The post-season of the 2018 NBA starts this Saturday after a fascinating end to the regular season in which all the play-offs ties were decided on the final day of the season.
The play-offs begin with a sense of uncertainty after three straight finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.
The top seed in the Western Conference no longer belong to the Golden State Warriors, but can the Harden and Paul led Houston Rockets continue their rise?
Here is an insight on the best of seven post-season Western Conference ties taking place between April 14, 2018 – April 29, 2018.
Houston Rockets (1) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (8)
H2H Record 2017-2018: Houston Rockets 4-0 Minnesota Timberwolves
Season so far: James Harden and Chris Paul led Houston Rockets for the first time in the franchise’s history claimed the West Conference’s top seed and secured the best record in the league, with 65 wins and 17 losses in the regular season. Their scary offence is based on three pointers, as they made 1,256 buckets from behind the 3-point line, beating their own NBA record. The Houston Rockets have improved their defensive game as well, from 18h seed in 2016-2017 NBA season to 6th this season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are making their first post-season appearance since the 2004 NBA season. The Timberwolves clinched the final play-offs spot in overtime of their final match of the 2018 NBA season against the Denver Nuggets, in a match where both teams were in contingent of clinching the final play-offs spot in the West. The Wolves throughout the season looked on course for a top-four place before a knew injury to their franchise shooting guard, Jimmy Butler.
Ones to look out for: James Harden is among the front-runners for the MVP award, after a sublime season in which the Beard averaged a league high 30.4 PPG. His partnership with Chris Paul have been sublime, as the duo helped the Rockets clinch the number one seed in the West.
Minnesota would heavily rely on their trio of Butler, Towns and Wiggins. The Wolves would have to hunt together in a pack, if they are to pull of an upset against the in-form Rockets side.
Golden State Warriors (2) vs San Antonio Spurs (7)
H2H Record 2017-2018: Golden State Warriors 3-1 San Antonio Spurs
Season so far: For the first time since 2014, the Golden State Warriors failed to clinch the league’s best record. The Warriors finished second in the West and won 58 games in the regular season with the best rating on the offensive end of the court. Despite all of these, the 2018 NBA regular season have been somewhat inconsistent for the Warriors, specially going by their high standards and star-studded lineup.
The San Antonio Spurs have had to deal with the absence of their franchise player Kawhi Leonard aka The Claw. Leonard played only nine games in the regular season because of a quad injury which was not supposed to keep him out of court for this long. Also, with the rumors hovering around that Leonard has fallen out with the team, the San Antonio Spurs had a bleak chance to make it to the play-offs. Shrugging all that off, Gregg Popovich showed the whole basketball fraternity that why he is a legend when it comes to coaching and managing a team. Pop guided his astute squad to their 21st consecutive post-season appearance, with the Spurs finishing at seventh in the West.
Ones to look out for: The Golden State Warriors will be without their star Stephen Curry in the first round due to an MCL strain. But then again, it’s the Warriors we are talking about, despite of Curry’s injury they still have their “Big Three” – Durant, Thompson and Green. Durant and Thompson can take down any opposition with their rapid scoring while Green is among the best defenders in the league.
Given Leonard’s return to be an unlikely event, Pop’s men will be heavily dependent on LaMarcus Aldridge to maintain his scoring form. While experienced campaigners like Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili will have to chip-in and support Aldridge.
Portland Trail Blazers (3) vs New Orleans Pelicans (6)
H2H Record 2017-2018: Portland Trail Blazers 2-2 New Orleans Pelicans
Season so far: The Portland Trail Blazers are into their fifth straight playoff appearance. They pulled clear of the fight for the last few postseason berths with a winning streak of 13 games between February and March. The Trail Blazers have the league’s one of the best guard duos in CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. The defensive rating of the team has improved massively, from being 21st last season to 6th this season.
The New Orleans Pelicans are headed to their first play-offs since 2015. The Pelicans shot at appearing for the play-offs did take a blow when Demarcus Cousins tore his Achilles in January. But thankfully for them their franchise player Anthony Davis aka The Brow decided to hit gear five and his performances post the All-Star Weekend break have been impressive. Davis is averaging 29.8 PPG since mid-February.
Ones to look out for: Portland Trail Blazers will be hoping for Lillard to continue his regular season for to the play-offs as well. Lillard is averaging 26.9 PPG this season and have led the team to several fourth quarter comebacks. A trouble maker for the opposition’s defense with his incredible ability to shoot from the deep, Lillard points to his wrist to let everyone inside the Trail Blazers building know that it’s “Dame Time” whenever he feels he is taking over the game.
6 feet 10 inches center/power-forward, Anthony Davis is a player who has everything in his bags. Starting from excellent passing & ball-handling skills while on offense to be a wall while on defense. The Brow leads the league this year in blocks, with 193.
Oklahoma City Thunder (4) vs Utah Jazz (5)
H2H Record 2017-2028: Oklahoma City Thunder 3-1 Utah Jazz
Season so far: The Oklahoma City Thunder have had an inconsistent season so far. At times they looked capable of pulling of a win against the league’s best sides and the other times looked vulnerable at the end of close games. Their defense and offense both average out as the tenth best in the league, although the former has been weakened after the season-ending injury to Andre Roberson.
The Utah Jazz were 19-28 in January and had a very slim chance of making it to the postseason. But an outstanding 29-6 run saw Utah claim the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Rookie Donovon Mitchell have been in a scoring streak and is one of the favorites to win the Rookie Of The Year award.
Ones to look out for: Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is among the NBA’s most relentless competitors. Like his previous season, this year too ended with Westbrook averaging a triple double across the whole season. He became the first player to average a triple double in two consecutive seasons. The Thunder also have two world class players in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, with the later having a poor season so far.
Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz won the 2018 Slam Dunk contest and became the first rookie since Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird and David Robinson to lead a team that won 45 or more games.