It has been preached for years at the top of the Olympic tower for years and, finally, the NBA can open its eyes because it was not a dream.
“82 games, 82 games, 82 games” – whether commissioner Adam Silver, assistant commissioner Mark Tatum or executive vice -president Joe Dumars, these words continued. And they were treated. Whether it is the NFL style parity, the money so wanted it to materialize in the regular season and not just the championship tour, or the simple madness of team construction, the last week of the NBA season was downright chaotic.
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The last day delivered a thriller in overtime Between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, while the Clippers, who won 124-119, continued their silent resurgence in the last two months, ending with 50 victories to equalize the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets for the third in the West.
The Clippers started to be the neglected stepson of a franchise after years not to meet high expectations, and yet they have been tracking everyone since Kawhi Leonard returned to finish the season with revenge.
This is what happens when so much attention is extended to other places, then increased by some of the wildest and most unexpected decisions in the history of the NBA. The Nuggets – The Clippers opponent in the first round – cleaned up their best decision -makers with only days remaining in the regular season, dismissing head coach Michael Malone and director general Calvin Booth.
They surpassed the audacity of Memphis' grizzly greeks, who dismissed head coach Taylor Jenkins a short period before, perhaps a sign of parity creating unrealistic expectations for franchises that felt stuck. Not stuck in the dreaded field to be good but not good enough, or the common ground of the bad but not terrible enough for a leading choice, but 50 good victories – which is apparently a base when the contenders in the championship.
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We assume that the beauty of this NBA season is found. The Warriors sprout around 50 victories before spraying in the last week, leaving a shock to the spurs of San Antonio to the lottery and to be sent to the game tournament due to the defeat against the Clippers.
So, even if it is conceivable, the warriors of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler meet the Luka Dončić -Lebron James version (or reverse that) of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Round 2 – a Bonanza of notes – it is also possible to miss the game in total after -season.
All due to 82 games, 82 games, 82 games.
Last season, the seeded was not determined before the last day, when the Oklahoma City Thunder beat Dallas – beating the Mavs, in fact, to follow the rhythm of the Denver Nuggets at 57-25 and take first place on an equality break. It is funny as it did not matter, to beat, because Dallas demanded the victory that counted in the second round, upsetting thunder in six.
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These three best seeds were separated by a match. This time, the mud was in the middle and, therefore, all the more convincing.
Each evening, I had the impression that the games had enormous implications in the playoff series, each evening, it seemed that the classification was a hearing impaired. The teams could not afford to relax for long sections because the objects in Mirror were much closer than they seemed.
It was an entertaining but exhausting finish for the regular season, and the question remains: who has endurance, energy to win at another level after two full months of basketball and participations in the qualifiers?
These booming warriors, 23-8 after exchanging for Butler, were in play territory before making their movement – and they are still there after, but as a much more dangerous team. They will indicate a defeat at the beginning of March against the Nuggets without Nikola Jokić as one for lamentation, as well as that aforementioned to the Spurs which perhaps prevented them from claiming perhaps the third seed and the advantage of the field.
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The Clippers, thereafter, 18-3 in their last 21 and winners of their last eight, can indicate the return of Leonard as a catalyst, James Harden keeping them afloat in the meantime. Impossible in Nitpick, but their defeat of 103-101 against Oklahoma City at the end of March stands out, a match that Leonard did not play.
The Lakers apparently released three different teams this season-their team from LeBron James-Anthony Davis who was good but who did not feel well, then the post-commerce team that has not yet included Dončić who was a defense terror because the Lakers had to be, and finally, this fully formed team that seems ready for a stay race.
They survived to lose seven out of 10 in the last month without capsizing fully, largely because of this fortified defense and a coach of JJ Redick, who will not have much love of the year's coach but will probably be recognized as one of the high level tacticians of the game before too long.
It is impossible not to go through lulls and spells for 82 games. It is natural for everyone, but a real test is in the endurance, in the flexibility of the lists, and to build enough positive equity to pass through the inevitable disorder that you came to you.
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This is how the Nuggets obtained at least one series of home land, this is how the Boston Celtic Champion resisted more injuries this year than the game of last year and nevertheless emerged with 61 victories – three shorter than last season. The Celtics feel like a sensible selection to return to June, even if they will not have a series at home against the Cleveland riders if the two meet in the Eastern final.
This courage is the way in which the Indiana Pacers have passed more than 40 strips to win 50, like the forgotten milwaukee bunks which have rarely been completely healthy since he won a championship in 2021, but has a healthy Giannis antetokounmpo for once in the playoffs. They simply will not have the services of Damian Lillard to start, because he is still recovering from a blood clot. A revenge match of the first round series of last year with the Pacers could be as convincing as everything we saw in the West, but it will not pay much attention to start.
Oklahoma City and Cleveland have reached the best places in their respective conferences, but none enter the playoffs while anyone who is the big and the bad tyrant. They did the best job to keep the course and, above all, overlooking a stable competition for the whole season.
Some believe that the calendar is too long, but it defines the table for the most important period of the year. And although it seems very unusual, so many teams have been the subject of blows and removing the illusion of connective tissue from one year to the next, what was born is the intrigue.
All this will be paid in the coming weeks.
Sleep well – if you can.
