Analysis: Kevin Durant and LeBron James return to supercharge West playoff chase
, which comprises the seventh through 10th seeds in each conference, will run from April 11-14. In the tournament’s first game, the seventh seed plays the eighth seed, with the winner claiming the seventh seed in the final playoff bracket and facing the second seed in the first round. The ninth seed plays the 10th seed in a second game, with the loser being eliminated. Finally, the loser of the first game plays the winner of the second game in a do-or-die game to determine the eighth seed.
The races for the West’s fourth and sixth seeds are of particular interest this year. The Suns control their destiny when it comes to the No. 4 seed, which would give them home-court advantage in potential first-round dogfights with Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers or Stephen Curry’s Warriors. What’s more, finishing fourth would put Phoenix on the same side of the bracket as the top-seeded Nuggets, whom they eliminated in the second round of the 2021 playoffs.
Phoenix might represent the toughest stylistic matchup for Denver, which has struggled to defend perimeter-oriented offenses in past postseasons. Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul are skilled midrange operators capable of pulling Nuggets center Nikola Jokic away from the hoop, and Deandre Ayton, a physical and athletic center, succeeded in frustrating the two-time MVP during Phoenix’s four-game sweep in 2021.
Imagine this nightmare scenario for Jokic’s Nuggets: a first-round date with James’s Lakers, a second-round matchup with Durant’s Suns and a Western Conference finals showdown with Curry’s Warriors, all for the right to make their first Finals in franchise history. Not much of a reward for posting the NBA’s second-best offense this season.on Wednesday, face a similar dilemma if they claim the West’s third seed.
Though De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis were both worthy all-star selections, the Kings’ top-ranked offense is offset somewhat by their 24th-ranked defense — the worst mark among the 20 teams that are currently projected to make the playoffs and play-in tournament. That could be problematic, given that conventional wisdom suggests that experience and defense are key ingredients to playoff success.
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