2024-04-09 03:01:00
The NBA faces the outcome of its regular season this week with an exciting battle in the Western Conference, with many teams in a very small margin and several direct duels, and the Milwaukee Bucks who chose the worst time in the East to enter into a crisis.
The NBA takes a break this Monday without games for the NCAA men’s college basketball final. But on Tuesday an explosive final stretch will begin that promises strong emotions for all those involved in the postseason with one illustrious exception: the Boston Celtics, who are already guaranteed first place in the East and the home court factor throughout the entire playoff, which by That is why they will be able to witness the struggles of their rivals with the peace of mind of having their homework done.
Brutal West
There are few metaphors in the NBA more recurring than that of the ‘Wild West,’ but no one in the league can question this season that the parity in this conference was impressive. The best example? There is more distance between the first in the East (Celtics, 62-16) and the second in the East (Bucks, 47-31), than between the leader in the West (Minnesota Timberwolves, 54-24) and the tenth in the West (Golden State Warriors, 43-35).
In other words, if Milwaukee competed in the West it would now occupy sixth place in that conference and would have a lot of work ahead of it to avoid falling to the play-in. In short, no one threw in the towel in a brutal West in which eight of the top ten finishers won their last game.
The amazing Wolves (54-24) land as leaders in this outcome, but only because they won the tiebreaker (2-1) against the current champions, the Denver Nuggets (54-24). For all this, it is evident that one of the biggest duels this week is the one between the Nuggets and the Wolves in Denver this Wednesday.
Nikola Jokic’s men, in addition to playing that key game at home, also have an easier schedule: Denver has three more games left with the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies (all of them outside the playoff) and Minnesota What remains is to face the Washington Wizards, the Atlanta Hawks (still in the fight with the Chicago Bulls for ninth place in the East) and, above all, the Phoenix Suns of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in the midst of a battle to avoid the ‘play- in’ of the West.
Both the surprising Oklahoma City Thunder (53-25, third) and the Los Angeles Clippers (50-28, fourth with three straight wins) have every ticket to finish in those positions without further movement either up or down. But starting in fifth place for the Dallas Mavericks (48-30), dangers and scares appear around every corner. Luka Doncic’s team, which in 2023 sank at the end until being left out of the playoff, this year arrives at its peak of form with 14 victories in its last 16 games.
Dallas has a very difficult time catching up with the Clippers, who have two games ahead of them, and also has a cushion of two games over the sixth place, the Suns (46-32), so everything indicates that Angelenos and Texans will meet in the first round with home field advantage for Kawhi Leonard and company.
For its part, Phoenix lost a direct confrontation with the Pelicans on Sunday and only the tiebreaker allows them not to fall into the play-in instead of New Orleans (also 46-32). The ‘criminal’ schedule of the Arizona team in the last stretch of the campaign is not going to let up, since they have two games left with the Clippers, one with the Sacramento Kings (also involved in the fight to get out of the ‘play-in’ ) and a close against no less than the Wolves in Minnesota.
The Pelicans aren’t anything to write home about either: apart from a seemingly simple game in Portland against the Blazers (penultimate in the West), they still have to play against the Kings and Warriors before finishing the regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers. Precisely those in purple and gold are one of the victims of this stratospheric level in the West since, after nine victories in their last eleven games, they are still ninth (45-34) behind the Kings (45-33) and ahead of the Warriors (43-35).
It is worth remembering that there is an important difference between the final positions of the ‘play-in’: the seventh plays against the eighth on their court and, in case of losing, they still have a bullet left also at home against the winner of the ninth-tenth. With all this and the doubts of LeBron James (ill) and Anthony Davis (he received a blow to the eye on Sunday), the Lakers will play a large part of their season this Tuesday in their game in Los Angeles against the Warriors, who won seven of their last eight games and that they could meet the Angelenos again in the play-in.
SOS not Milwaukee
Four losses in a row and, except against the New York Knicks, all of them against minor rivals (Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards). That is the alarming moment that the Bucks are going through, who are still second in the East (47-31) but have the Orlando Magic and the Knicks (both with 46-32) already on their heels.
In addition, the calendar reserved several farewell surprises for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team: two fiery direct duels against the Magic (one at home and one away), a game against the Celtics and a game against the Thunder.
The Magic, one of the revelations of the season, still have to play against the Houston Rockets (already eliminated from the postseason) and against the Philadelphia 76ers who are trying to get out of the play-in of the East.
The Knicks are also on the lookout for the Bucks, with two games against the Chicago Bulls (who defend ninth place in the East against Atlanta), one against the Celtics and one against the Brookly Nets (already eliminated).
Nor should we rule out the Cavaliers (46-33, fifth), although their three straight losses cooled spirits in Cleveland. Furthermore, they cannot be distracted by the Indiana Pacers (45-34, sixth), who have won four of their last five games. Indiana and Cleveland will meet on Friday.
Faced with the doubts of some, the hopes of others like the Sixers, who with the return of Joel Embiid, MVP in 2023, have accumulated five wins in a row and aspire to go directly to the playoff (44-35, seventh). Philadelphia has only three games ahead and two of them are against affordable rivals: the Nets and the Detroit Pistons, bottom of the East.
Finally, the Miami Heat, finalists last year, are eighth with 43-35 and increasingly less margin to catch up with the Sixers, while in ninth and tenth place appear, respectively, the Bulls (37-41) and the Hawks (36-42).