The battle for the 2023 NBA Playoffs begins. The sixteen best teams of the regular season are measuring their forces to win the coveted ring that would grant them the title of champions of the best basketball league in the world.
As the leader of the Eastern Conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks are the main favorite to win the Playoffs, respecting the status of major contenders such as Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers. The reigning champions, The Golden State Warriors, who have won the Ring in four of the last eight editions of the NBA and with the experience of Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson in big games, will also have to be strongly considered for the championship. And there is also the Denver Nuggets, leaders of the Western Conference.
The last entrants to the final round of the NBA season were the Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves, after qualifying for the Play-In. New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder said their good-byes to the season in this round.
Those who will not be in the Playoffs are the Dallas Mavericks. The Texan franchise led by Luka Dončić failed to qualify: it placed eleventh in the Western Conference with a record of 38 wins and 44 losses. Considered, by many, as the great disappointment of the regular season.
These Playoffs leave us with some very close rounds such as Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks or Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors. The big attraction is the match between Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. The Arizona franchise enters this playoffs with seven wins in its last ten games. Their Big Three consisting of Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant gives them the status of favorites.
These are the matchups for the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs:
Philadelphia 76ers - Brooklyn Nets
Boston Celtics - Atlanta Hawks
Cleveland Cavaliers - New York Knicks
Sacramento Kings - Golden State Warriors
Memphis Grizzlies - Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns - Los Angeles Clippers
Miami Heat - Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves - Denver Nuggets
The bracket is set.
PLAYOFF HOOPS BEGIN IN 12 HOURS 🍿
Nets-Sixers | Game 1 | 1pm/et on ESPN#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/bsFcixAXF2
— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2023
