In the East, all eyes will be on Boston Celtics vs. The Brooklyn Nets, as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving want to upset the No. 2 seed Celtics, who do not have an injured Robert Williams III center, in what should be a competitive series. Outside the West, injuries could dictate the teams that qualify. The Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss Saturday’s first game against the Utah Jazz due to left calf strain, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon. And Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is mentioned as possible for Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, having lost the last 12 games of the regular season with a left foot injury. Which returning player could have the biggest impact? What senior seed can afford to lose Game 1 this weekend? Our NBA experts analyze the top stories of the first round. MORE: What you need to know about the post – NBA season Itineraries
1. Which first round series is the most competitive?
Kevin Pelton: Boston and Brooklyn. As I mentioned in the preview of my series, the Nets were much better than their overall record with Kevin Durant healthy and Kyrie Irving available next to him, while the Celtics are not the same jaggers without injured center Robert Williams III. As a result, these groups are surprisingly looking for even the No. 2 and No. 7 seeds. Tim Bodebs: Many will probably say Nets-Celtics, given the power of the stars, but I will go with another Eastern District series: Philadelphia-Toronto. The 76ers have the best player in the series by a significant amount in Joel Embiid. But Toronto should have a coaching edge, Philadelphia will not have Matisse Thybulle in all three games in Toronto, and the Raptors have the perfect variety of long-term, athletic players to take advantage of James Philadelphia’s lack of athleticism and make a living. Harden extremely difficult. . Embiid should is enough to strengthen Philadelphia and win this series. But this must be a very difficult test – one that could easily go to seven races – and it could send Philly home much sooner than he expected. 2 About Kevin Arnovitz: Dallas-Utah. Both 4-5 games have strong seven-game potential, but the Mavericks and Jazz should be really competitive. It’s been a while since Utah played a consistent streak of dominant basketball, but the Jazz are still the league’s top attacker. Dallas, meanwhile, was one of the best stories of 2022. When he’s healthy, Luca is Luca. Spencer Dinwiddie added some juice that the team desperately needed from the perimeter and the defense – traditionally a weakness – was strong all season. Both teams have been disappointing in recent postseasons… and one will be again when this series ends. Ramona Shelburne: Even without Luka Doncic losing Game 1, I thought the Mavericks-Jazz line would be narrow. I know a lot of people are frustrated with the Jazz because of their previous playoff failures, but I always felt they had the ability to combine one of those years if they could take a few breaks. Jamal Collier: Boston-Brooklyn. I do not think that a team with Durant and Irving will come out quietly. It feels like a series of seven games with the opportunity for many games to come to an end, and these are two dangerous players trying to overcome the clutch performance. In the end, it’s hard for me to see the Nets playing or defending high enough for four of the seven games to make this series, but it will be fun to watch. The Dallas Mavericks star, Luka Doncic, will lose Game 1 against Utah due to a calf disorder. Tim Heitman / Getty Images
2. Which injured player’s return could have the biggest impact in the first round?
Pelton: Doncic returns from a calf strain. While Stephen Curry is at least as valuable to his team, Curry’s timing is clearer. We have no idea at the moment if Doncic can return to the field for Game 2, as our ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski stated that he will miss at least the first game of the Mavericks series against the Jazz. The speed of his recovery will help a lot in determining the result of this series. The celebration of NBA75 continues with the NBA playoffs, which start on Saturday and last until June, when the league will be crowned champion for the landmark season. • 75 Things to Know • Sowing Play-in Tournaments, Schedule • Pelton: Nets-Celtics Preview • Curry Could Return to Training This Week Good time: I thought Dallas was the biggest threat to Phoenix in the Western Hemisphere before Doncic injured his calf in the Mavericks regular season final. Now, Utah is probably the favorite to move on, as we have no idea how much Doncic can play – or how effective he will be. What seemed like an opportunity for the young superstar to take a deep course after the season could now end before it starts. Arnovic: Doncic is the engine, fuel and momentum of the Mavericks attack and his condition is more important to his team than any player in the West. Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson can execute a quality pick-and-roll attack, but no one has the creativity to turn any guy on the floor into a threat. The good news for Dallas is that his defense was stingy and, given Doncic’s shortcomings at this end of the pitch, that should not change. Miner: Doncic. I do not think there is a team in the NBA whose success is tied to one player as much as the Mavericks to Doncic. If he does not play or is not 100 percent, I do not think Dallas can move on in this series. Shelburne: Warriors can win a few games without Curry, but they’re not really Warriors without Curry, are they? It will take a few games for him to succeed, but once he does, he completely changes the dynamics of this team.
3. What is your choice for the playoff player?
Pelton: Bruce Brown who has been playing at a high level for the last two months. Brown averaged 14.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 3.7 APG after the All-Star break, finding an ideal role in supporting Durant and Irving in attack, while serving as the Nets’ top perimeter defender. He has flirted with triple-doubles in two of Brooklyn’s last three games and the Nets need him to play at this level to advance deep into the playoffs. Get access to exclusive original series, premium articles from NBA experts, the full 30 for 30 library and more. Sign up now to unlock everything ESPN + has to offer. Good time: Jaren Jackson Jr. Obviously, when everyone thinks of the Memphis Grizzlies, the first person they think of is Ja Morant – and rightly so. But Jackson has made a huge leap forward this season defensively, starting himself into discussions about defense and defensive player of the year. With the Grizzlies having the opportunity to make a deep playoff series for the first time, Jackson will have the opportunity to show the world why he and Morant are so electrified in Memphis. Arnovic: For two seasons, the Memphis Grizzlies guard, Desmond Bain, has been established as a thief at No. 30 in the 2020 draft with 43.5% of the 3 points percentage in his career. But Bane also has a parquet game that improves and the power to influence the game at both ends. Minnesota is delivering a large volume of 3-point efforts and will pay a ton of attention to Morand, which gives Bane the opportunity to be a deadly second threat to the Grizzlies. Shelburne: Does Morand count? Because I believe that he will exceed the already high expectations of everyone for him and the Grizzlies. I had an executive I trust tell me a few months ago that Memphis could be the best team in the league. The more I think about it, the more I begin to agree with him. Miner: Anthony Edwards. No player is going to benefit more than his first exposure on the national stage, both on and off the field. Even if his team can not overcome the overthrow, Edwards will be the player everyone is talking about after this series. The Philadelphia 76ers will be on hand during road races with the Toronto Raptors. Vaughn Ridley / NBAE via Getty Images
4. What senior seed can afford to lose Game 1?
Pelton: Philadelphia. The Sixers are in an unusual spot because they already know they will be on their toes for road racing in Toronto due to the Thybulle vaccination situation. Defeat in Game 1 would force Philly to win at least one road game and put more pressure on the team’s other defensive options at the ends. Good time: Philadelphia, both because Thybulle will not be available in street games and to give a good tone to this series starting well. But that could be true for Dallas, with Doncic’s precarious health, and the Golden State Warriors, with Carrie injured as well. Arnovic: The Philadelphia 76ers. Anyone who has spent a lot of time at the Scotiabank Arena in the spring knows that the Raptors and their home crowd do not entertain guests. These Toronto street games will be even more insidious for the Sixers without Thybulle. In addition, the Sixers lost some of their depth on time, while the Raptors’ OG Anunoby, one of their best two-way threats, has just returned. Shelburne: Philadelphia would always have a tough match against Toronto because of the length and depth of the Raptors. Now the Sixers have to play without Thybulle in Toronto, making home service even more important. Miner: Kiss. Excessive reactions in Game 1 are an underestimated part of the playoffs and I do not imagine that everyone will take it lightly if the Sixers lay an egg at home to start the series. Especially if you consider that they will play short hand in Toronto.
5. What is your bold prediction for the first round?
Pelton: Having scored 50 points in the 3rd game of last year’s first round match against Brooklyn, Jason Tatum will break the Celtics record in the playoffs in a franchise game held by John Havlicek, scoring at least 55 against him …
