Top NBA storylines in the first round.
Superstars are missing, teams are streaking, and the real season is just beginning.
The NBA regular season felt like an eternity, however, unlike last year this postseason is shaping up to be one of the best.
Here are the five most intriguing storylines entering the postseason.
1. The Real MVP
Since Kevin Durant decided to team up with the Golden State Warriors to create the ultimate super team, his character and competitive sprint have both come into question.
Despite winning last year’s championship and the Finals MVP award, Durant still can’t shrug his haters off his back.
The Warriors have built their imposing offence around Stephen Curry’s skill-set and without him they haven’t been able to maintain their dominate form.
Since Curry’s knee injury, the Warriors have lost 10 of their last 16 games without Curry, including a 40-point blow-out loss to the Utah Jazz to end the regular season.
In Curry’s last 20-games without Kevin Durant, the Warriors went 20-0.
In the first round they’ll face the daunting San Antonito Spurs. Even without Kawhi Leonard for majority of the season, the Spurs finished with the fourth best defensive rating in the league and with Curry likely out until the second round of the playoffs, the opportunity for Durant to silence the critics has arrived.
2. Rookie talk
This year’s rookie class has the potential to go down as one of the greatest, with stars like Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell leading their teams to the first round of the playoffs.
It’s no secret that Simmons and Mitchell have been advocating for themselves to win the Rookie of the Year award and they both have strong, compelling cases.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been without their dominate big man, Joel Embiid, since March 28th. And many thought the they would struggle. But under the leadership of Simmons the 76er’s have done the opposite. While nearly averaging a triple-double, the 76er’s have set a franchise-record winning 16-games in a row to enter the postseason – the longest winning streak to finish a season in NBA history.
Not to be outdone, Donovan Mitchell is the first rookie in NBA history to lead his team in scoring, while also winning 45-or-more games. He also broke the all-time 3-pointers record made by a rookie.
With both players leading their teams into the playoffs, it’s going to be interesting to see who lead their team to the second round.
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3. Thunder up
One of the most interesting teams this season has been the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the off-season they added a future Hall-of-Famer in Carmelo Anthony and one of the top two-way players in Paul George. Yet their regular-season was one of the most inconsistent. When at their best, they’re dominating their opposition but can also shrink right before our very eyes, which makes their first-round matchup against the Utah Jazz fascinating because we don’t know which Thunder team is going to show up.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to Russell Westbrook, who just became the first player in NBA history to average back-to-back triple-doubles in a season. But if the Thunder want to get out of the first round, Westbrook is going to have to trust the talent around him. If he doesn’t, not only can the Thunder lose in the first round, but they could also lose Paul George.
4. LeBron and his new teammates
The playoffs are here and the King has entered his castle with his unarmed men.
The Cavaliers have had more drama than an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians. They traded away 40 per cent of their roster at the deadline and have been trying to build consistency and chemistry. They’ve won 11 of their last 13 games but their defence has been pathetic, finishing 29th in defensive rating.
Historically the Eastern Conference has been a cake walk for LeBron James. It’s a stigma that afforded him the opportunity to compete in eight-consecutive NBA finals. That being said, this year seems different.
We’ve witnessed one of the greatest offensive seasons in LeBron James’ career, but in a more competitive Eastern Conference, there’s going to be much more pressure on his counterparts to bring him back to the promise land.
Raptor fans know all too well about LeBron’s playoff switch. But can newcomers like Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Lance Jr, whom have a total of 11-playoff games between them, perform in uncharted territory?
If the new comers shrink on the King’s stage, then they might be performing solo come next season.
5. The Greek Freak
For the past couple of years, the Milwaukee Bucks have been penciled in as one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference but always seem to fall short. As much promise as they seem to have, the Bucks seems to be on an endless treadmill.
Lucky for them they have an otherworldly talent in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has the potential to leapfrog his franchise to title aspirations.
So, is this the year Antetokounmpo makes it out of the first round after falling short to the Toronto Raptors last year?
During the playoffs the game tends to slow down and it will vastly benefit the Bucks on defence. In a set defence their length is going to make it very hard for the Boston Celtics to score and win four out of seven games.
With Kyrie Irving out, Antetokounmpo is by far the best player in the series and as great as the Celtics are defensively, he should be able to take advantage of mismatches and advance the Bucks to the second round.
