12 Takes on the Final 3 Weeks of the NBA Season — What We're Looking For
NBA Substack on what's about to happen
We asked 12 leading NBA voices on Substack:
In the final three weeks of the regular season, what are you looking for?
Check out their answers and subscribe!
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So. Many. Things.
Can't wait to see who actually finishes sixth in the West and which teams miss out and fall into the Play-In Tournament. (Warriors? Timberwolves? Clippers?)
Can't wait to see the West's ultimate 1-to-10 seeding order and find out whether Dallas, Phoenix or Portland ends up in that last play-in spot.
Can't wait to see the specifics of Boston's road back to the NBA Finals.
Can't wait to see where Philadelphia ends up record-wise when we know that the Sixers' first-round pick is only top-six protected.
Can't wait to see Jimmy Butler's Golden State Warriors playing in Miami on Tuesday night.
Can't wait to see, most of all, what the atmosphere is like at the American Airlines Center on April 9 when the unthinkable actually happens: Luka Dončić playing a game in Dallas as a visitor. (Still sounds so wrong to say it loud.)
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How do the Golden State Warriors integrate Jonathan Kuminga back into the team? The Warriors were one of the hottest teams in the league after trading for Jimmy Butler. But most of that stretch came with Kuminga injured.
Now that Kuminga is back, the Warriors look out of sorts. Hard to imagine a lineup succeeding if it features three non-shooters like Butler, Kuminga, and Draymond Green — even if they're playing next to Steph Curry, the greatest shooter of all time.
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I'm looking for three things: 1) Everyone to stay healthy; 2) final arguments for end-of-season awards; and 3) seeding battles.
The first thing, obviously, is the most important, because it plays into the other two. I want to see all of the important players on the court and doing their thing as we try to sort out who will be MVP or DPOY, and which team will get the No. 2 seed in the West or the No. 4 seed in the East, etc.
March and April basketball can be a slog, but as long as we get the pay-off in May and June, that's okay by me.
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How about self-awareness? I'm not holding out on it from the league itself, which seems content to let eyeballs drift to the NCAA's tournaments and forgive the slumping state of NBA basketball in this final stretch, so it'll have to come from athletes.
Garrett Temple is a great example. He called out the "bullshit" of losing for losing's sake and got into the nuances of why. I'm not calling for tanking to stop. I'm not so naive. But I'd love to hear from more players about it — especially players on actively tanking teams.
Let's get some NBA through-the-looking-glass dialogue going and end the season on an existential note.
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My attention is focused on the West.
Positions 2-8: Only five losses separate the Rockets (currently 2nd) and Clippers (8th). I think we have a big surprise coming in this group of seven teams.
Positions 9-10: Does Nico Harrison really think Anthony Davis can lead the Mavs to the playoffs, and that Dallas can match its 3-1 regular-season mark vs. OKC without Kyrie Irving? And how will the Suns’ disastrous season end?
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I’m excited for the various races still to be decided. The sixth seed (and final assured playoff spot) is very much in play in the Western Conference. That’s going to be fun to monitor. Home-court advantage is still in play in both conferences. The final Play-In Tournament spot in the West is up for grabs too.
The final weekend of the season should be fun few days — all 30 teams play that Friday and Sunday!
Ray LeBov | Basketball Intelligence Newsletter
I'll be looking for a game between a pair of top-tier teams that are 1) at full-strength and 2) incentivized to win to help secure advantageous postseason position. My reach should exceed my grasp.
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I’m looking for someone to snatch Defensive Player of the Year.
Victor Wembanyama’s absence has opened a vacuum, but nobody has put forth a commanding claim — at least, nobody who qualifies. Evan Mobley is routinely targeted by teams in late-game situations (see Sacramento and Boston), Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert have had long stretches looking like shells of themselves, and Jaren Jackson Jr. isn’t at his peak.
Does anyone deserve this award?
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Certainly, the play-in battle has lost some appeal since its beginning with that dramatic Warriors-Lakers matchup in 2021, and this year’s play-in race is a sad one between Dallas, Phoenix and Sacramento, but it could still produce some compelling playoff matchups:
Could we have Lakers vs. Mavs in Round 1? Or Lakers vs. Warriors? Nuggets vs. Timberwolves? OKC vs. LAC? Lakers vs. Clippers?
So the last few weeks and the play-in could get very interesting.
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I have my eye on the Blazers, who have a chance to author one of the funniest scripts in NBA history.
There have never been two teams that were more "all-in" than the Suns and Mavs this season, and there is a non-zero chance that Portland — ostensibly tanking to begin the year — passes both for the 10th seed. Deni Avdija is turning into a star before our eyes.
Even if this comes down to the final weekend, when the Blazers finish the regular season with the Warriors and Lakers, wouldn't that be something?
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As an H-Town guy, it's officially crunch time for the second-seeded Rockets, and I want to see who steps up. All-Star Alperen Şengün scored eight points against the Heat while Fred VanVleet put up 37. Amen Thompson can go for 20 and 10 at any time, and Jalen Green is good for a random 40-pointer when you need him, uh, least?
Somebody needs to take the reins, especially when the game slows down in the playoffs.
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I'm looking for the dust to settle among the Western Conference 2-through-8 seeds. Only the 5th-seeded Grizzlies have more than a one-game lead over their pursuers, but they just lost Brandon Clarke for the season and have a three-game losing streak.
How the seeds ultimately shake out will have a huge impact on postseason storylines: Another round of LeBron vs. Curry? Does the experience of the aging superstars prevail against the younger, more balanced teams? Can Jokić pull an Olajuwon on presumed MVP-winner SGA?