1 out of 10
From championship dreams that came true to teams that disintegrated due to playoff failures, the second season could be rich with critical developments that change the landscape.
We may not yet know how these things will turn out, but we can share — and rank in importance throughout the league — the top 10 stories we watch during the 2022 postseason.
2 out of 10
This core has been together for a while now and has not yet overcome the hump of the second round. Beware of the constant speculation about the people involved – whether it’s the ongoing analysis of the Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert relationship, the Knicks threat to lure Mitchell back home to New York or coach Quin Snyder mentioned for other shows – and it’s this postseason is a make-or-break.
If this team does not perform well and the front desk is unplugged, a complete demolition could be felt throughout the basketball landscape.
Mitchell and Gombert are regular All-Star players in the right 30s. The interest in them – and the impact of adding them elsewhere – would be huge. Snyder is one of the top skippers in the NBA. Any team with an opening would give it a long look. The support cast is full of plug-and-play veterinarians who could instantly boost the winning buyers this summer.
If you enjoy watching this team play together, take some time off the couch and enjoy it as much as you can. If this time he can not solve the most difficult puzzles after the season, he may not experience them again.
3 out of 10
You know how it could change, though? If you put all the players together to report injuries, this team would become the next Goliath of basketball.
Starring two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry (left leg sprain), two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Final MVP Kawhi Leonard (ACL) and three-time All-Star Luka Doncic (left calf extension) .
Leading the second cast is three-time All-Star Ben Simmons, who could make his play-off season debut after suffering from back pain for more than a year due to mental health concerns. Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III, nominee for defender of the year, is struggling to return from a torn left meniscus. The Denver Nuggets, of course, are left without the strong attacking tandem of Jamal Murray (knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (back).
When, or in some cases, these players come back and speed up, it could help a lot to be crowned the next champion.
4 out of 10
Only four players exceeded the limit of 60 games and this team included the sporadically used rookie Cam Thomas and the then resigned James Johnson. It did not include Kevin Durant, who missed more than a month with a knee injury, or Kyrie Irving, who could not play games at home until the end of March due to New York’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for public indoor use. and private companies.
And obviously, there were no appearances from Simmons, the key piece that returned to James Harden’s megadeal on the February deadline.
Through all of this, Brooklyn emerged … good. The Nets, who beat No. 7 in the East during the play-in tournament on Tuesday, tied for 14th place with a win rate (0.537) and reached 15th place in the standings (plus-0.9). Defense and home affairs issues also kept these numbers under control.
The Nets can be much, much better. Only the presence of Durant and Irving promises it. The pair are co-13.1 in 523 minutes together. The possible addition of Simmons only heightens the intrigue. ESPN NBA expert Brian Windhorst told Get Up on Thursday that the three-time All-Star could make his Brooklyn debut in the middle of the first round series against the Boston Celtics.
But is all this enough to overcome the lack of advantage on the field, the insidious route to the Eastern District, the team’s defensive constraints and the sometimes irregular scoring? We’ve seen Durant and Irving do magic in this scene before, but this is a test that is unlike any they have ever encountered.
5 out of 10
Has Spo taken this team to a place where its success is taken for granted? Is the lack of a first class megastar to blame? Or do these dangerous looms have issues that justify their treatment?
The answer may be all of the above.
Look, the heat is good. Really, very good. Like, the best record in the East, the second best in net score at the conference. You do not need to bend your imagination too much to imagine this bunch parading on Biscayne Avenue in June.
However, there are plenty of questions about this offense – especially on half court – to wonder if the Heat have enough shots and scoring to do so. Miami had the seventh worst clutch attack this season. The team’s fourth defense will always have to keep things close, but the Heat will need someone to level up at the other end, as Butler did in the bubble in the 2020 playoffs, to seal these victories.
6 out of 10
Except for the 9-10 start, Memphis was essentially AWESOME from that point on, with or without All-Star guard Ja Morant.
The Grizzlies eventually reached No. 2 in the West with a win rate of 0.683 (a draw for the best in franchise history) and a clean sheet plus 5.3 that reached fifth place overall. Memphis was one of only two teams (along with Phoenix) to finish sixth or best in attack (fourth) and defense (sixth).
Subjectively, however, it is difficult not to worry about the lack of history of this team. The Grizzlies only made it to the playoffs last season, and even that was considered a prelude to the young torso.
They do not have much experience in the playoffs to draw. Not to mention that there are questions about whether Memphis’s pedal-to-floor style – fourth in rhythm, first in break points – can handle the inevitable fall of basketball in the playoffs. If the Grizzlies have to clear half-court games, a lack of shots can be a problem.
7 out of 10
Are we sure the league road does not cross Beantown?
Computers clearly believe that. ESPN’s BPI gives Boston an incredible 39.6% chance of winning the title. FiveThirtyEight gives the Celtics a 32.0 percent chance of winning it all. Basketball Reference has them at 27.1%. All these numbers are the best in the league, and only one is even very close. Basketball Reference gives the Phoenix a 22.9 percent chance of being crowned, with no one else having even 10 percent.
Robert Williams III (knee) injury is worrying, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Wednesday that there was a “real chance” he would be ready to return to the first round. With Al Horford, Daniel Theis and Grant Williams on the roster, the Celtics could have enough to make up for his absence for the time being.
If the Celtics are given a healthy Williams III, is there any good reason to question them? If the last few months have been a clue, it does not exist.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were in front and in the center of the track. Once Curry returns to action – he is “likely” for Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets – they will also be at the heart of that game.
However, they are all in their 30s now. Thompson is playing for the first time in three seasons after more than one serious injury. Curry just scored his worst shots from the field (43.7) and from the three (38.0) that exclude the sample of five games in 2019-20. Green also had some tough performances after losing two months due to a back injury.
Can this trio recall its magic? Even the Warriors, who have not played another game with their entire active roster, are not sure what to expect.
“I think four years ago … I was expecting to win a championship. But we are a different team now,” said head coach Steve Kerr, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. “I have no expectations … In many ways, it makes it really fun. It may not be as fun as having one of the biggest rosters ever put together, but it’s a whole different challenge and unique.”
Questions about this club may depend on the supporting cast. When healthy, Curry remains one of the …
