Now we are in the last days of the regular season 2024-25 of the NBA, and the teams throughout the league are preparing for a postseason battle to remember.
Particularly at the West Conference, the playoff race has never been stricter, with the numbers of 3 to 8 seeds that shoot almost every night, all separated by only 1½ games, at most.
Keep your attention to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers, the Grizzlies of Memphis and the Warriors of the Golden State, all neck and neck for that seed No. 6 and the opportunity to avoid the game tournament.
While the Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of securing their first seed among the top six since the 2019-20 campaign, the Phoenix Suns have been staggering in the elimination line while seeking to catch the Sacramento Kings in the final stretch to have the opportunity to have the opportunity to at least Play the game.
The drama of the West Conference, including what is coming for Kevin Durant and who Stephen Curry and the Warriors would like to avoid in the first round, could reach the last day of the regular season on Sunday.
This is what our NBA experts Michael C. Wright, Brian Windhorst, Dave Mcmenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk, Tim Macmahon, Kevin Pelton and Zach Kram have to say about this wild west.
What follows for Ja Morant and the Grizzlies while fighting for the advantage of the domestic court under an interim coach?
Memphis took the difficult part of Thursday by finally winning his first game with Tuomas Iisalo, with Morant nailing a bell to limit a 30 -point performance in the Miami Heat. With such a short time in the regular season, the Grizzlies now need at home in the elements of the Iisalo system that best position the team for success in the playoffs. It is clear that Iisalo wants to introduce Morant more at the offensive end, but the Grizz needs to find a way to do it while optimizing Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane. The expectations for the postseason seem to be low internally, with general manager Zach Kleiman saying that he is looking for “direction clarity” under Iisalo. But if Memphis finds a way to surprise in the playoffs, he could contribute greatly to stabilize an unstable situation between the team and morant caused by the steep shot by Taylor Jenkins. – Michael C. Wright
What team in the West poses the greatest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder?
The Denver Nuggets, the last western team to win the NBA title (2023), are the most likely to achieve ancient against an Oklahoma City team that will end with the best point differential in the history of the League. Nikola Jokic presents a problem of mass confrontation for anyone, even a team that can play a pair of 7 -foot protectors together in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Jokic offered a resounding that in Oklahoma City on March 10, when he registered 35 points, 18 rebounds and 8 assists in a victory that was helped by the 34 points of Jamal Murray to ensure a 2-2 division in the regular season series. Nuggets will need that type of production of their option No. 2 to go through Oklahoma City, which will be a great challenge with the teammate of the Murray team, Lu Dort, leading the best classified defense of the Thunder. – Tim Macmahon
What follows the Suns if the game is completely lost?
What is worse than being a second apron team? Be one that lost the playoffs with a payroll of $ 400 million, including luxury taxes. What is worse than that? Having the player you need to change in Bradley Beal has a clause without trade and giving appointments in the record about holding all the cards. Ok, one more question: Do the Suns want to change Kevin Durant this summer? No, not really. But the reality is that the Suns roads to leave the second apron, to ensure that they have flexibility, all seem to lead to Durant. They cannot change Beal and will not change Devin Booker. That is why on the exchange deadline, the Suns held conversations with a handful of Durant trades, conversations that will probably lead to action this summer. One of the reasons why there was no Durant exchange in February, apart from the fact that Durant himself made it clear that he did not want one, if the Suns were looking for a massive tour in return, according to sources.
Regardless of how much Durant has been in the tank, that might not be in the letters. Durant will be 37 years at the beginning of the next season, and although it is still worth the $ 55 million that will win next season, the maximum extension of two years and $ 120 million that may be looking for may not attract suitors. The teams that would like Durant will be contenders for the title that generally already have high payrolls. If the Suns reach a crossroads where they have to move Durant, they could have to make a decision between obtaining what they want, which is a beautiful package of players and capital capital, and settle for what they need, which is flexibility. Last summer, for example, the clippers chose flexibility about everything else by letting Paul George leave. It was a difficult decision, but his entire horizon has changed. The Suns could end up studying that decision closely. – Brian Windhorst
What will be needed for the Lakers to make a race in the NBA finals?
A Complaceive draw. With a handful of games in the regular season, I could end it feasible from number 3 to number 8 in the west. Avoiding the game tournament and securing the 6th position or better would give the Lakers a week to prepare for the playoffs and allow some time for some of their played players (LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Rui hashimura lead that list) to heal. If they can finish the number 4 or better, they would begin organizing their first round series at Crypto.com Arena, where they have the second best record in the west. “We would like to be among the top four,” said coach JJ Redick on Thursday. “We would like to have a local court [advantage]. I think that beyond playing well at home, it would be good for our boys to finish [the regular season] In Portland and The Be Uble to Be Home For Nine Or 10 Days. “Of The Teams Below Them, The Grizzlies Would Be The Preferred Matchup Considering the ‘Playoff Success Against Them in 2023 and its 3-1 Mark To Win The Regular-Season Series. A Chance to Avenge Previous Playoff Series Against The Nuggets Could Provide Boost. – Dave McMenamin
The team that warriors should want to avoid in the first round is: _______.
Oklahoma City. It would be devastating for the Warriors, after spending much of the last two months chasing and then clinging to the sixth place, to fall into the game tournament in the last week of the regular season. If the Warriors fall below the sixth, they would lose a valuable week free before the first round and would have to fight in the game. Stephen Curry (37 years old), Draymond Green (35) and Jimmy Butler III (35) could face a Thunder Young and Athletic team. The Warriors believe they can face any opponent given the pedigree of the Curry, Green and Steve Kerr championship, not to mention the addition of “Playoff Jimmy”. But despite being 2-1 against Thunder before Butler’s trade, facing Oklahoma would be a difficult confrontation.
In addition to finding a way to contain the favorite of MVP, Shai Gilgous-Alexander, the Warriors would have to deal with the emerging stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. With one of the main defenses of the league, the Thunder can send multiple defenders to Curry, starting with physicist Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. And inside, Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein can give problems smaller Warriors. Curry told ESPN in January that he and the Warriors feel they can overcome any of a series of seven games. Butler’s arrival only improves that trust. But the Warriors would prefer to avoid the best league team in the first round and use their free time to prepare their star players. – Ohm Youngmisuk
What is behind the increase in the Timberwolves season, and is it sustainable?
Minnesota has maintained a Top 10 defense basically throughout the season, but the offensive has advanced in the section. At the end of February, the Timberwolves occupied the 13th position in the offensive qualification. But since the beginning of March, they have had the third best offensive, only behind the Clippers and Boston Celtics. Much of that improvement comes from hot shooting on the back: on that section, Mike Conley has made an amazing 53.2% of its triple, while Donte Divinzzo is shooting 43% from the depths. Jaden McDaniels (38.2%) and Julius Randle (36.6%) have also increased their efficiency, surrounding Anthony Edwards with a lot of space.
We should not expect Minnesota’s role players to stay so hot for the rest of the season; No one in the NBA earns 53.2% of its 3 in a long period. The Timberwolves have also benefited from a relatively easy opponent list during this section: in March, they had 10-1 against the Sub -.500 and 3-2 opponents versus teams with winning records. They look better now than how they searched for most of the campaign while fighting to incorporate Randle and Divinzzo. – Zach Kram
Which ones say that the projections say the possible first round clashes in the West?
There are bad news for Western playoff teams in the hope of leaving their first round opponents: with less than a remaining week in the regular season, nothing besides Oklahoma City ends first is close. In contrast to the Eastern Conference, where confrontation 4-5 essentially could only involve the Detroit, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, no western confrontation in more than 27% of the simulations using the ESPN basketball power index.
Even that most likely Western series, between the Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets, may not be established until after the first night action night, because Houston will probably face the winner of the inaugural game as the number 2 of seeds. – Kevin Pelton
