5 Questions That Will Finally Be Answered When The NBA Starts Again
When the NBA season was first put on pause, I was pretty hopeful that we’d only be missing a week or two of basketball. However, with each passing week, it started to feel like we were never going to get a chance to see how the season would have ended. Now it looks like we’ll finally get the closure we were looking for when the league resumes in Orlando at the end of July. How will it work? I have no clue. But here are some questions I’m glad will finally get answered.
Which Injured Players Have Enough Time To Return?
If everything had gone according to plan, we likely would be watching the NBA Finals at this very moment. That means there would have been plenty of big name players who would have missed out on the playoffs completely. But now with the extra time, are there any key players who could return and give their team a potential postseason push? Portland is currently on the outside looking in, but they could have both of their injured big men in Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic back and ready to go when the season resumes. There’s also talk of the Lakers bringing back DeMarcus Cousins, which could be a big move in a stacked Western Conference.
Who Will Be The Last Teams In The Playoffs?
Instead of jumping right into the playoffs, the NBA decided to give some teams a little extra time to fight their way into the postseason. If you ask me, it doesn’t really matter in the East because the 8 seed will likely get stomped by Milwaukee in the first round. But it’s a completely different story in the West. Ja Morant has had a phenomenal rookie season and Zion Williamson has looked explosive when he’s healthy, so it will be interesting to see if either of them could lead their team to the playoffs in their first season. But if I had to bet on one team sneaking in, it would be the Trailblazers, who could be a tough match-up for whoever they face in the first round.
Will LA Win It All?
Los Angeles has two major contenders this year, so I’m not just being a homer when I say there’s a good chance the trophy comes back to La La Land. The real question is, which team has a better shot? The Clippers lead the season series 2–1, but the Lakers took the latest match-up just 2 days after taking down Giannis and the Bucks. So who has the better shot at making a big playoff run? It really depends on who you ask (and if you ask me, it’s Lakers all day, baby!). All we can do is hope these two teams have a chance to meet in the playoffs and settle the score on the court.
How Far Can The Rockets Go?
James Harden has been an absolute beast since joining the Rockets in 2012, claiming two scoring titles and one MVP award in 2018. However, he’s only had one real playoff run during his stay in Houston. I wasn’t sure how he’d play with another ball handler like Russell Westbrook, but they’ve made a pretty great 1–2 punch this season and it’ll be interesting to see how they do once the postseason starts. It’s hard to imagine a duo more starved for an NBA Championship, and with a stacked Western Conference, it would be very impressive if this was the year they finally pulled it off.
How Far Will The Raptors Go Without Kawhi?
Not many people expected Kawhi to stay after winning a title in Toronto, so the real question was how will the Raptors look without him? Pascal Siakam has been a monster all year and the team has cemented itself as one of the top contenders in the conference. That being said, the East is looking pretty thin this season, and even if the Raptors breeze through their first round, it will be interesting to see what happens if they have to match up against teams like Milwaukee or Boston. Or better yet, who will hit a dramatic buzzer beater if they go up against Philly again?
