The 2024 NBA Playoffs are certainly living up to their billing. Throughout the first two rounds we have seen plenty of drama, high scoring and some of the league’s established stars and some exciting new names have come to the fore.
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With each series proving to be exceptionally competitive, the race to be crowned 2024 NBA Champions is wide open and looks set to go down to the wire.
Let’s take a look at some of the key talking points from the playoffs so far.
A changing of the guard?
Over the last few seasons we have been used to some of the same old names competing for the sports biggest prize. However, this year we have seen an emergence of several new teams and it’s fair to say that the landscape of the NBA has shifted.
The Timberwolves, Pacers and Thunders have all provided tremendous entertainment and boast a crop of young talent that could dominate the league for years to come.
With the rise of those new teams it’s a case of back to the drawing board for several established sides. The Bucks, Heat, Clippers, Suns, 76ers and Lakers all crashed out of the playoffs at an early stage and will have plenty of work to do this offseason if they are to regain their spots as the top dogs of their conferences. Also factor in the fact that the Warriors didn’t even make the dance, you get a sense that the NBA has never been so open.
It’s not been plain sailing for the favorites
The NBA playoffs are one of the biggest betting events in America, and at the start of this year's postseason, betting sites in Colorado predicted that the Celtics and Nuggets would go all the way to the Finals. Colorado sports betting sites may offer different odds, allowing Nuggets fans to bet on their favorite team to win the title. Installed as favorites by the oddsmakers due to their experience and sheer star power, both teams had to fight hard to reach the semi-finals, and saw their positions as overwhelming favorites begin to slip.
Many expected the Celtics to breeze through the opening few rounds, however the matchups against both the Cavaliers and Heat have showed a few weaknesses that weren’t prevalent through the early part of the season.
Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown haven’t quite lived up to the post season heights and the team has had to rely on Derrick White producing some of the best ball of his career to keep the ship on course.
When White has been kept quiet, the Celtics have struggled and their star men need to find their playoff feet quickly if they are to win their first NBA title since 2008.
Fresh off their first NBA Championship in their history, it’s natural that the Nuggets have struggled for consistency at certain parts of the season. After swatting aside the Lakers in the first round, their Western semifinal series against the Timberwolves got off to the worst possible start as they lost the first two games.
Staring at the brink of an early elimination, the Nuggets showed exactly why they are one of the NBA elites powering back to level the series and take the lead 3-2. With many expecting the Nuggets to kick on, the Timberwolves battled hard to level the series at 3-3 and ten overcame a twenty-point deficit to clinch a memorable victory.
The conference semifinals have shown that the odds can be defied and all four teams left in the postseason dance have a great chance of going all the way.
Emergence of new stars will keep the NBA in safe hands
It would only be right that some of the top NBA executives would be a little nervous about what the future of the game looks like.
It’s no secret that stars such as LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durrant are all reaching the end of their careers. Having been the poster boys of the league for so long, a new generation of talent has risen and look ready to step into their shoes.
The undoubted star so far of the playoffs has been Anthony Edwards. At just 22, Edwards’ displays have captured the attention of America and fans from all over the world and his dominance has seen comparisons made with some of the game’s greatest players.
Only the second player in NBA history to score 40 + points in four post season games, Edwards has been the driving force of the Timberwolves post season performances and even in defeat has emerged from those games with enormous credit.
