The NBA season is down to its final 25 games and this is about as parity-filled a season as anyone of this generation will remember. Normally, there’s a couple of serious contenders in each conference and a slew of pretenders. However, this year, there’s a big lineup and it wouldn’t be surprising if one of the many suitors took it down. Here’s why this year’s playoff race is the most exciting in years.
So Many Legitimate Title Contenders
The Western Conference was already fully loaded with championship contenders but many of them have upped the ante. Seeing the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs as the No.7 seed and a lethal Oklahoma City Thunder team in the No. 8 spot speaks volumes as to just how loaded the conference is. But beyond that, a number of the other contenders have doubled down by making big acquisitions. The Memphis Grizzlies acquired Jeff Green, the Dallas Mavericks picked up Rajon Rondo, the Portland Trail Blazers traded for Arron Afflalo and the Houston Rockets got Josh Smith and Corey Brewer.
In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the clear favorite but they’re short on playoff experience currently sit as the No. 4 seed in the conference. It’s possible that a suddenly dangerous Atlanta Hawks team or the Toronto Raptors, who might be the most experienced playoff team based on current rosters, come into play. And then there’s the Chicago Bulls, who still might get back Derrick Rose and content this season.
The stories and this parity is what makes this race so exciting.
LeBron, Trying To Rise To The Top, But In Cleveland
It was one thing for LeBron James to try to win a title with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, as part of a Big Three that came together for the express purpose of winning a championship. It’s a little bit different and a lot more dramatic to see LeBron trying to win a title with a much younger star, Kyrie Irving, and a star who has underachieved in ways that Wade and Bosh did not in Miami (Kevin Love). The fact that LeBron is trying to win the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first NBA title and the city of Cleveland’s first major sports championship since the 1964 Cleveland Browns won the NFL title, only makes his quest that much more compelling. And then there’s the fact that they built a big three that at first was questioned, then looked like it was failing, but has seemingly gelled at the right time. And they, too, doubled down, pawning off future picks for deals that brought in Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert, and J.R. Smith.
Watching the Cavs win or lose is must-see TV on its own. That’s one of the main storylines that everyone is tuned in to.
The Top Seeds Are New To The Pressure Of Being Favorites
The Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors lead the two conferences and while both have been incredible at times in the regular season, neither is used to being in such positions. As we wrap up February, the Hawks lead the NBA with 46 wins while the Warriors are an impressive 41-16 – 4.5 games clear of second place in the West. However, neither team has been in this spot and neither team really has a ton of playoff experience in terms of long journeys.
That will create a lot of drama and inject a different feel into this postseason, making it far more interesting than if two expected powers, the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, were in first place. With “untraditional” first-place teams, we’re interested to see whether these teams are legit and whether home court advantage will help them or whether they’re merely enjoying a strong regular season. A Golden State-Oklahoma City first-round series would not only be incredible, it would answer all of our questions about whether the Warriors are legit. Same goes for the Hawks in their seemingly inevitable collision course with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There’s a lot of new teams at the top of the standings – Golden State, Memphis, Houston, Toronto – and it’ll be interesting to see which ones turn out to be legit.
