The 2024 NBA Postseason is looking to be another thriller.

The 2024 NBA Postseason is looking to be another thriller. Many teams in the league have a legitimate claim to the title this year. Younger teams like the OKC Thunder are ready to make noise and prove everyone wrong, while old teams like the Lakers and the Warriors are fighting tooth and nail in the play-in tournament. When looking back on this season, many will denote it as the specific season when the new generation took the mantle from the older players. I personally believe the Celtics, Nuggets, and Clippers have the best shot at hanging up a banner. However with teams like the Timberwolves, Mavericks, and Thunder, anything can happen.

With the Celtics, they have the best record in the NBA, standing at 64-18. With their star Jayson Tatum who averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds and just about 5 assists on 47%-37%-99% efficiency, they asserted their dominance on some of the best NBA teams throughout the entire season. What stands out to me the most, is the depth and strength of the Celtic’s supporting cast. You have players like Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard who have stepped up their level of play this season and contributed to the team's success this season.

All these players have played crucial minutes for the Celtics and have had high productivity while on the court. Brown for example, has averaged just about 23 points per game on 50% shooting. I will say this is a dip in his scoring average compared to seasons where he averaged 26 points per game just last season. Even though he’s played well by most metrics, in crucial moments it’s clear he’s not the person they can go to.

In fact, although the team as a whole tends to forget how to play basketball down the stretch. It's almost as if they have to blow out every team to win, but if their opponent cuts the deficit to even just five, then the Celtics just completely fall apart.

Without being able to hold their own in close games, I’m concerned for their ability to bode well in competitive playoff games. Additionally, their star player Jayson Tatum seems to fall apart in the clutch when they need him the most. In the fourth quarter, his field goal percentage drops to just below 40%, and his three point percentage falls to 30%. In the playoffs he’ll need to step up his level of play in the fourth, unlike he has in the previous season.

In the 2022 finals, Jason Tatum completely fell apart. In this series against the Golden State Warriors, he averaged 21 points on some of the worst shooting splits of his career, and scored a measly 13 points on 33% shooting in a do-or-die game 6. He has a history of disappearing in crucial moments, and he’s past the point in his NBA career where we can attribute this to being an up and coming star. The ‘he’s only 19’ jokes won’t fly anymore, and he needs to be held accountable. This trend holds true for the rest of the Clippers who have the best shot barring any injuries. There isn’t any team with a clear answer for the Nuggets, as there’s not one player in the league that can actually stop Jokic; all they can hope for is to contain them. tics’ supporting cast. There’s no player they can routinely trust to put the ball in their hands and trust them to make the right play. Tatum has been the Celtic’s closer but it’s clear he’s not fit for that role. He has this postseason to prove everyone wrong, but if the Celtics don’t get the job done then they have some difficult questions they need to answer.

The Denver Nuggets would be looking to go back to back coming off a championship from last season. Honestly, out of all the teams in the league right now, them and the Clippers are the only teams with an actual chance at winning it all. Unlike the Clippers, the Nuggets have Nikola Jokic. There honestly isn’t one player, or even one team that can stop him the best they can hope to do is contain them.

During the playoffs last season, Jokic went on an absolute tear. Averaging 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists there wasn’t any doubt that he was the best player in basketball. The second Jokic entered the post, it felt like he never made a wrong decision. He was always able to get to his spot either to score, or find the open teammate when they sent the double. His reads on the basketball court make the game look simple, and his patience make it look as if he’s always one step ahead of the defense.

The Nuggets showed this season that their championship run wasn’t a fluke, by finishing second in the league. Jokic had a relatively quiet season, but honestly showed that he doesn’t have to put up ridiculous stats to impact the offense, and he’s actually taken significant steps on defense-it might not show in the stat sheets but he’s more aware on defense than he ever has been.

If the Nuggets can replicate the success they found last season, then there’s no doubt in my mind that they can go far, but I will say their path to championship contention is going to be much harder than it was last season. Their first round matchup this playoffs is going to be the Lakers, which is going to give them a run for their money at the very least.

Even though they’ll find difficulty with the Lakers, I’m confident that they’ll find a way to break through. However, teams like the Thunder, Timberwolves, and the Clippers will prove to be difficult, even though they’re lower seeds. The west has gotten so competitive that the rankings are somewhat misleading at this point.

50 wins in a season can only get you the fifth seed, whereas the Milwaukee Bucks who are 49-33 would only be the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

With the Clippers, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is their last chance at a championship. This is the last dance for their stars Kawhi Leanord, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. The Clippers will find much difficulty with their first round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Clippers and the Mavericks have had a long history of playoff competition dating back to the 2020 bubble. During the Pandemic, the Clippers played the Mavericks as the higher seed in the first round, which proved to be a bloodbath for them. Luke Doncic proved to be too much for the Clippers defense, and he absolutely torched them. In this series, Doncic averaged 31 points, 10 rebounds, and just about 9 assists. The Clippers ultimately pulled away in this series, but this would not be the last time the Clippers played against the Mavericks.

The subsequent season, the Clippers matched up against the Mavericks again and this time the series proved to be much closer than the Clippers would have hoped. Luka Doncic continued to put up historic offensive production, taking the series all the way to a decisive game 7. Even though the Clippers squad were able to handle business and advance to the next round, the question is will they be able to beat them a third time in this year’s playoffs.

Luka Doncic has only taken leaps in his game, where this season he’s made a legitimate argument for the Most Valuable Player of the Year award averaging 34 points 9 rebounds, and 10 assists on great shooting splits. So it’s clear that the Clippers will need a definitive answer for Doncic if they want to win this series. They can no longer force the ball in someone else’s hand and pray they miss, because they’d be putting the ball to Kyrie Irving’s. Irving has had an amazing season averaging 25 points 5 assists and 5 rebounds. They need to tackle these offensive demons head on.

Even if they’re able to pull away from the Mavericks, it’s only an uphill battle from there. Even though I don’t have them as legitimate title contenders, teams the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Nuggets will prove to be difficult matchups. Even if they beat the Mavericks, in the next round they’ll most likely go up against the Thunder in the second round.

The Thunder stand as the number one team in the West, but the only thing stopping them from winning it all is playoff experience. This is one of the youngest teams in the league, yet they’re one of the most organized offensive teams in the league. Led by their star player Shai gilgeous-alexander who averaged 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists for the regular season, they have proved to be extremely competent. Even though Gilgeous-Alexander is by every means the engine of this team, all the other young stars on this team have proved they’re just as capable.

Players like Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey have contributed just as much to this teams success this season. All these players averaged more than 12 points this season, benefiting from the well-oiled offense developed by the coaching staff of this team.

Even for teams like the Nuggets and Clippers, stopping a team like this will prove to be difficult. Any single player is capable of having a great night, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has proven no one can stop him from getting to his spots. The Thunder is destined to make a lot of noise in this year’s playoffs and every team should be on the lookout for them. No team wants to see them in the playoffs.

Another young team that’s going to turn a lot of heads this season is the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves this year have had a phenomenal run, finishing 56-26 for the regular season. Led by their star in Anthony Edwards and a supporting cast of Karl-Anthony Towns, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and Mike Conley, they’ve been one of the most promising teams in the context of their potential for the postseason.

This season Anthony Edwards has taken another leap in his game, averaging 33 points 9 rebounds, and 6 assists a game. This is expected from him as he’s one of the up and coming superstars of the league. What really surprises me is the production of the supporting cast. Anthony Towns has taken a dip in his scoring, but that’s to be expected as he takes a backseat to Edwards as he shines as the face of the team. Towns. In exchange, he’s been able to hone in on his efficiency and has proved to be a quality co-star to Edwards. Players like Mike Conley who’s been a quality floor general and Naz Reid who’s been able to get important buckets when the team needs it the most have filled in the missing pieces of the Wolve’s offense. On the other side of the court Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaden McDaniels have made the Wolves a quality defense team. Pair that with their offensive capabilities and they’re a dangerous matchup for any team that sees them.

Overall, these teams and many more have the legitimate possibility to make a deep run in the playoffs. This year will be one of the most competitive playoffs in NBA history and I can’t be more excited.

For the fans just tuning in, prepare to watch history unfold…