The Playoffs Are Approaching Us

 

            With most teams having under 10 games left to play in the regular season, the NBA playoffs are right around the corner and there is still a lot left to be determined regarding the field. 

            To start off, the western conference is as tight as it's ever been. Currently, the four seed and eleven seed are separated by a 3 game margin so every game matters very heavily. It is probablygoing to come down to the final day of the season to determine where these teams will rank for the playoffs.

            The eastern conference is not as tight, but there is still some drama ongoing there. The most important race right now in the east is the race for the #1 seed. Currently, the Bucks have a nice lead for first place, but they have the Celtics and 76ers right behind them looking to get that seed as well. 

            I believe the Bucks will come away with it as long as they continue their winning ways but you never know. The 8-10 seeds in the East are also very tight as they are separated by just 1 game. There have been many seasons where the playoff field is determined days before the seasons ends but this is not the case for this season.

            The drama only continues to rise when you envision some first round playoff matchups we could witness. A possible Cleveland vs New York playoff series could be very interesting regarding what happened with Donovan Mitchell this summer. Lots of headlines are going to surround every single matchup we see. 

            Also, with how tight the west is, we might see teams we expected to easily make the playoffs not make it. For instance, if the season ended today the Dallas Mavericks would not even be in the play-in. A team that just acquired a superstar in Kyrie Irving to pair along one of the best in the NBA in Luka Doncic not making the playoffs seems unimaginable but could very well be the case this season.

            As a fan of the NBA, I love the intensity that the end of the regular season is going to bring to these select teams and I'm looking forward to see the end result of all of this. Every game left has a great meaning to all teams that are in the hunt for a spot to compete in the NBA playoffs.