The NBA season is long and grueling, at least according to the players who are worried about when they will be fitting in their load management days off! Jokes aside, we are starting to get down to the stretch run of the year now and all of the teams in the playoff mix are starting to round into form—or falling out of it fast!
Let’s take a look around the league at 10 of the top NBA contenders and identify five that can win the title and five that are pretenders!
Win the Title – Boston Celtics
It is looking like the two key offseason acquisitions that the Boston Celtics made, snagging Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to stack alongside their homegrown stars, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, are really paying off.
The C’s are more well-rounded than they have ever been with the two aforementioned acquisitions providing some variance in skillset offensively and a major shot in the arm defensively. Boston has emerged as a serious favorite to win the title and if the rest of the league isn’t careful, we might see the C’s steamroll the rest of the competition.
Pretender – Milwaukee Bucks
While the Milwaukee Bucks are never fully out of contention for as long as they have Giannis Antetokounmpo on their squad—and they have remained a top team in the East, the first season with Damian Lillard in town hasn’t exactly gone as planned. In fact, there have been some major chinks in the armor that have since revealed themselves, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
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And once you factor in the organizational turmoil with the Bucks having had to made a midseason coaching change already, well, let’s just say there’s serious reason to believe that they won’t be hoisting the trophy this year.
Win the Title – Miami Heat
We saw last season showed us a lot about how Jimmy Butler and this Miami Heat team or wired. The No. 8 seeded Miami Heat knocked off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, then a scrappy fifth-seeded New York Knicks team, not to mention the second-seeded Boston Celtics to make the finals. It turns out, it doesn’t really matter how Spoelstra’s team plays during the regular season, as long as they are ultimately trending in the right direction towards the end of it. They are as professional of an organization as there is and as long as they get in, they have a chance at making a deep run and taking it home.
Pretender – Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves may be sitting atop the Western Conference standings (as they have been for most of the regular season but a lot of experts aren’t sold on their validity as true championship contenders. There is no denying that they have looked really good this year, led by Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns, and while Edwards has really come into his own this year, averaging somewhere around 26 points per game, this team is way too inexperienced to make a deep run this year.
Win the Title – Oklahoma City Thunder
While it has been the emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that put the Thunder back on the map post-Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook era, the brass in Oklahoma City have done a really impressive job of putting together a complementary and dynamic team around him. One key acquisition that has shined so far this season is Chet Holmgren. He is the first rookie in league history to make 100 three-pointers and block 100 shots in the same season. The unique skillset that Holmgren and Shai have opens up so many possibilities for the Thunder offensively.
That is not to say that this group hasn’t also shined on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, OKC has a top-five offensive and defensive rating and there is serious reason to believe that despite their youth, they could make a legitimate title run.
Pretender – Los Angeles Clippers
This may be far and away the best that this iteration of the Los Angeles Clippers have looked as a group, however, them making an actual title run is still a bit of a pipe dream. Yes, James Harden has looked great over the past couple of months after a rough start to his Clippers tenure, but are you really willing to bet the farm on him to raise his game—or at a minimum maintain this level—once the postseason comes around? To make matters worse, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the other two members of their big three aren’t exactly the pinnacle of health. There are serious injury concerns to consider when evaluating the Clippers title prospects.
Not to mention their play style. Los Angeles plays a ton of isolation ball on offense and though they have done well to date, that isn’t always the most sustainable strategy, especially come playoff time.
Win the Title – Cleveland Cavaliers
JB Bickerstaff has done a great job with that young Cavaliers team out in Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell has established himself as a true superstar for Cleveland and Jarrett Allen is playing his role at a legitimate all-star level. Now that Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are back at full strength too, this team could really start to shift into another gear.
Yes, Cleveland was a huge disappointment last year during the postseason when they were upended by the New York Knicks, but this group doesn’t look like the 2023 Cavs. The defense is more cohesive and they have way more rhythm offensively, making them a true threat to win it all.
Pretender – New York Knicks
The New York Knicks made a big move this season, bringing in O.G. Anunoby as part of the deal that jettisoned R.J. Barrett and Emmanuel Quickly out of town. Bojan Bogdanovic has also played a huge role on the team this season adding depth and scoring on the perimeter. Not to mention the fact that Jalen Brunson has truly arrived as a “franchise player.”
The only problem is—this is still a Tom Thibodeau-led team. Meaning they are punching above their weight class during the regular season and will run into trouble come playoff time. Oh, and their franchise guy is an undersized scorer, which doesn’t typically bode well once the postseason comes around, rotations shorten, and referees become stingier.
Win the Title – Denver Nuggets
Let’s face it, as long as Nikola Jokic is leading the way for the Denver Nuggets, they will always be a legitimate contender for a chip. The big man can score the basketball with ease and has a unique ability to rebound and pass the ball that few other players in the league possess. He is already a top-of-the-line scorer, but the man also creates so many opportunities for his teammates offensively.
Denver is hovering right around the top three in the Western Conference, but with their depth and recent championship pedigree, there is no doubt that they are for real. If Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. can stay healthy alongside him, this year’s Larry O’Brien Trophy may very well be Nikola and the Nuggets to lose!
Pretender – Los Angeles Lakers
It has been a tough season so far for the Los Angeles Lakers. They have managed to stay above .500 for most of the year and they currently sit firmly in the play-in game, but the level of consistency just hasn’t been there, despite their stars putting up some pretty impressive numbers on a nightly basis. LeBron James is averaging nearly 25, 7, and 8, which is ridiculous in his age-39 season, and Anthony Davis has had more than a few nights where he has looked like the best player in the world.
But for some reason, this team just can’t seem to put together any sort of consistency, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Without a major change there, they are destined for an early exit from contention this season.
