The Western Conference 8-Seed Madness
So with the impending return of basketball, hopefully on July 31st, the big question is how will it all work? Is every team going to be invited back? Will the NBA only invite teams who have a chance at making the playoffs? What does that mean for the Western Conference?
The Eastern Conference playoff race is pretty set at this point. Teams like the Wizards, Hornets, and Bulls technically still have a chance at making the playoffs, but in reality the eight teams in the current playoff bracket are the teams who would have made it otherwise. The real issue is that of the Western Conference eight seed. As of this moment, the Grizzlies hold a 3.5 game lead on the nine-seeded Blazers, with the Pelicans, Kings, and Spurs not far behind them. I’ve seen suggestions of bringing back the whole NBA and having the 7-15 seeds play a tournament to get into the playoffs, but the idea I am most interested in is having the aforementioned Western Conference teams be invited back with the chance at securing the eight seed. That being said, I wanted to go over this scenario in terms of who I’d most want to see in the playoffs, what it would mean to each team, and what team would have the best chance against the Lakers.
Memphis Grizzlies
I think out of all the teams, Memphis deserves it the most. They’ve been the best team out of the bunch, as shown by the current standings, and are one of my favorite young teams to watch. Seeing Ja Morant lead his team to the playoffs as a rookie would be a crazy feat. Donovan Mitchell is the last guy I can think of who led his team to a playoff spot as a rookie, but it’s not really the same because he had Rudy and a developed team around him. Ja is running with a super young core and still doing this. A trio of Ja, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brandon Clarke is one that can be a perennial playoff team for the foreseeable future if they can develop well together. Add Dillion Brooks, Justise Winslow, and an veteran in Jonas Valanciunas, and Memphis has a core to really build on. I’d absolutely love to see Ja in the playoffs, because in my opinion he’s by far one of the most exciting players to watch nowadays. As for taking down the Lakers, I don’t think they’d have too much of a chance at doing so, but it would be a fun series to watch.
Portland Trailblazers
I really want Dame to make the playoffs. He’s, in my opinion, one of the best playoff performers in the NBA right now, and out of everyone, I feel as though the Blazers would have the best chance to take down the Lakers. Now, I don’t think they actually would, but they would have the best chance just because they have Damian Lillad. Who’s going to guard him? I mean they could stick LeBron on him I suppose, but they just don’t have a great matchup for Dame. If the Blazers were a better team this year, Lillard would easily be in MVP conversations, but injuries and overall struggles have killed them. I just love watching him play. I think pushing into the eight seed wouldn’t mean as much for the Blazers as some of the younger teams looking for playoff experience, but it would make for a great series. It will be intriguing to see what the NBA does, though, because Lillard has been on the record saying he won’t play unless the Blazers have a real chance at making the playoffs.
New Orleans Pelicans
Ever since Zion Williamson returned and set fire to the league, the Pelicans have been one of the most exciting teams to watch in the whole league, right up there with the Grizzlies. Brandon Ingram was an All-Star this year, and has made huge strides as a scorer. Out of all the teams represented here, I think the Pelicans have the best chance at taking down the Grizzlies for the eight seed. If Zion had been playing the whole year, I think the Pelicans would have been a playoff team in the first place. This would also be the best possible playoff series to watch. Seeing the two teams involved in possibly the biggest trade this past year square off in the first round of the playoffs would be insane. I don’t think the Pelicans would win the series, but if they could even just take one game I think it would make the NBA world go crazy. It would mean a lot for these young dudes to get some playoff experience, too.
Sacramento Kings
The fact that the Kings are even in the race for the playoffs is insane considering their terrible start to the year. Last year they were so close, but just missed out and then made some questionable signings in free agency in what I assume was an attempt to bolster the roster for a playoff season. Unfortunately, the players they signed did not turn out to be the assets they were hoping for, and a majority got traded at the deadline or before. Now, they are back in the hunt with a promising young core of Fox and Bagley. This would mean so much to not only the team, but the entire fanbase as well. The Kings have been out of the playoffs ever since the 2005-2006 season, making it a whopping 12 year drought, with a chance to make it 13. That’s awful. If Fox and company can bring this team back to playoff basketball, even if they were to get swept in the first round by the Lakers, it would be an amazing feat.
San Antonio Spurs
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the Kings, the Spurs are looking to continue a streak of making the playoffs every year since the 1997-1998 season. Gregg Popovich is one of the best coaches of all time, if not the best, but in my opinion this team needs to start a rebuild. They have the pieces to get it done in a few years with Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, and maybe even Luka Samanic or Keldon Johnson, but it’s hard when you have such an amazing coach at the end of his career. Obviously the Spurs want to get the most they can out of Popovich’s last years, but they just don’t have the team to annually compete in the playoffs right now. If the Spurs ended up getting the playoff spot, I think it would be my least favorite potential series to watch in all honesty. The type of basketball they play just isn’t the most entertaining to watch, and they’d also probably get swept by the Lakers.
Overall, if I had to put the teams in order of who I’d want to make the playoffs it’d be the Pelicans, then Grizzlies, then Blazers, then Kings, then Spurs. That’s tough for me to say, too, because I love Damian Lillard. I just think having a younger, more exciting team in the playoffs would be more fun to watch, even though they might not put up as much of a fight. I just want some playoff basketball in my life. July 31st can’t come soon enough.
