Today: Mar 28, 2024

NBA Playoffs – Opinion

Morgan Douglas Sports Editor

Even though I’ve been watching it for so long, it still amazes me every year that the NBA playoffs are about to start now, and they won’t end until well after the semester is over. 

So much is going to happen between now and mid-June. 

Injuries, overtime games, buzzer beaters and heroes coming from the unlikeliest of places, the NBA playoffs are always a lot of fun. 

This is the time of year where guys like Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant Take the leap from rising star to household name. 

Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when People in positions similar to mine in this field Start talking legacy. 

When the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers are eventually eliminated in the second round or in the conference finals, I Don’t want to hear people questioning the legacies of Nikola Jokic and/or Joel Embiid. 

I really don’t want to hear about it. In regards to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets, but I may not have to worry about that, as the Nets could go out and win the whole thing. 

It’s funny to say that about a team in the play-in tournament, but it is true. 

The Nets were a toe’s length away from trouncing the current champion, the Milwaukee Bucks in last year’s playoffs, barring injuries, there is no reason they cannot make a big run. 

It’s going to be a tough fight though, because the Eastern Conference is stacked. 

The Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Bucks and Nets are all Legitimate title contenders. 

To some extent, the 76ers are as well, but I don’t trust James Harden to get the job done in big games as much as I do in his All-Star peers on the teams I mentioned. 

Besides, nobody outside of Philadelphia wants to watch Harden and Embiid shoot 50 free throws a night En route to a trophy. 

In the Western Conference, I really think it’s going to be the Phoenix Suns coming out on top again. 

The Golden State Warriors would be my other choice because we have seen them do it time and again, but their core group is a bit older now, and they’ve been banged up all year, which may derail them in a series against a younger, fresher team. 

The Grizzlies have had a phenomenal year. Perhaps the most impressive part is their stellar record, without star player Ja Morant. 

These playoffs will be an interesting test to see if the Grizzlies are legitimate title contenders for years to come, or the next incarnation of Damian Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers of years past. Extremely competitive every year, but not good enough to win at all. 

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