Basketball greats have retired, coaches on the hot seat have been fired, cinderella teams have made statements, the chase for Zion Williamson has started and free agency talks have been spiraling.
The NBA says good-bye to Future Hall of Fame players Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki. Two of the most iconic players of their decades as they both left in fashion with the team that drafted them from the start. Wade will go down as of now, the third best shooting guard in NBA history and Nowitzki will go down as a top-three international player in NBA history.
The Sacramento Kings (SAC) were only games away from clinching the postseason but failed to compete consistently. Allowing management to separate with Head Coach Dave Joerger per ESPN.
The Memphis Grizzlies also fired their Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff in efforts for a fresh start.
The New York Knicks (NYK), Phoenix Suns (PHX), and Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE) all have qualified to make the best percentage at landing a once in a generation talent that is Williamson. Come June after the postseason finishes, we’ll witness just how the selection process unfolds.
The Los Angeles Lakers (LAL) lost Magic Johnson as he stepped down from as President of Basketball Operations and failed to compete this year for anything more than a lottery selection. The Lakers find themselves on the edge of implosion as they need direction and a source of security. They have $30 million+ in cap space, so let’s see if star players think the Lakers are worth playing for now.
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis headline the offseason rumors of possibly moving to another city. No one knows for sure how things will play out, but it’s evident that there will be a super team in the works.
Quite an ending to regular season basketball in the NBA.
Now comes postseason basketball, where 16-teams will compete beginning this Saturday for a chance to raise a championship banner. No-brainer teams like the Golden State Warriors (GS) and Milwaukee Bucks (MIL) have clinched their respective conferences as number one seeds. The surprise teams this season that notched playoff births are the Brooklyn Nets (BKN), Los Angeles Clippers (LAC), and the Orlando Magic (ORL).
Even though, there are favorable match-ups, don’t be shocked to see any team pull-off upsets as not one team displayed true consistency all season. Whether it was the coaching staff being blown up, player disputes or lack of ambition, it presented that no team this postseason is truly granted a finals appearance.
The Western Conference match-ups include: (1) Warriors vs. (8) Clippers, (2) Denver Nuggets (DEN) vs. (7) San Antonio Spurs (SAS), (3) Portland Trail Blazers (POR) vs. (6) Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC), and (4) Houston Rockets (HOU) vs. (5) Utah Jazz (UTH).
On the other side of the country lies the Eastern Conference: (1) Bucks vs. (8) Detroit Pistons (DET), (2) Toronto Raptors (TOR) vs (7) Magic, (3) Philadelphia 76ers (PHI) vs. (6) Nets, and (4) Boston Celtics (BOS) vs. (5) Indiana Pacers (IND).
Will the Warriors hold onto their dynasty? Will an Eastern Conference team rise above it all?
