If the NBA playoffs resemble the NCAA tournament, it appears the bracket could face scrutiny.
This is due to the surprising final matchups of these contests – at least according to the seedings, which were quite unexpected.
The Western Conference Finals will feature Oklahoma City and Minnesota, both in sixth place, kicking off on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Indiana, having finished third, will take on fourth-seeded New York in the Eastern Conference Finals, starting on Wednesday.
In the current NBA playoff structure, which has been in place since 1984, such matchups (1-6, 3-4) are relatively infrequent.
Breakdown:
3-4 – There have been three previous occurrences of this matchup in the West, with the third seed winning the series 4-1 en route to clinching the NBA title. The matchups include San Antonio vs. Utah in 2007, Dallas overcoming Oklahoma City in 2011, and Dallas defeating Golden State in 2022.
1 vs 6 – This marks the sixth instance of a team facing a sixth-seeded opponent under this format. In the 1995 NBA Finals, four games were played in the conference finals. The top seed holds a record of 3-2. The Los Angeles Lakers bested Phoenix in the 1984 West Title, Detroit triumphed over Chicago in the 1989 East Title, and Boston eliminated Indiana in East Crown last year. The sixth seed’s victory occurred in 1995 when Houston knocked out San Antonio for the West title and subsequently swept Orlando for the NBA Championship.
Don’t Wait
This postseason has featured a number of comeback victories, but a slow rally is not advisable against these final four teams in the NBA playoffs.
Minnesota and Indiana are both undefeated with a 6-0 record after winning three of their games this postseason. New York is 4-0 in similar situations.
Oklahoma City stands at 5-2, which is surprising given their regular-season prowess. The Thunder had a remarkable 61-2 record when leading in the fourth quarter during the regular season.
Player Milestones
Several significant player milestones to keep an eye on during these playoff rounds include:
– Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 197 points shy of reaching 3,000 for the season, becoming the fifth player in the last 20 seasons to achieve this milestone. Luka Doncic recorded 3,005 points in Dallas last season, James Harden had 3,166 in 2018-19, 3,156 in Oklahoma City in 2013-14, and Kobe Bryant totaled 3,027 in 2005-06.
– Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards needs 45 three-pointers to hit 400 for the season.
– Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton is 34 assists away from 800 for the season. He would join Mark Jackson as the only Pacers to reach this number twice. Haliburton achieved 875 last year, while Jackson had 846 in 1997-98 and 828 in 1999-2000.
– New York’s Jalen Brunson is just shy of becoming the second player in Knicks history to score at least 2,000 points and record 600 assists in a season. He accomplished this feat last year.
84 Win Season?
If the Thunder claims the NBA title, they will finish the season with an impressive total of 84 wins.
This would place them among the elite in the league’s history.
Only the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (88-18 including playoffs), the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (87-13), and the 1996-97 Bulls (84-17) have reached the 84-win benchmark for a season.
Coaching Milestone
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle has secured 79 playoff victories, putting him on the verge of a remarkable milestone.
– One more victory against the Knicks will tie him with George Karl and Lenny Wilkens for 11th place on the all-time playoff wins list.
– Two victories against the Knicks would elevate him to a tie with KC Jones for 10th place on the playoff list. (By surpassing Jones with more than three wins, he would seize sole possession of tenth place.)
Additionally, Game 3 of the Eastern Finals will mark the 100th career playoff game for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, making him the 25th coach in NBA history to reach this milestone.
This Year’s Division Wasn’t an Issue
This season, one or potentially two teams that did not win their division title will contend in the NBA Finals.
This is quite unusual.
In 2012, all teams that reached the NBA Finals did so after winning their division championship that same season, with Golden State being the sole exception.
The only divisional champion in this context is Oklahoma City. New York finished second in the Atlantic Division, Indiana was second in the Central Division, and Minnesota placed third in the Northwest.
BetMGM Says
According to the BetMGM Sportsbook, Indiana and Minnesota have covered 70% of their playoff games previously. This pace represents the best coverage rate, as Miami covered 76% of the time during the 2020 Bubble Playoffs.
Oklahoma City covered 68% of the time during the regular season, marking the best percentage in a decade. However, the Thunder has only achieved success in four of their 11 playoff games (roughly 36%).
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Source: apnews.com