Here are five things that you may have missed during the NBA week.
Well NBA fans, we made it. The regular season has now come to an end and playoff basketball is here once again. Heading into this season, it seemed as if we were on a collision course for Cavaliers versus Warriors part four. However, a few trades, injuries and losing streaks later, here we are. While it’s still very possible for both teams to make the Finals, it’ll be a bit harder this year than in years previous.
In the East, the Cavaliers finished the year as a fourth seed. Could this hole be too big for LeBron James to lead his team out of? They caught a lucky break with Kyrie Irving’s injury, but the Sixers and the Raptors are no slouches. Despite the inexperience of the Philadelphia squad and the upsetting past of Toronto, it’ll take a lot for Cleveland to get back to the Finals for a fourth consecutive year.
On the other side of things, the West is filled with competition for the Warriors. With injuries impacting the team’s performance all season, the Houston Rockets stole the show and ran away with the league’s best regular season record. The Trail Blazers are hot, the Thunder are dangerous and there’s always the possibility of an upset. After all, anything can happen.
Other than playoff news, there were a few intriguing things going on around the league. A few teams now have head coaching vacancies, a debate has turned public between two RotY candidates and a 10-year G League veteran — Andre Ingram — dropped 19 points in his NBA debut. Here are five things you may have missed from around the NBA this week.