Since Cris Collinsworth’s glaze and Patrick Mahomes’s black magic ruined the NFL, the NBA is now the greatest American league. While I’m obviously kidding, this NBA season has already been incredibly entertaining.
With a throwback to 2016 with teams like the Warriors, Hawks and Cavs attempting to rival recent powerhouses like the Celtics and Mavs, the best of the best will be facing off in what is sure to be an electric playoffs, so I’m taking a look at the early December playoff picture.
The playoffs are played between 16 teams, eight from each conference. The first six seeds are decided by best records, and the final two come from the winners of the Play-in Tournament between the teams ranked seventh through 10th.
Eastern Conference
Taking the top spot in the Eastern Conference will be the Boston Celtics. The reigning champs will continue their dominant run, simple as that. Not only did they give Jayson Tatum and Derrick White a contract extension, but Jaylen Brown is still formidable, and Kristaps Porzingis has looked comfortable since his return from injury. A supporting cast consisting of Jrue Holiday, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard makes this an unfair lineup.
The two seed will be the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley as the offensive leaders, it’s easy to see why they started 15-0 and now lead the conference with a 21-3 record. In the first 20 games of the season, they claimed the top spot league-wide in points per game and field goals made per game, with 122 and 45.3 respectively.
The third seed will belong to the New York Knicks. Although the team faced a major injury crisis in the playoffs last year, they were a formidable team before that. This year, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson being 11th and 12th in the league in PPG, and the team’s 50% FG conversion rate — second in the league — the Knicks will easily make it back to the playoffs.
The Milwaukee Bucks will take the fourth spot in another good year for Wisconsin sports. They’ve started the season slowly with a record of 11-11, but they have all the tools to make a comeback. They’re the only team with two players in the top 10 for PPG; Giannis Antetokounmpo is the PPG league leader, and Damian Lillard is 10th.
In the fifth spot, I see the Orlando Magic. With last season’s surprise trip to the playoffs and Jamahl Mosley’s extension, this team has a strong foundation. The Magic started the season strong, undefeated at home as of Dec. 9. However, Franz Wagner tore his oblique on Dec. 6, and Paolo Banchero hasn’t played since October with a torn oblique of his own. To hang on to fifth spot, a young team without its two star players will need to pick up the slack.
The final playoff spot exempt from the Play-In tournament, will be for the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton is an all-star guard, and the team managed to hold on to Pascal Siakim, who averaged 21.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in his 80 games last season. They didn’t have the busiest summer, but the offense has started strong with 48.6% FG made, sixth in the league; their 3-11 record on the road is a blemish, but if they can start to perform on the road, they will climb up to sixth before season’s end.
Finally, the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat will beat the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls in the Play-In to clinch the seventh and eighth seeds.
Western Conference
The first seed in the West will be the Oklahoma City Thunder. A 57-win season last year plus Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein joining the team over the summer is a great start. With the highest defensive rating in the league, the reigning coach of the year and a solid offense spearheaded by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his unprecedented consistent 30 PPG, they are a championship-caliber team.
The Dallas Mavericks will finish in the runner-up spot. Despite dropping as low as 10th, a seven-win streak has propelled them into second, and they will stay there. Following last year’s finals loss to the Celtics, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Bay Area legend Klay Thompson represent a star-studded offense. They’re averaging 43.6 FG made per game, the fourth-best in the league.
The third spot is for the Memphis Grizzlies. As of Dec. 6, they’re tied with the Mavs for second and beating the Mavs in FG and PPG, but they will lose out in the long run and drop to the third seed. Jaren Jackson Jr. is leading the team in points, blocks and steals per game, and any dip in form will hurt the team. Ja Morant is still questionable, but is slowly progressing with managed minutes, perhaps giving the team a needed mid-season boost.
In the fourth spot will be the Golden State Warriors. For the first time in 13 years, Stephen Curry is playing without Klay Thompson. The team looks different after Thompson and Chris Paul’s departure and the introduction of new players including some entering their sophomore year. Some, notably Buddy Hield, have helped the Warriors succeed even with Curry nursing a knee injury, and these players will help the Warriors to a rebound year.
The fifth spot belongs to the Denver Nuggets. It feels wrong putting them this low, but a slow start to the season with an 11-10 record means they’ve got work to do. They’re more than capable, with PPG leader, MVP and all-around beast Nikola Jokic. However, they may be held back by their mid-tier defense and the worst offensive rating when Jokic is not on the court.
The sixth spot belongs to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The sixth spot will be a close-fought battle with a host of strong teams in the West, but truthfully the Timberwolves should be comfortably in the playoffs. Once again, they will need to claw back from a slow start to the season with the more-than-capable leadership of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle.
The Houston Rockets and LA Lakers will beat the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns in the Play-In.
Come mid-June, the live-action version of “How to Train Your Dragon” will roll around. But the better cinema will be on the NBA court. The Celtics will fight to extend their reign, while the Cavs will try and force their way back into the spotlight. Nuggets fans will watch on in awe as Jokic cooks teams like a backyard BBQ, while Wizards fans join Jets fans in the valley of despair. But one thing is certain: unmatched entertainment value.
