The NBA season has officially passed two huge points over the past month in the All-Star Game and the trade deadline and is now gearing up for the playoff run.
While nothing is guaranteed, a few teams made major moves to put themselves in a position to make a deep run. Here’s a quick look at our thoughts on the rest of the NBA season and the playoffs.
The Lakers and Nets are the favorites
Though both LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been hurt and the Lakers haven’t been playing particularly well, they are still the defending champions. In addition, the Lakers were able to pick up another All-Star in Andre Drummond, who will add a big man rebounding presence to the roster.
The Nets have continued to add to their already overstocked roster. In addition to having Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, the Nets have added veterans Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.Â
If these two teams meet in a coast to coast finals, expect a ton of star power and an interesting series. However, there could be an upset or two brewing with some of the other teams mentioned below.
Some smaller market teams like the Jazz, Suns, Nuggets, and Trailblazers are ready for a run
A few teams in some of the smaller markets have been flying under the radar this season. Here’s a quick glance at these squads:
The Jazz have sported the best record in the league for most of the year.
The Suns have a good mix of young and old stars and can never be could be Chris Paul’s last shot at a title.
The Nuggets just picked up Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline and have been getting an MVP performance out of Nikola Jokic.
Finally, the Trailblazers acquired Norman Powell, got C.J. McCollum back, and are never truly out of it with Damian Lillard.
The usual suspects should be in the mix
A few other teams that have been playoff regulars in recent years are also looking to advance into later rounds.
This includes the Milwaukee Bucks, who have underperformed the past few years in the playoffs despite having excellent regular seasons.
Then there’s the other LA team, the Clippers, who picked up Rajon Rondo and are still a consistent threat in the West.
The Philadelphia 76ers are another team that has been consistent these past few years and had been getting an MVP type performance from Joel Embiid prior to an injury.
There are a few upstart teams in 2021
As far as any other teams looking to surprise the league this year much like the Miami Heat did last season, there’s certainly a fair possibility.
The Mavericks should sneak into the playoffs and are always a threat to upset with Luka Doncic at the helm.
The Celtics are another fringe team with a few superstars mixed in with some young and upcoming players.
The Hornets have been a fun team to watch with the emergence of LaMelo Ball, who unfortunately went down with a season ending injury. They still have enough talent to perhaps pull off an upset if they do make the playoffs.
On the bubble
A few other teams could sneak in but are unlikely to advance very far. A few of the remaining contenders include:
San Antonio Spurs
New York Knicks
Indiana Pacers
Atlanta Hawks
Our prediction
The Nets will come out of the East as champions with a victory over Philadelphia.
One of the smaller market teams will knock off the defending champs to win the Western Conference. We’re going with the Nuggets.
The Nets will claim their first NBA title in a 6 game series. Harden will win the Finals MVP while his opponent in defeat Jokic will get the regular season MVP as a consolation prize.
One way or the other, it’ll be a fun playoff run with a nice mix of fresh faces and old ones.
