NBA Playoffs Articles - Page 156

The Denver Nuggets have been building up for this moment, slowly but surely. So why wouldn’t they be able to battle through the 2023 NBA Playoffs and win a championship? After all, there’s plenty to love about the team. With all that in mind, here are three reasons that the Nuggets will win the 2023 […]

After months of basketball, the 2022-23 NBA regular season is entering its final stages. With less than two weeks left to play, the playoff picture is getting closer to its final shape. While the standings have some surprises, organizations such as the Philadelphia 76ers still are some of the main frontrunners for the title. So […]

In July 2022, the NBA Board of Governors approved the official institution of the NBA Play-In Tournament in the same format as the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 NBA seasons. The tournament is a precursor to the playoffs to determine the final two seeds to earn a bid into the NBA Playoffs. This year, the 2023 NBA Play-In […]

The last New York Knicks NBA Finals appearance was back in 1999. The last Knicks playoffs series win was in 2013. As the team prepares for the 2023 NBA playoffs, those dates may not be inspiring. But each season a franchise makes the playoffs brings new hope that an NBA title (which would be the […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of their best season since the departure of LeBron James, largely in thanks to the addition of Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell was acquired in a deal with the Utah Jazz this last off-season, and he has the Cavaliers at 48-29 and currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. […]

The Boston Celtics have had one goal in mind after they came up short in the 2022 NBA Finals; get back to the Finals, but find a way to come out on top this time. And for much of the season, the Celtics have looked like one of the top Finals contenders across the entire […]

The 2022-23 NBA season is coming down to a wire, and each game could have a serious impact on the standings. With a bit more of a week left in the regular season, the playoff picture is getting into shape. As expected, organizations such as the Milwaukee Bucks are at the top of their conferences […]

The Golden State Warriors have appeared in six of the last eight NBA Finals and won four titles along the way. The 2022-23 version of the team didn’t look like a contender or even an NBA playoffs team early in the season, but they are now playing well, suggesting a vintage Warriors playoffs run could […]

The Phoenix Suns’ NBA playoffs journey is about to begin. The team made it to the NBA Finals in 2021 and the Western Conference semifinals in 2022. With the addition of Kevin Durant at the NBA trade deadline, will there be another Suns NBA Finals run this season? The road won’t be easy for KD, […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are 38-38, 8th in the Western Conference standings, after going 4-1 in their last five games. Many will cry wolf, believing that the league is conspiring to get the Lakers in the playoffs. More specifically, they believe that the league is sending referees to Lakers games with a directive to help […]

It’s been a funny old year for the Chicago Bulls. They entered the second full season of the DeMar DeRozan/Zach Lavine/Nikola Vucevic era on the back of an ignominious end to 2021-22. They demolished by the Milwaukee Bucks, losing their last three games of that five-game first round playoff series by an average of over […]

The Boston Celtics have clinched a spot in the NBA playoffs for an eighth-straight season, and they’ll be on the hunt again for an elusive 18th championship. However, to get back to the NBA Finals, the Celtics will have to go through the gauntlet that is the Eastern Conference. After Tuesday night’s embarrassing 130-111 loss […]

The Denver Nuggets are undoubtedly one of the most formidable teams that will be in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. At 50-24, the Nuggets have the best record in the Western Conference and the third-best record in the league, only behind the Milwaukee Bucks (52-21) and Boston Celtics (51-23). With two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic having […]

The Utah Jazz have been one of the more impressive teams this season. Unfortunately for them, after a hot start, injuries have diminished their ability to win games and reach the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Although forward Lauri Markkanen, a first-time All-Star in 2022-23 has returned, guards Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton remain out for the […]

Things are looking up for the Los Angeles Lakers. They’re 11-6 since the All-Star break and briefly reached .500. They’re ninth in Net Rating since the trade deadline. LeBron James is back from injury, and D’Angelo Russell could rejoin the team on Wednesday. Their remaining schedule is relatively favorable. And yet, the 37-38 Lakers — […]

The Golden State Warriors were one possession away on Sunday night from winning their two biggest games of the season back-to-back, steadying themselves for a top-six playoff seed in the wild Western Conference. But Kyle Anderson deflected Draymond Green’s pass as the Warriors tried to chew up more clock up one with 16 seconds left, […]

The Brooklyn Nets may be one of the most intriguing teams to watch in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Thanks to the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant trades, their roster is completely different than what it was at the start of the season. While they obviously don’t have the talent they once had, Brooklyn has still […]

After his second and final 10-day contract expired with the New York Knicks, Knicks president Leon Rose had to make a decision on the future status of 25-year-old shooting guard DaQuan Jeffries quick, as the 2023 NBA Playoffs are just a couple of weeks away. Jeffries will now join the Knicks on a multi-year contract, […]

This season did not go according to plan for the Toronto Raptors. After a promising campaign in 2021 that saw them net the fifth seed, fans were hoping to see some good progress from this team. At the very least, they could maintain their form from last year… right? Well, a sophomore slump and regression […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have endured a plethora of problems in the 2022-2023 NBA season. Comparing it to their surprising ascent last year, the target is now on their backs, and they seem to thrive through adversity. Despite the early-season absence of Jaren Jackson Jr., current injuries to Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, and most importantly, […]

The Toronto Raptors surprised many with their trade deadline moves as it all but signaled they were prepared to make another push for the NBA Playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Though the Raptors had won three in a row going into the deadline, there was an expectation that they would blow things up and move […]

The Atlanta Hawks are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings at 36-37. Unfortunately, while they’re in position to make the 2023 NBA Playoffs, they’re not in an ideal position to advance in their bracket. Hawks’ nightmare seeding scenario, matchup for 2023 NBA Playoffs Currently slated to face the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, the Hawks will already […]

The Brooklyn Nets might be having the strangest season of any team that is headed to the 2023 NBA playoffs. The Nets went from contending for a championship to rebuilding the roster by trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant at the trade deadline. Unlike most teams that become sellers midseason, Brooklyn’s record was so good […]

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic isn’t a happy camper these days. Already affected by off-court legal battles with his biological mother, the on-court sanctuary that Doncic is supposed to have inside of basketball gyms and NBA arenas has been tainted. Not so much by the arrival of enigmatic star Kyrie Irving, whose mere presence can […]

The New York Knicks find themselves in a rare position. Not only are the Knicks likely headed to the 2023 NBA playoffs, but New York is in a battle for seeding that could potentially allow the team to win its first postseason series in a decade. With seven games left in the regular season, the […]

A team with nothing to lose can be extremely dangerous. The Oklahoma City Thunder are just 36-37 and currently outside the NBA Play-In picture. But they are ahead of schedule. Their ascension could be imminent. This franchise was not supposed to be hovering around .500. NBA postseason travel arrangements should not be something on OKC’s […]

Despite being in the hunt for a spot in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Utah Jazz find themselves in an NBA purgatory of sorts. In the first season of their rebuild, they’ve exceeded expectations even while being marred by injuries. Now, at 35-37, the Jazz are only 0.5 games back from a spot in the […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are soaring high and preparing to make another NBA title run. At 52-20, they hold a 2.5 game lead over the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the best record in the NBA. The Bucks have been on an absolute tear lately, going 23-3 in their last […]

With the NBA regular season winding down, teams on the playoff bubble are fighting just to make it to the dance. The Western Conference, being as tight as it is, features many of these teams, and the New Orleans Pelicans are one of them. New Orleans started out the season very well, jumping out to […]

New York Knicks fans might not admit it, but they are worried about an impending case of deja vu hitting Madison Square Garden. On the surface, any qualms seem inappropriate given the strides this franchise has taken. After an eternal search, the team finally found their point guard in Jalen Brunson, and boy has he […]

The 2023 NBA Playoffs are shaping up to be absolutely critical for the Phoenix Suns. They lost in the NBA Finals in 2021, then got absolutely humiliated in 2022. They pulled off a blockbuster by bringing in Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, indicating that they are all-in on pushing for a championship. If they […]

The Boston Celtics have dealt with multiple injuries this season, but none were as severe as Danilo Gallinari’s torn ACL. Yet, there’s reportedly a slight chance the 34-year-old forward suits up for the C’s in the playoffs. Just prior to the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, Gallinari tore his ACL while playing for Italy […]

The Sacramento Kings have arguably been the biggest feel-good story in the NBA this season. They hadn’t made the playoffs or had a winning season since 2005-06, but all of that is changing this season. Currently, the Kings have a record of 43-29, good for third in the Western Conference and first in the Pacific […]

The Utah Jazz have been one of the more surprising teams this season, playing above their expectations and putting themselves in position to reach the 2023 NBA Playoffs despite trading away all of their starters from last season. You don’t need any numbers to tell you just how rare of a feat that is. Nonetheless, […]

At 36-37, eighth in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks are on pace to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Led by their star backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, the Hawks made a number of additions around the trade deadline to bolster their chances of making a deep postseason run: First, […]

The Chicago Bulls have had another inconsistent season under Billy Donovan, which is par for the course since his arrival in Chicago. Currently at 10th in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls are in position to make the play-in tournament, with a chance to move up a few spots before the end of the regular season […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have had a good season overall, currently sitting in the second spot in the tough and rugged Western Conference. As it stands right now, it looks like the Grizzlies would be in the second or third spot at season’s end, depending on what the Sacramento Kings do with their remaining games. Getting […]

The Milwaukee Bucks have quickly asserted themselves as the team to beat in the NBA since the All-Star break, and are rolling towards the playoffs. With a 51-20 record, the Bucks are in control of the Eastern Conference currently, sporting a 2.5 game lead over the Boston Celtics, who sit in second place. Assuming they […]

The Boston Celtics have found themselves in the middle of their worst stretch of basketball recently, dampening expectations as they approach the playoffs. But the good news is that they have already clinched a playoff spot, and their strong play throughout the first half of the season gave them a buffer to be able to […]