Three of the most intriguing storylines going into the 2024 NBA Playoffs

The bracket is solidified. The stage is set. But which story will play out when the world is watching?

Humzah Shaikh
The Press Box
8 min readApr 18, 2024

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Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/mickeyardell/

The regular season is over.

For 82 games, these teams have fought long and hard for this. A chance to capture the coveted chalice of Larry O’Brien and be crowned NBA champions. For some hopefuls this could be their first taste of playoff competition, while others have been here for longer than some of us have been alive. For some it’s their first chance to reach the mountaintop of the league, whereas for others it may feel like their last chance. Regardless of all these perspectives, one thing is certain.

16 teams will leave everything out there on the court. But in the end, only one will be left standing on the hallowed hardwood and hoisting the ultimate prize.

With the first game of the playoffs due to begin on April 20, let’s take a look at three of the most intriguing storylines going into this year’s NBA playoffs.

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The sudden emergence of the Minnesota Timberwolves

Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/mickeyardell/

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute.

If someone had said at the start of this year’s regular season that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be just one game shy of having the best record in the Western Conference, would they have been taken seriously? I certainly wouldn’t have.

Yet here we are. The Minnesota Timberwolves are going into this year’s playoffs as the third seed and just one win shy of being tied for the best record in the Western Conference alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. Yet that is where the similarities end between these three teams, because when compared to Denver and Oklahoma, Minnesota is a radically different team.

For starters, the Timberwolves’ team doesn’t scream ‘title contender’ based on roster construction. Obviously Anthony Edwards is a star and the unquestioned best player on the team. Alongside him Karl Anthony Town and Rudy Gobert are notable in terms of name value, but prior to this season didn’t seem to make the imposing front court that Minnesota was hoping for when they gave up a haul for Gobert a few years ago. That being said, this year the one-two punch of Edwards and Towns has been an excellent one, while Gobert has once again been one of the league’s best defenders. The rest of the team is unremarkable in terms of raw numbers or name value, but it is a well constructed unit that can occasionally receive a lift from a number of players on the bench.

As flashy as Edwards may be, this team is a ‘grit and grind’ style team reminiscent of past defensive powerhouses. The timberwolves ended the season with the highest defensive rating in the league, in addition to being number one in terms of opponent points per game. While it may not be the most highlight-heavy team or most exciting to watch, the Timberwolves are an effective team and their record reflects that. You know what they say wins championships…

Unlike the Thunder and Nuggets who had slow and steady rises to the top, the Timberwolves have emerged from the woods, fangs bared and ready to take on anyone that finds themselves in their neck of the woods. While I don’t think they will win it all this year, I am fully prepared to be proven wrong. At the very least I can see the Timberwolves making it to the Western Conference Finals, barring anything unforeseen.

Can the Denver Nuggets go back to back?

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As one dynasty in the West seemingly comes to an end, another seems set to begin.

The Nuggets championship run last year marked the culmination of a long journey. From showing flashes of greatness in the 2020 bubble, before the heartbreaking injury and rehab of Jamal Murray, and the ascent of Nikola Jokić to greatest player in the world. All of these loose ends were tied up when Denver finally were crowned NBA champions last year. But while they celebrated, a question started to be whispered around the NBA landscape:

Can they do it again?

The Denver Nuggets this season have been largely the same as the team they were last year. The same core, same coaching, same winning record, and the same frustrating prospect for every opponent that finds themselves on the other side of the hardwood from them. On paper they seem like the most complete team in the league, and with no other team making any significant changes, one could resonably assume they could likely go back-to-back. Personally, I am one of those people. While they may not have the best record in the league (and we will address that soon enough in this very article), in my mind the Denver Nuggets are the best team in the NBA. From top to bottom, they are well constructed. On the floor they do everything to an either good to great standard. Simply put, they are a team with no Achilles Heel, and one hell of a spear in their star big man. But the NBA has shown us time and time again that ‘on paper’ means nothing when the game begins. All it takes is one twist of fate. One lucky bounce. One miracle shot to make all the difference.

If I had to predict a winner, I would go with the Denver Nuggets. But it’s for the aforementioned reasons I am glad that I am not a betting man.

Can the Denver Nuggets go back to back and estabalish themselves as the new dynasty in the league? We will have to watch and see.

The Last Chance for the Boston Celtics

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Time waits for no man.

For the last few years the Boston Celtics have been one of the best teams in the regular season. Every year they seem to be Finals bound at the very least. And every year they disappoint. After their much-ridiculed elimination last year at the hands of the Miami Heat, many of the Celtics’ fans have begun to lose patience. Meanwhile the rest of the NBA world have been looking at their watches, wondering how much time this team truly has left. A team can only remain stagnant for so long before changes are no longer optional but mandatory.

Last year the Celtics went through a fair deal of turmoil. With rumours swirling around trading Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant, the Celtics decided to stick with their core duo of Jayson Tatum and Brown. And once again, they would fall short of expectation, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat, a team that they frankly had no business losing to. A year removed from losing in the Finals against the resurgent Warriors, the Celtics appeared to be stopped even shorter. In free agency, the team also had options. Rather than make a big move or attempt to change things up, they would not only elect to bet on the team as constructed, but they would double down. As of now, Jaylen Brown is the highest paid player in the entire league. Yes you read that right. Above MVP and champion Nikola Jokić, above previous MVP Joel Embiid. Hell, he’s not even the best player on his team, that being his running mate Tatum. Yet he has commanded the highest price tag in the history of the NBA. In my mind, there are only a few players worthy of such a large contract, and Jaylen Brown currently is not one of them.

And if that sounds harsh, you might want to stop reading now.

Last year the 76ers felt like they were finally ready to ‘complete the process’ they had begun a decade ago, only to once again disappoint. Since then I no longer view them as a true title contender. They’re not a bad team. But they’re no longer one I believe in will ever win a championship, in its current form. And the Celtics are in danger of going down that same route. They have gone all in on Tatum, Brown, and Co. This year they had the best record in the league. To be blunt, as long as they stay healthy they have no more damn excuses. I don’t see them winning the title this year regardless. But at bare minimum, they need to not only make the NBA Finals this year, but they need to push whoever comes out of the West to a hard fought series to prove they are a championship caliber team. If they lose, I will not be entertaining any cop-outs. No ‘Tatum and/or Brown didn’t perform to the best of their abilities,’ no ‘blame it on coaching,’ no ‘the opponent got lucky.’ None. Of. That

You are either a championship team. Or you are not.

I am not a hyperbolic sports fan by any means. Those of you who have been following my work for a year know that I do not make grandiose projections or exaggerated claims. I tell the stories of the league as I see them unfold, but I don’t make fabrications or unwarranted embellishments. So believe me when I say this: if the Boston Celtics fold this year, I would look into tearing this team down and rebuilding immediately. I will not be considering them a genuine contender from this point on. And I damn sure will no longer view Tatum and Brown as some of the best players in the league. They’ll still be good sure, but there is a big difference between ‘good’ and ‘great.’ This is the make-or-break year. Will the Celtics finally reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or will the luck of the Irish run out along with the remaining sand in the hourglass?

I certainly have my predictions…

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Humzah Shaikh
The Press Box

Professional Unpaid Writer. Specializes in storytelling. Loves basketball, humour, writing advice and original stories. 1 time top NBA writer