All 82 regular season games for each franchise leads to this, the NBA playoffs, and there’s still no clear front runner for the 2023 title.
With the post-season now officially upon us, the hype around the basketball’s really picked up.
Tensions in Minnesota certainly boiled over, while the Dallas Mavericks could be in big trouble, now facing a tanking investigation. But it’s probably best we talk about sides that can actually contend.
Current number one seeds the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks (Joe Ingles‘ team) will be out to roll on through after regular season campaigns and capitalise on home court advantage.
So here’s everything you need to know as we hit the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
NBA Playoffs: The final standings
The Play-in tournament
Introduced only a few years ago, some extra post-season spice, the Play-in games has added another element of excitement to the post-season.
Teams 7-10 in each conference progress, but they also need to earn their way into the season-proper, something we’ve proposed wouldn’t be a bad thing in Aussie footy codes at some point.
It gives more teams hope and more fan bases something to track, as the season draws to a close. That’s whether any of the Play-in sides will ever be considered genuine threats to run the table. It’ll happen one day, but it’s highly unlikely.
Here’s how it works, in each of the two conferences:
–7th plays 8th; the winner earns the seven seed
–9th plays 10th; the loser is eliminated
–Winner of 9v10 plays the 7v8 loser, with the victor claiming the eight-seed
So let’s get to the 2022-23 NBA Playoffs Play-in games.
NBA Play-in Tournament games
Heat (7) v Hawks (8)
Lakers (7) v Timberwolves (8)
Raptors (9) v Bulls (10)
Pelicans (9) v Thunder (10)
The actual playoffs begin on April 16, after the recently-introduced Play-in tournament. The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Brooklyn Nets (spicy!) to launch the official NBA Playoffs series.
Key NBA Playoffs & post-season dates
NBA Playoffs: April 16
Conference Semi-Finals: May 1-2
Conference Finals: As early as May 14-15, depending on how deep the Semis series go
NBA Finals: June 1
Which teams are the leading NBA Playoffs contenders?
Milwaukee Bucks (East)
It’s extremely hard to look past the Bucks, who have been a staple of consistency in the league for roughly four years.
The Bucks are led by one of the NBA’s top 75 players of all-time Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to the league’s announced elite group last year. He’s been simply unstoppable, averaging 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assist on the season.
The power forward is surrounded by incredible role players and the dynamic duo of Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Milwaukee, the 2021 NBA champions, are going to be more than a handful to stop.
Boston Celtics (East)
Then there’s the Celtics. Last year’s conference champions who had one hand on the Larry O’Brien trophy in the NBA Finals, until the championship pedigree of the Golden State Warriors prevailed.
All-Star duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have taken their scoring abilities to new heights, both averaging career highs on the offensive end. So despite coaching controversy in the last 12 months, Boston looks just as primed as they did this time last year.
Denver Nuggets (West)
Not many predicted that the Nuggets would secure the number one seed heading into the post-season, but when you’re led by the current back-to-back Most Valuable Player in Nikola Jokic, anything is possible.
Injuries have really prevented Denver from making consistent deep Playoffs runs, with star point guard Jamal Murray missing all of last season with an ACL tear and still finding his groove in 2023.
But the Nuggets are notorious for creating upsets in the post-season, so maybe this time it’ll be enough to secure the franchise’s first appearance in the NBA Finals.
Phoenix Suns (West)
In a western conference that seems to be very level in the playing field, the Phoenix Suns are one to watch out for come the Playoffs.
The Suns pulled off one of the greatest trade deadline deals in NBA history, acquiring two-time champion Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.
Having already made the NBA Finals in 2021 with the core of Chris Paul, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton who are all still there, another appearance and the addition of Durant might be enough to crown them champions.
Who are the defending NBA Conference champions?
Winning your conference gives you the ultimate shot at securing what every NBA player dreams of, an NBA championship.
Last year’s eastern conference champions were the Boston Celtics, with a 4-3 series win over the Miami Heat.
Across the other side of the nation, the Golden State Warriors put on a dominant performance against the Luka Doncic led Mavericks, with a 4-1 series win. Steph Curry’s Warriors went on to win a fourth championship in eight years, beating Boston in the Finals series. And while Golden State just hasn’t looked as cohesive yet this season, the side is sixth in the West right now and cannot be written off.
