Around the NBA: 2021 Playoff Preview

With the Play-In Tournament wrapped up, the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs can officially begin.

Compared to the previous NBA Playoffs format, a change this year was having a Play-In Tournament for lower-seeded teams from the regular season. In each conference, the teams with the 7th and 8th best records play for the right to the 7-seed. Another game is played between teams with the 9th and 10th best record, with the winner playing the loser of the 7th-seed game for a chance for the 8-seed.

Still with us?

It was an interesting but perhaps muddled way to allow for an additional chance for these teams in a slightly shortened season (72 games vs. a standard 82).

In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers sent the Hornets home night one while the Celtics trumped the Wizards behind 50 points from Jayson Tatum. In the game for the 8-seed, Washington bounced back, beating down the Pacers to clinch their spot.

The Western Conference Play-In saw the Grizzlies send the Spurs home, and the Lakers secure the 7-seed with an impressive win over Steph Curry and the red-hot Warriors. In the 8-seed game, Memphis outlasted Golden State in overtime and sent the MVP candidate Curry packing.

The brackets are finally set on both sides, and the 2021 NBA Playoffs are set to officially get underway. Intriguing matchups are everywhere you turn in the first round as these best-of-seven-game-series begin.

Eastern Conference

For their valiant effort in the Play-In, the Celtics won the honor of facing the Brooklyn Nets, who may be the most talented team in the Playoffs. Boston may be in trouble without injured breakout star Jaylen Brown.

Washington will be similarly rewarded, now with the chance to face the Philadelphia 76ers and MVP candidate Joel Embiid. This will be a scrappy series (and an entertaining one with Embiid and Westbrook feuding in the past), but Philly should have no problem moving on if they can avoid injuries.

Reigning Eastern Conference Champions, the 6-seeded Miami Heat will take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who have a chip on their shoulder after being knocked out by the Heat a season ago. This has the potential to be one of the most competitive matchups of the first round.

In the 4/5 game, the surprising New York Knicks will take on the talented young Hawks. Either of these teams advancing past the first round would be a big step for their franchise, so this will be a fresh, interesting matchup.

Western Conference

In the Western Conference, the 1-seed Utah Jazz may actually have their hands full with the Grizzlies, who are riding the high of beating out the Warriors. The Jazz boasts the NBA’s best record for a reason though and their collective playoff experience should be enough to carry them through.

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers will face the Phoenix Suns, who have exceeded expectations this year after adding Chris Paul. Now healthy and rolling, the Lakers are a tough matchup for the young Suns to see in the first round, but if they come out on top, they will have proven that they can win it all.

Dallas did well to work its way up to the 5-seed but still have plenty to prove. They will get that opportunity right away, facing a Clippers team that is still loaded. Paul George has something to prove in these playoffs, and Kawhi Leonard has already established that he is a postseason monster. Do not underestimate these guys.

After a bit of an injury-plagued season, Portland should be back in a position to score with anybody. They are hoping everything will click at just the right time. For Denver, Nikola Jokic is an MVP favorite, and the injury loss of Jamal Murray only allowed for the ascension of Michael Porter Jr. They are battle-tested and prepared for anyone.

The full first-round schedule can be found at NBA.com

Stay tuned here and follow us on Twitter as we keep up with the best basketball action in the world.

Around the NBA: Final stretch

With the 2020-21 NBA regular season winding down, the playoff picture should be getting clearer. But is it?

For the past couple of months, The Basketball Movement has been keeping running power rankings for the top 15 teams in the NBA. This list is updated at least every few weeks over on our NBA page and the most recent iteration can also be found below. The NBA exemplifies the pinnacle of the sport and we try to help keep you up to date.

Many teams are sitting around 16 remaining games in a regular season that has been shortened to 72 games total. At this point, the cream has largely risen to the top, but with close records and a new “play-in tournament,” it remains difficult to determine which contenders will be making noise.

How the play-in tournament will work is explained in the below NBA tweet:

Got that? May 18th will be here before we know it. Below we break down where teams currently stand according to The Basketball Movement:

1. Phoenix Suns (40-16)

Edging out the Clippers in the win/losses column means edging out the Clippers in our standings. These rankings have proven volatile over the weeks, but Phoenix has been surprisingly constant. In their best season since the Steve Nash days, Chris Paul’s veteran leadership has shown up more on defense than offense, balancing out a talented team. The question now is: will their bubble experience translate to more traditional playoffs?

2. Los Angeles Clippers (40-19)

The LA Clippers we see today are the Clippers we should have been seeing all season. With a chip on their shoulder after last years’ playoffs, it took a while for the team to show the necessary fire to get back. Perhaps some of that fire left with Montrezl Harrell in the offseason. Regardless, the Clips are having one of their best stretches of the season and have a decent chance of claiming the top spot in the West as the Jazz slow their pace.

3. Utah Jazz (42-15)

An Eastern Conference team would look pretty here, but holding onto the best record in the NBA means something. Utah has recently sustained injuries to key players, one of which being leading scorer Donovan Mitchell. Despite odds, they keep chugging along with the most wins in the association, though that margin is slowly shrinking.

4. Philadelphia 76ers (39-17)

Is “The Process” the MVP? Joel Embiid is back in a big way from his injury and has not lost one dominant step. The most telling part of the Sixers story recently is how the team played without him. Ben Simmons paced his squad on both ends of the floor and did more than keep his team afloat - Philly is currently the top seed in the East (though not by much).

5. Brooklyn Nets (38-19)

How do teams game plan for the Brooklyn Nets? Kyrie Irving usually decides to play, so there is an impossible-to-stop 30 points. Kevin Durant hops on and off the injury report, so there may or may not be 30 points. James Harden is likely returning from his injury soon, so there may be one of the league’s most dominant playmakers. Throughout their 30+ starting lineup changes, the Nets maintain a strong record at 38-19. If all the pieces come together - look out.

6. Denver Nuggets (36-20)

Acquiring Aaron Gordon for Gary Harris is looking like an excellent move for Denver. Gordon provides dependable effort and athleticism, and his arrival has not detracted from stellar play by Michael Porter Jr. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Jamal Murry, a star in last year’s playoffs, is out for the year with an injury. Keep an eye out for our guy Monte Morris to step up and help keep this squad afloat out west.

7. Los Angeles Lakers (35-22)

The defending champs have managed to stay competitive in the absence of injured stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which is all they could have hoped for. The defense has remained formidable, so with LeBron nearing a return, LA will be right back in the saddle as a championship contender soon enough. 

8. Milwaukee Bucks (35-21)

Milwaukee has been playing with the appearance of complacency at times this season, which is a bad sign for a team without a Finals appearance with All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. The defense is not what it was in previous seasons, but this team will indeed be judged by playoff success. With Antetokounmpo returning from a 6-game injury absence, the Bucks will look to build traction in this final stretch to prove they still belong at the top in the East.

9. Boston Celtics (31-26)

Finally playing the way we expected them to, Boston is currently enjoying a nice run, and Kemba Walker is looking like his old self. With the continued excellence of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics’ core has the looks of a contender again. The C’s have had an excess of close games lately, but have proven themselves to have the clutch gene that it takes to get by top teams.

10. Atlanta Hawks (31-26)

Still rolling since their coaching change, the Atlanta Hawks continue to score with the best of them. Hampered by suspect defense and turnover issues, they will be getting John Collins back after a 6-game absence and will look to get right on D. Trae Young has looked more like the breakout star from last year, and the bench is heating up. Atlanta will make a fun playoff team to watch, but can they be consistent enough to take a seven-game series?

11. New York Knicks (31-27)

Still here. Don’t look now, but the Knicks are, for the first time in a long time, for real. Julius Randle continues to prove that his All-Star bid was no fluke, and the supporting cast is not messing around either. It has been years since we have seen this kind of fire from a Knicks squad. After so many seasons of going through the motions, this has to feel good for New York fans. They have a difficult remaining schedule, so we will know if they are truly playoff-ready.

12. Portland Trailblazers (32-24)

A hamstring issue for Damien Lillard is what you must know first and foremost about the current state of the Trailblazers. With CJ McCollum still trying to work into a consistent groove following his own injury, a brutal upcoming schedule could potentially throw the Blazers off the playoff trail and open the play-in window. If the offense can hang in there until Lillard returns, they should be alright.

13. Dallas Mavericks (30-26)

Needing a lucky Luka Doncic game-winner to snap a recent skid, the Mavericks have not looked great. With Lillard banged up, the Blazers may leave the door open for Dallas to escape the dreaded play-in tournament, but will they seize the opportunity? The Mavs’ upcoming schedule is soft unless LeBron hurries back for LA, but the time to lock in for Dallas is now if they want to contend.

14. Memphis Grizzlies (29-26)

Absent from these rankings for some time, Memphis recently passed the Spurs and Warriors and is clinging to the eighth seed in the West. With Ja Morant making shots, Grayson Allen emerging as a sharpshooter, and Jaren Jackson Jr. due to return soon, Memphis may be a tough out in the playoffs if they can hold on. With some Western Conference rivals on the docket in the coming weeks, we may find out sooner than later.

15. Miami Heat (29-28)

With San Antonio slipping and Steph Curry just keeping Golden State above water, the reigning Eastern Conference champs round out our rankings. With a relatively soft upcoming schedule, the Heat feel like a team that is establishing internal momentum, despite just being above .500 in the win/loss column. Jimmy Butler is a constant, and Bam Adebayo has had confidence-building moments of late. Look for the Heat to creep up the standings over the remaining stretch of the regular season.

Keep checking back here and follow us on Twitter as we near the play-in tournament then the official playoffs, which should look more traditional compared to last season’s bubble.