It’s been preached about from atop Olympic Tower for years now and, lastly, the NBA can open its eyes as a result of this wasn’t a dream.
“82 video games, 82 video games, 82 video games” — whether or not it was commissioner Adam Silver, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum or govt vice chairman Joe Dumars, these phrases saved ringing. And so they have been heeded. Whether or not it is the NFL-style parity Silver has so desired that’s come to fruition within the common season and never simply the championship spherical, or the mere insanity of workforce constructing, the final week of the NBA season was downright chaotic.
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The final day delivered an extra time thriller between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, because the Clippers, who received 124-119, continued their quiet resurgence over the previous two months, ending with 50 wins to tie the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets for third-most within the West.
The Clippers have gone again to being the ignored stepchild of a franchise after years of not assembly excessive expectations, and but, they’ve been stalking everybody since Kawhi Leonard returned to complete the season with a vengeance.
That is what occurs when a lot consideration is prolonged to different locations, then augmented by among the wildest, most surprising choices in NBA historical past. The Nuggets — the Clippers’ opponent in Spherical 1 — cleaned out their prime decision-makers with simply days remaining within the common season, firing head coach Michael Malone and normal supervisor Calvin Sales space.
They outdid the boldness of the Memphis Grizzlies, who fired head coach Taylor Jenkins a brief interval earlier than, maybe an indication of parity creating some unrealistic expectations for franchises who felt they have been caught. Not caught within the dreaded center floor of being good however not ok, or the center floor of unhealthy however not horrible sufficient for a prime draft decide, however 50 wins good — which is seemingly a baseline when evaluating championship contenders.
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One supposes that’s the place the fantastic thing about this NBA season lies. The Warriors have been sprinting towards 50 wins earlier than sputtering within the remaining week, dropping a shocker to the lottery-bound San Antonio Spurs and being despatched to the Play-In Event as a result of loss to the Clippers.
So, whereas it’s conceivable the Warriors of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler meet up with the Luka Dončić-LeBron James (or reverse that) model of the Los Angeles Lakers in Spherical 2 — a scores bonanza — it’s additionally potential they miss the postseason altogether in the event that they lose to the Grizzlies at house after which to the winner of the Kings-Mavericks sport three days later.
All due to 82 video games, 82 video games, 82 video games.
Final season, the highest seed wasn’t decided till the final day, when the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder beat Dallas — trouncing the Mavs, really, to maintain tempo with the Denver Nuggets at 57-25 and taking the No. 1 spot on a tiebreaker. Humorous the way it didn’t matter, that beating, as a result of Dallas exacted the win that mattered within the second spherical, upsetting the Thunder in six.
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These prime three seeds have been separated by one sport. This time, the muck was all within the center and, thus, all of the extra compelling.
Each evening it felt just like the video games had big playoff implications, each evening it felt just like the standings have been flip-flopping. Groups couldn’t afford to sit back for lengthy stretches as a result of objects in mirror have been lots nearer than they appeared.
It was an entertaining but exhausting end to the common season, and the query stays: Who has the stamina, the vitality to take it to a different degree after two full months of playoff-level basketball and stakes?
These surging Warriors, 23-8 after buying and selling for Butler, have been in play-in territory earlier than making their transfer — they usually’re nonetheless in it after, however as a much more harmful workforce. They’ll level to an early March loss to the Nuggets with out Nikola Jokić as one to lament, in addition to the aforementioned one to the Spurs that prevented them from maybe claiming the third seed and home-court benefit.
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The Clippers, subsequently, 18-3 of their previous 21 and winners of their previous eight, can level to Leonard’s return to relevance because the catalyst, with James Harden preserving them afloat within the meantime. Unimaginable to nitpick, however their 103-101 loss to Oklahoma Metropolis in late March stands out, a sport Leonard didn’t play.
The Lakers have seemingly put out three totally different groups this season — their LeBron James-Anthony Davis squad that was good however didn’t really feel nice, then the post-trade workforce that didn’t but characteristic Dončić that was a terror on protection as a result of the Lakers needed to be, and eventually, this totally fashioned squad that appears prepared for a playoff run.
They’ve survived shedding seven of 10 up to now month with out totally capsizing, largely due to that fortified protection and a coach in JJ Redick, who received’t get a lot Coach of the 12 months love however will possible be acknowledged as one of many sport’s top-level tacticians earlier than too lengthy.
It’s inconceivable to not undergo lulls and spells throughout 82 video games. It’s pure for all, however a real check is in stamina, within the flexibility of rosters, and constructing sufficient optimistic fairness to push by means of the inevitable turmoil positive to return your method.
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That’s how the Nuggets secured at the least one home-court collection, that’s how the champion Boston Celtics weathered extra accidents this 12 months than final 12 months’s romp and but emerged with 61 wins — three shorter than final season. The Celtics really feel like a smart choice to get again to June, even when they received’t have a home-court collection towards the Cleveland Cavaliers ought to the 2 meet within the East finals.
That fortitude is how the Indiana Pacers shook off 40-plus video games of sluggishness to win 50, similar with the forgotten-about Milwaukee Bucks who’ve hardly ever been totally wholesome since successful a championship in 2021, however have a wholesome Giannis Antetokounmpo for as soon as headed into the playoffs. They only received’t have the companies of Damian Lillard to start out, as he’s nonetheless recovering from a blood clot. A rematch of final 12 months’s first-round collection with the Pacers could possibly be as compelling as something we’ve seen within the West, nevertheless it received’t collect a lot consideration to start out.
Oklahoma Metropolis and Cleveland cruised to the highest spots of their respective conferences, however neither enters the postseason as anybody’s huge, unhealthy bully. They’ve finished one of the best job of staying the course and, principally, flat-out dominating competitors for all the season.
Some consider the schedule is simply too lengthy, nevertheless it units the desk for an important time of 12 months. And whereas this feels extremely uncommon, so many groups packed in and eradicating the phantasm of the year-to-year connective tissue to observe, what’s been birthed is intrigue.
All of which shall be paid off within the coming weeks.
Sleep effectively — when you can.
