The NBA playoffs have kicked off and while Tucson doesn’t have a pro team, Arizona will still be represented this spring. Andre Igoudala and the Golden State Warriors are trying to repeat, while Stanley Johnson and the Detroit Pistons are looking to spring an upset over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Every team in the playoffs is hoping someone can knock off Golden State because the Warriors are the overwhelming favorites to take home the title again. Here is a look at the most intriguing storylines in this year’s NBA postseason.
Are the Warriors the greatest NBA team ever?
Despite going 67-15 last year and winning the title, many gave Golden State flack due to injuries to numerous key players. This year, the Warriors took the league by storm with a 24-0 start to the season and never looked back.
They broke the record for most wins in a season at 73-9 and could go down as one of the greatest teams in sports. Star point guard Stephen Curry is having a monster year with another MVP award coming his way along with a scoring title and a chance to win back-to-back titles.
He tweaked his ankle in the Warriors blowout win over the Houston Rockets, so the Warriors may be vulnerable if he is not at 100 percent. Still, the Warriors continued to demolish Houston without Curry, so they should not run him too hard in these upcoming games.
The 67-win San Antonio Spurs beating Golden State would be a huge upset, but even that seems unlikely.
Is Lebron James to the NBA Finals inevitable again?
Every year since 2011, James has had a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference and that might not change this year. Be it the Derrick Rose-led Bulls, the big three in Boston or Paul George in the Indiana Pacers, James and the Cavs or Heat steamroll through the Eastern Conference.
Last year’s Atlanta Hawks went 60-22 before getting swept by Cleveland and there might not be an Eastern team capable of beating James this year. The Miami Heat might be the best bet in stopping him, but even that seems like a stretch.
Chris Bosh will be unavailable to the Heat and they have nobody to match the scoring of James and Kyrie Irving.
What will happen to Kevin Durant?
Despite being the second-best player in the world and having superstar Russell Westbrook as a teammate, the Thunder are flying under the radar this postseason. While it is championship or best for the Thunder, few have them going that far as they are expected to fall in the second round to the San Antonio Spurs.
With Durant’s ability to leave this offseason, a ton of pressure is put on Oklahoma City to win it all or at least show Durant this is his best possible situation. The Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards and even the Warriors have been brought up as possible scenarios, but Oklahoma City might be the best location.
The Lakers and Wizards both missed the playoffs while Golden State would have to gut its roster just to afford Durant.
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