NBADiscussi0ns

          The Oklahoma City Thunder were the biggest surprise team in the NBA this season. The Thunder have the second youngest age average, 23.8, behind the San Antonios Spurs with an age average of 23.5. The Thunder had a successful regular season, finishing with a 57-25 record, they also had the third best overall offensive rating along with the fourth best defensive rating in the entire league. The Thunder had an excellent regular season but many were speculating the team's lack of playoff experience. As they took on the New Orleans Pelicans in the first-round they did not look like a team that lacks playoff experience.            The Pelicans were without their All-Star forward Zion Williamson due to a hamstring injury which he suffered in the Play-In Tournament against the Los Angeles Lakers. If the Pelicans had a healthy Zion maybe they stood a better chance but that just wasn't the case. The Thunder showed a lot of excellence on both sides of the court and defensively t

          For the past two decades the Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the most embarrassing franchises in the NBA. Before this season, since 2004 the Minnesota Timberwolves have only made the playoffs three times and failed to make it out the first-round each time. So much failure has been associated with the Timberwolves, up until the point a young player by the name of Anthony Edwards arrives on the scene. Edwards was drafted by the Timberwolves with the first overall pick in 2020 and as he has grown, he has shown that he will be the face of the league in the near future.            Heading into this Wolves-Suns first-round series, many believed the Suns had a chance to pull an upset given the three superstars they have in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Also, the Suns went 3-0 against the Timberwolves in the regular season. The Suns had the tenth best offensive rating during the regular season but the Timberwolves had the overall best defensive rating. Theses t

          Ever since the Atlanta Hawks had their surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 they have been nowhere close to reaching the same success. The following year, the Hawks were the ninth seed and after beating Charlotte and Cleveland in the Play-In Tournament they entered the playoffs as the eighth seed. The Hawks would face the one seed Miami Heat and face elimination in five games. Young was awful in all fives games because of the high difficulty of Miami's defense. In the summer of 2022, the Hawks went and made a splash in the offseason by acquiring guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs.            Many fans believed that a backcourt of Murray and Young would be one of the best in the league and with how great Murray is as a defender many believed he would improve the Hawks' defense. It's safe to say the new backcourt didn't live up to expectations and they finished the 2022-23 season as the eighth seed. They entered the playoffs as t

          Last year we saw the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors go head-to-head in the first-round of the playoffs. The series went all the way down to a game seven and the Warriors won behind a Steph Curry 50-point performance. Nearly a year later both teams found themselves facing off in the Play-In Tournament. With the Kings and Warriors finishing as the ninth and tenth seed that means it was a single elimination game, win or go home.            Despite the game being in Sacramento the Kings were the underdog but the Golden State Warriors were not ready for what was about to happen. The game was remotely close in the first half but the Kings took full control in the second half with a couple huge runs including a 21-7 run in the third quarter and a 17-4 run in the fourth. The Warriors finished the game with a difficult loss thus ending their season (Kings 118, Warriors 98).            Klay Thompson had the worst night, probably the worst in his career, scoring 0 points, go

          The Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers will face off in the first-round of the playoffs for the third time in five years. The first match up was in the 2020 bubble, Luka's second year in the league and his first playoff appearance. Luka had a couple historic performances in that series, very impressive for someone making the playoffs for the first time but it wasn't enough against Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Clippers who won the series in six games. Crazy enough, they would face each other again the following year in the postseason.            In the 2021 postseason, the Mavericks and Clippers faced off again for the second straight year. This series went all the way to seven games but what's unique is in the first six games of the series the visiting team won. That streak broke at game seven, in Los Angeles, the Clippers won the game to close out the series and advance. Luka was still putting up historic numbers despite failing to get past the f

          While the Milwaukee Bucks have a great regular season record, 49-33 and third in the Eastern Conference, there are still some concerns. The biggest concern is the availability of superstar Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo sustained a calf injury in a game against the Boston Celtics then would go on to miss the last three games of the regular season. With Milwaukee finishing third in the East they will face the sixth seed Indiana Pacers in the first-round of the playoffs. It was reported by Shams Charania that there is "real doubt" that Giannis will be available to begin the series.            Another concern is Damian Lillard, who the Bucks acquired in a big three-team trade last summer after his eleven year tenure in Portland. After the trade was made many believed they would be the most unstoppable duo in the league but despite their great record they have shown some struggles in regards of fit. This season Lillard averaged the second lowest points per

          There is no doubt that the Minnesota Timberwolves just had an excellent season after years of disappointment. They finished the season with a 56-26 record, finishing third in the Western Conference. As they are the third seed they will face the sixth seed Phoenix Suns in the first-round of the NBA playoffs. Despite the great regular season they've had, Minnesota has little experience when it comes to playoff success or even just making it out the first-round. Meanwhile Phoenix has three offensive superstars, a head coach who knows what it takes to win a championship and have some experience in playoff success.            Both of these teams can be considered polar opposites as Minnesota has the best defensive rating in the NBA and Phoenix has the tenth best offensive rating in the NBA. The Suns also have two players who are in the top ten in points per game, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant both with 27.1 points per game. On Minnesota's side, Rudy Gobert is in the top te

          Last season, the Sacramento Kings were the biggest surprise of the NBA. After going through a sixteen year playoff drought, last season the Kings had one of their best seasons in over two decades. They finished third in the Western Conference, won the Pacific Division and made the playoffs for the first time since 2006. While they lost in the first-round to the Golden State Warriors in seven games they had a successful season but this season they have not gotten the same results.            One of the big differences from this season to last season for the Kings is their offense. Last season the Kings had an offensive rating of 118.6 which was the best in the league. This season their offense has dropped, this year their offensive rating is 116 which is fourteenth best in the NBA. Another difference is scouting because last year the Kings were able to take on teams by surprise but now teams sharpen their scouting reports against them and scheme better against them.           

          In the summer of 2021, DeMar DeRozan signed with the Chicago Bulls after spending three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. DeRozan would join a good looking team, teaming up with Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball who signed with the Bulls the same summer. For most of the 2021-22 season, the Bulls were looking great with their new core. They were winning and at one point they were at the top of the Eastern Conference but it all went downhill in the month of January.            Mid January, Lonzo Ball suffered a meniscus injury and was sidelined the rest of the season. The Bulls would go 19-24 the rest of the season without Lonzo and drop from the top of the East to the sixth seed. Despite the significant drop, the Bulls did end up making the playoffs for the first time in five years. They would lose in the first-round to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games.            Lonzo Ball has not been seen on the court to this very day, without him the Bulls have not looked good

          After a loss to the Dallas Mavericks it was official that the Houston Rockets will not qualify for the Play-In Tournament therefore missing the playoffs. Despite not making the playoffs, which was their ultimate goal for this season, the Houston Rockets have much to look forward to in the near future. For starters, their two rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore have proven that they are highly valuable additions to the young core. Amen Thompson was selected with the fourth overall pick and what stands out about him is his amazing rebounding abilities. Amen has averaged 6.3 rebounds per game this season which is fifth best among rookies.           Cam Whitmore, who was selected with the twentieth overall pick, has shown he can be a three level scoring threat and his explosive athleticism. Cam has averaged 12.3 points per game this season which is sixth best among rookies. He's been shooting 45.8% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range. Whitmore has been a big sp

          Grayson Allen has been known in the past for his "dirty" plays but this season he has made a name for himself with his three-point shooting. Now Allen has always been a reliable three-point shooter but this season he has been shooting the lights out. He is currently shooting at a career high 46.9% from three, which is leading the league. Grayson Allen is a huge piece for the Phoenix Suns as they look to compete for a championship but his future after this season is in question.            Allen was a part of the three-team Damian Lillard trade that sent him to Phoenix from Milwaukee. He lands in a great situation as he teams up with superstars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. He has had a great season in Phoenix and could earn himself a huge contract as his current deal expires after this season. The Suns will pay Durant $48M+ until 2026, Beal $50M+ until 2027, Nurkic $18+M until 2026, and Booker's extension kicks in next season with an average salar

          After the New Orleans Pelicans were defeated by the Phoenix Suns, the Minnesota Timberwolves have officially clinched a spot in the 2024 playoffs. The Timberwolves do not have much of a history of winning but recently have found great success since the start of the Anthony Edwards era. For the first time since 2004, the Timberwolves have made the playoffs in back to back seasons. They will likely finish top three in the Western Conference.            Last season Minnesota faced some adversity after pulling a huge gamble, trading multiple players and picks for Rudy Gobert. Gobert's first season in Minnesota did not go so well as they'd hope but this season we have seen a huge turnaround. He has become the anchor of the Timberwolves' defense like when he was in Utah and has been able to play better alongside big man Karl-Anthony Towns. This season the Minnesota Timberwolves have the overall best defensive rating.            Another reason for the Timberwolves' s

          The Oklahoma City Thunder have made a huge leap this season from last season. Last season they were missing their second overall pick rookie Chet Holmgren and while they made the Play-In Tournament they couldn't get to the playoffs. This season they are one of the top teams in the Western Conference and after a victory against the New York Knicks they officially clinched a playoff spot. The last time the Thunder made the playoffs was in 2020, the NBA bubble, where they lost in the first round against the Houston Rockets in seven games.            The only players still on the Thunder from 2020 are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort. The last time the OKC Thunder won a playoff series was in 2016, that year they went all the way to the Western Conference Finals. While this years Thunder team lack playoff experience they definitely have the talent to make it out the first round. It is still unsure at the moment what seed the Thunder will finish in but they will certainly fi