic teammates Robert Williams, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and Malcolm Brogdon have all played their part this season with stand-out performances.
Coach Joe Mazzulla will know that anything less than a title will be seen as a failure this year, but the team has bonded and grown together, with last year’s finals defeat proving to be a positive learning experience for the group.
As Jayson Tatum said: “We succeeded a lot of times in big moments, and we’ve come up short. But we’ve been able to learn from and take something from each playoff series, each time we went, conference finals three or four times, and the Finals last year… I think just gaining that early experience can only help you in the present time now and for the future.”
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have hit form at the right time, and with a 16-game winning streak under their belts, they have joined the Celtics as joint favorites, according to the latest NBA finals odds. It’s certainly impossible to dismiss their chances when they have one of the best players in the world on their team, Greek forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 2019 and 2020 MVP is the key man for the Bucks, but the core of the team that won the 2021 championship is still there and that experience and quality are going to count further down the line. Bringing in Jae Crowder at the trade deadline is only going to make them better too, he’s one of the best defensive forwards in the NBA and averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 67 games last season. Crowder was also a key player in back-to-back runs to the NBA Finals for Miami in 2020 and Phoenix in 2021.
Will the Bucks make it two titles in three years? If star man Giannis can continue to play at his top level and avoid injury, it’s hard to argue against it.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns weren’t in the conversation for the NBA championship until Kevin Durant happened. New Suns owner Mat Ishbia was expected to go big with a blockbuster trade but no one saw the 13-time All-Star making the switch from the Brooklyn Nets. The deal has changed the landscape of the Western Conference.
Durant was averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game for the Nets this season. He was also shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range. All of a sudden the Suns now boast the most potent offensive duo in the NBA in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and look to be in a great position to make a deep playoff run and potentially make it back to the NBA Finals.
Denver Nuggets
History weighs heavy on Nuggets fans and players alike with no NBA title to their name, but this team looks like real contenders to finally bring home the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Any side with Nikola Jokic has to be in the conversation and the reigning two-time MVP, and current favorite to capture a third straight MVP award is their key man.
Their roster looks good with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr having good seasons, while the additions of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Reggie Jackson, and Thomas Bryant have added depth and quality. If Jokic stays fit, the Nuggets fans’ dreams of a first-ever title may just come true.
