The NBA Playoffs are just around the corner, beginning with the Play-In Tournament from April 16 to 19 with the actual playoffs starting April 20. As of April 13, the number one seed, the Boston Celtics, have clinched the Eastern Conference with 14 more wins than the following team, the Milwaukee Bucks, who have also successfully clinched a spot in the postseason. In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are still battling it out for the number one seed. These three teams all currently have the same record of 56-23. With only one game left in the season for each of these teams, the number one spot is still up in the air.
For the Play-In Tournament, the Chicago Bulls are currently sitting at the number nine seed with the Atlanta Hawks right behind them and are set to play against each other in order to obtain a spot in the playoffs. The Miami Heat have a 45-36 record and are currently the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but this position is not secured. The Philadelphia 76ers are one spot above them with a 46-35 record, and the Indiana Pacers are only one spot above them with the same record. Two of these teams will be playing each other for the seventh seed spot for the postseason, but there is not a clear answer to who these two teams will be at the moment.
If we turn and look at the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs have been eliminated from Playoffs contention, and the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans have claimed a spot in the postseason. The Clippers are the fourth seed with a 51-30 record, and the Mavericks have clinched the Southwest division with a record of 50-31 and are the number 5 seed in the Western Conference. The Pelicans are the number six seed with a record of 49-32, but the Suns have a record of 48-33, so there is potential for these seedings to change. In addition, the Lakers have a 46-35 record but are being closely tailed by the Kings and Warriors both with a 45-36 record. A lot is riding on the last game of the season for these teams.
Going into the playoffs, Bleacher Report has vocalized some concerns for the Los Angeles Clippers as Russell Westbrook was out for twelve games due to a fractured left hand. The Clippers had been struggling to keep up with the top three in the West as they are currently sitting at the number four spot. However, since Westbrook’s return in week 23, the Clippers have won four out of their last six games, and are coming off of a huge victory against the Nuggets, narrowly defeating them 102-100. If they are able to keep up this momentum, they have a great chance at securing their spot as the number four seed in the playoffs. Not only have the Clippers seen one of their star players return due to an injury, but the 76ers’ center, Joel Embiid, returned against Oklahoma City Thunder at the Wells Fargo Center April 2, winning at home 109-105. Embiid had suffered a meniscus injury to his right knee Jan. 12 and is back just in time as the postseason is approaching. He has publicly spoken that this injury took a toll on him mentally, but hopefully his teammates and coaches can support him in getting back into the game both physically and mentally to end the regular season strong.
As the 2023-24 regular season draws to a close, the NBA Kia MVP award awaits announcement. The top contenders include Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum according to sources from the NBA and the Kia MVP Ladder. Among these five, I took a poll from college students within Boston from the week of March 17. The results showed that 33.3% were in favor of Jokić winning the title, but Tatum was close behind with 26.7% in favor with him to walk away with the award this year. Before Joel Embiid suffered his meniscus injury, he had been at the top of the Kia MVP Ladder from weeks seven through 14. However, since the injury, the reigning MVP’s shot for the title in back-to-back years has dissipated. On the other hand, Jokić’s chances seem to keep increasing as he continues to outperform his competitors on the court and come up big when his team needs him. This past week Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed Dončić, claiming the number two spot after Dončić had been there for the past two weeks.
In addition, using the same demographic from the earlier poll, 60% of people thought the Boston Celtics would be the ones lifting up the O’Brien trophy at the end of the season and the sports world is in agreement. According to analysts from CBS Sports, Fox Sports and other popular sports networks, the Boston Celtics have the best odds of winning it all this year, but they are closely followed by the Denver Nuggets. Could we see Tatum bring home both his first NBA MVP and Championship title this year? Or, will Jokić earn his third NBA MVP title and second Championship this year? We must wait and see how the cards unfold with the last days of the regular season on its way.