The National Basketball Association can often feel like the soap opera of sports. The players perform jaw-dropping feats of athleticism on a nightly basis, satisfy the audience’s appetite through buzzer-beaters, and at the same time give us compelling drama to talk about. The 2021-2022 season has been exhilarating to watch and heading into the last week there are tantalizing storylines that will unfold before the playoffs. In this article, we will discuss these storylines and make a prediction.
4. Can the Lakers make it into the play-in tournament?
Believe it or not, at 31-47, the Lakers still have a mathematical shot to make it into the play-in tournament. It would take a big collapse from the San Antonio Spurs for that to happen. The Lakers are two games behind the Spurs and face a daunting schedule against the Suns, Warriors, Nuggets, and a game against the Thunder. The Spurs own the tiebreaker over the Lakers meaning that the Lakers need to win three of those games to stay alive. However, if they win all four, it means the Spurs will have to win at least two of their last four games. The Spurs’ schedule is not easy either because they face the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Warriors, and Mavericks. It will be interesting to see whether the top teams rest their starters and which games the coaches decide to make that decision.
Prediction-It is hard to imagine the playoffs without Lebron James making an appearance. However, I think the gap will be too much for a slumping and disjointed team. The Spurs will advance to the play-in tournament.
3. Can the Nets get a higher seed and avoid the two-game play-in tournament?
The Nets are locked into the play-in tournament and are currently the 10th seed. However, the team faces an important week in trying to climb to the 8th seed. It would mean they would need to play only one road game to make the playoffs instead of two. The Nets have the chance to improve their position because they are now tied with the Hornets and only 1 game behind the Hawks for the 8th seed. The schedule looks favorable with a home game against the Rockets, Cavaliers, and Pacers while the only road game is against the Knicks. However, the Hawks travel to the Raptors, the Heat, and play the Wizards and Rockets at home. The Hornets will play Heat, Magics, Bulls, and the Wizards to close the season. Again, it will be interesting to see which teams rest their players and whether vying for the lottery will relish the role of playing spoilers.
Prediction-I think the Nets will finish in the 9th spot. I think they will finish 3-1 in their next four games. However, I think the Hawks will win 3 of their next four. It means the Nets will have to play two road games and then play the number 1 seed.
2. What will be the order of the top 4 seeds in the Eastern Conference?
The Eastern Conference playoffs will be a gauntlet this season. Heading into the last week the top four teams are separated by just 2.5 games, and the 2nd to 4th seeds are in a virtual tie. It would take a collapse for the Heat not to be the number one seed with a 2.5 game cushion which I think they will keep. I believe the Celtics will finish in the 3rd spot because they are favored to beat the Bulls and the Grizzlies who are likely to rest players. The head-to-head with the Bucks will be the deciding factor, and it will be on the back of a back-to-back on the road. The Bucks will also play the Bulls, Pistons, and Cavaliers in this final stretch. The Sixers have a nice schedule in playing the Pacers twice, the Raptors, and the Pistons. However, I think they will trip themselves up.
Prediction-I think the order of the four seeds will be-Heat, Bucks, Celtics, and Sixers.
1. Who will win MVP?
The race for the Most Valuable Player has come down to the last week. The candidates include Nikola Jokic averaging 26.8 pts, 13.7 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. Another potential winner is Joel Embiid averaging 30.2pts, 11.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. The third leading player for the award is Giannis Antetokounmpo, quietly averaging 30.1pts, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. The surging Luca Doncic should also get consideration in averaging 28.3pts, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7. The last week will ultimately determine who walks away with the award because any one of these players can put together a historic final week, have a few signature moments, and lead their team to big wins.
Prediction-I have Nikola Jokic winning the MVP award because if he is not playing on that team, then I think they are a lottery with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr missing. Jokic scores, rebounds, is an elite passer and is the complete package.
Yes, the final week has plenty of storylines to watch.