Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving during a 2023-2024 regular season game. (Photo Courtesy Fox News)
The 2023-2024 NBA (National Basketball Association) regular season was a roller coaster for teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences. The league, including fans, witnessed a new era of players take the league by storm. These players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Now that the regular season is over, the playoffs and the road to the NBA Finals officially begin today.
In the first round of the playoffs for the Eastern Conference, the 1st seeded and best team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, will face the 8th-seeded Miami Heat. The Celtics are looking forward to this matchup, as the Heat previously defeated them in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. This came after the Celtics came back from down 3-0 before losing. This will be the third time in three years that the Celtics will meet the Heat in the playoffs.
The 2nd-seeded New York Knicks will face the 7th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. For the first time since the 2012-2013 season, the Knicks finished the season with 50 wins. As for the 76ers they have a lot to prove in this year's playoffs due to the last six years being eliminated five times in the semifinals.
The 3rd seeded Milwaukee Bucks will face the 6th-seeded Indiana Pacers. Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will start this series sidelined due to a calf injury that could cost him to miss this series, according to ESPN. As for the Pacers, this is their first time making the playoffs since 2019.
The last playoff matchup in the Eastern Conference will be the 4th-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the 5th Orlando Magic. Cleveland is still looking to win a championship after coming back and winning down 3-1 in 2016 to the Golden State Warriors. As for the Orlando Magic, this is their first playoff series in four years, as they are still looking to capture their first championship as a franchise.
In the Western Conference, the 1st-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder will face the 8th-seeded New Orleans Pelicans. First the first time since 2011-2012, the Thunder are seeded as the number one seed and making the playoffs for the first time since 2020. As for the Pelicans, they have a lot to prove with their young core of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
The 2nd-seeded Denver Nuggets will face the 7th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. This is the second year in a row that the Nuggets will go up against the Lakers. Last year, the Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference finals on the path to their first championship. As for the Lakers, they have not won a championship since 2020 and are looking for glory again.
The 3rd seeded Minnesota Timberwolves will face the 6th-seeded Phoenix Suns. The Timberwolves have been doing well this season led by Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. As for the Suns, they are looking to return to the NBA finals for the first time since 2021 and avoid being eliminated from the playoffs early.
Finally, the 4th-seeded Los Angeles Clippers will face the 5th-seeded Dallas Mavericks. This is the Clippers' fifth year of the duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and they have not yet made it to the finals since teaming up in 2019. As for the Mavericks, they are looking to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, when they won their first championship. Their core of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving has been fun to watch for NBA fans this season.
This year's NBA finals will be exciting to watch and depend on what the future holds for the NBA for years to come.
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