NBA Playoff Hopefuls

We’re heading into the 14th week of the NBA regular season and so far, the playoff picture is already coming together. I’ll be talking about both sides of the league and who you can expect to break on through to the playoffs this season. Aside from the obvious contenders, I’ll be noting playoff contenders that are either on the bubble or dark horse teams that should get more credit, despite how they’re playing so far. Without further ado, here are my picks for this 2017-2018 NBA Playoffs.

Returning from a brutal NBA Finals loss against the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers added some new talent to their roster with some controversial trades that has affected both sides of the floor. With the addition of Dwayne Wade, Isaiah Thomas, and Derrick Rose, the Cavs seemed impossible to beat. Cleveland was a force to be reckoned with, winning 9 out of their 10 first games. Then, things started to decline. Isaiah Thomas got injured, Derrick Rose was unsure that he still wanted to play basketball, and Lebron had to hoist the team up on his shoulders once again. Currently, the Cavs are on a four-game losing streak and three of those four games were huge blowouts, not to mention losing to their west coast rivals: Golden State. Needless to say, Cleveland is sitting at third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 26-17. The Cavs would need to play pretty bad to not make the playoffs, and it would be pretty hard not to, considering you have one of, if not the best player in the league playing at forward.

The New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers are two interesting teams that not only have incredibly talented centers but also have some promising rookies as well. Both teams are on the bubble sitting at 7th and 8th respectively and could very well make the playoffs. For Philadelphia, 76ers fans have found some brotherly love in Ben Simmons. Simmons is easily the number one choice for rookie of the year and has showcased some extraordinary athleticism. Simmons is averaging 16.8 points per game and throwing down some of the nastiest dunks you’ll ever see. He will convince you not to leave this team out of any playoff conversation.

The Knicks, led by Kristaps Porzingis, have some room to improve after the departure of Carmelo Anthony. The main problem I see on this team not making the playoffs, is consistency. A pattern of three and four-game losing streaks along with not a single team stat being ranked above 7th in the league could keep this team from playing beyond the regular season. The Knicks, if they continue to play as they do now, will extend their playoff drought not making a playoff game since 2013.

Moving over to the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers hope to make the playoffs once again this year. Making the playoffs every time since the 2013-14 season combined with Damian Lillard’s clutch shooting makes this team a definite contender. Although I’m not sure how far they will make it, considering they got swept by the Warriors in the first round. Regardless, Dame and CJ McCollum are a lethal duo and won’t have a hard time making it out in a tough Northwestern conference.

Two teams that have been under the radar this year are the Denver Nuggets and the LA Clippers. Headlined by big man Nikola Jokic, Denver is in 6th place in the Western Conference and are doing well offensively ranking fifth in rebounds and seventh in assists per game. This could be the year when the Nuggets finally make the playoffs since the 2013 season. The race is close between them and four other teams, but all the Nuggets have to do is improve while on the road and keep their head above water.

As for the Los Angeles Clippers, they hope to make the playoffs for a sixth straight year. After LA lost Chris Paul, JJ Reddick, and Jamal Crawford, things didn’t look so good. With a record of 22-21, this is what you could expect after losing such a great group of players. Lou Williams was recently acquired from the Houston Rocket earlier this season has put up 35+ points in two of his last three games. This sort of dark horse player could be the difference maker during crunch time. To be partial, although the Clippers did much better when they had Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan prove to us that they deserve to be in the playoffs later this year.