The last day of the NBA regular season yielded a surprise outcome. The Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs, playing without Victor Wembanyama.
That game had implications for the NBA Western Conference playoffs. The Nuggets overtook the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, the Lakers will take on the Houston Rockets, instead of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets will now take on the Wolves.
The Lakers will now face Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and the Rockets. They will miss Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, their main offensive weapons, the highest scoring duo in the NBA this season.
Matched By Design
The Lakers are not entirely victims here. They did prefer to play against the Houston Rockets. They have matched up well against them this season. In contrast, they have famously struggled against the length of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the last playoffs.
DeAndre Ayton was supposed to be the answer to that deficit, but he has underwhelmed. While he has played decently, he is nowhere near the “DominAyton” that most Purple and Gold faithfuls expected.
Meanwhile, the Rockets have struggled against the zone, specifically because they do not have their intended starting point guard in Fred Van Vleet. They need to utililze the spritely Reed Sheppard. Luka would have feasted Sheppard, and the hope is that the Lakers could survive long enough for Doncic’s return.
Greek Departure
While we await Luka’s return, another European star is on the rumor mill because he is likely to leave. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s relations with his organization has worsened after the Milwaukee Bucks’ brass prevented him from playing.
While most players would see that as concern, it was clear that the Bucks only had their self-interest in mind. If Giannis would get injured, his trade value would diminish.
Speaking of departures, Giannis has reportedly stated his preference to stay in the East Coast, specifically because it would be closer to his home country. This eliminated the Portland Trailblazers as a destination.
The Blazers have familiar faces in Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. They have a rising star in Deni Avdija, and the spectacular Shaedon Sharpe. However, they are on the wrong side of America.
The Bucks have also clarified their position. Firstly, they let go of coach Doc Rivers. Now, they have declared that they will offer the extension to Giannis, but if he does not sign, they will trade him. They won’t let him leave in free agency.
The Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets have the advantage of having direct flights to Greece. The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Miami Heat also loom as contenders. But ultimately, it’s the Bucks’ decision.
Western Icons’ Last Hurrah
The LA Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, two proud teams of the last decade will engage in a do-or-die match. However, it’s not an elimination game in a best-of-seven series, but a play-in match for a chance to get the last ticket to Main Show.
The rosters have been depleted, reflective of how harsh Father Time is. Kawhi Leonard and Steph Curry have remained stalwarts of their team, but their comrades have left.
Will this be the last time that Steph and Kawhi will matter? It’s unlikely, since they are both capable of star numbers (26 points, 4.8 assists for Steph, 28 and 6.7 rebounds for Kawhi). But their teams have already looked ahead, letting go of integral pieces to contend for this season.
It’s a sentimental and interesting play-in, but it would hardly make a difference in the grand scheme of the postseason.
Conclusions
The Western playoffs could end up as a formality, with the weight on Nikola Jokic to inflict chaos in the supposedly set-in-stone Spurs vs. Thunder outcome. The Nuggets are the hottest team in the league and may be peaking at the best time.
Jokic and crew taking no.3, placing themselves in the Spurs bracket, will be huge.
Meanwhile, the East is a full-on war. The no.1 seed is eager to earn respect, the Celtics want a glorious comeback story. The Knicks want relevance, and the Cavs want redemption. The stars seem to align for the Madison Square Garden.
