Paul George finally lives up to 'Play-off P', Phoenix Suns win it all: Way-too-early play-off predictions
Five bold predictions ahead of the NBA post-season, which tips off with the brand new Play-In Tournament in May
Monday 19 April 2021 13:40, UK
We're a little over a month away from the start of the Play-In Tournament, which sees the seventh through 10th seeds in each conference battle it out for the final two play-off spots.
With that in mind, let's get ahead ourselves and start making some bold, possibly ill-advised, predictions for the NBA post-season.
As always, expect it to be pure theatre from start to finish, with spills, thrills and three-point drills that will live long in the memory. One disclaimer: it's impossible to predict what will happen, so do take these prognoses with a Boban Marjanovic-sized heap of salt.
Let's begin, shall we?
The return of 'Play-off P'
Much of last season's play-off aftermath fell squarely onto Paul George's shoulders, like he was the Wile E Coyote watching a piano descend from the sky in a Looney Tunes cartoon. While neither he nor Kawhi Leonard shot the ball particularly well throughout the Clippers' post-season run (both were under 33 per cent from three), it was Game 7 in the second round that things really came crashing down.
George scored 10 points on 25 per cent shooting, failed to score at all in the fourth quarter and also hit the side of the backboard with one infamous three-point attempt from the corner. Leonard also played poorly, putting up just 14 points for 6-22 from the field, but managed to escape much of the derision directed at his team-mate.
This is in part George's own fault, having confidently deemed himself 'Playoff P' ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder's first-round match-up against the Utah Jazz in 2018. Describing 'Playoff P', George said: "It's a fun guy to watch. It's an out-of-body person where I just lock in and put myself in a different zone."
People have a short memory but the internet doesn't, quickly rebranding George 'Pandemic P' on the back of the Clippers' ignominious Game 7 performance.
To his credit, George has spoken very publicly about battling mental health issues during the Orlando bubble last season and this time around seems in a much better place, both physically and mentally.
He appears to have put a persistent toe injury behind him and is thriving for the Clippers recently, averaging 33 points, six rebounds and six assists whilst shooting 51 per cent from deep over his last six games.
Whatever the memes might say, George is an unbelievable player. Given the way he is playing at the moment, and the monumental size of the chip on his shoulder, expect him to carry this red-hot form into the post-season, shoot the lights out and put the haters to bed in the process.
Warriors come through the Play-In Tournament, cause a ruckus in first round
This is a simple one. I believe in Steph Curry the same way that I believe in gravity, and that it will inevitably rain in Britain whenever you try and organise a barbecue.
He's a kind of universal truth at this point, just a ridiculous player capable of doing ridiculous things whenever he steps foot on the court.
This season, despite the Warriors existing in a weird state of flux, Curry has been the one constant, performing at an MVP level seemingly because he has no choice but to with this haphazard roster around him.
Over his last nine games, please let me just pause for a moment here, Curry has averaged: 38 points, six rebounds, four assists, 55 per cent FG and 47 per cent on three-pointers. Those are absolutely absurd numbers whichever way you look at it and a timely reminder that he is still one of the best players in the league.
Last week he poured in 53 points (needing only 18) to become the Warriors' all-time leading scorer. He then followed that up with 42 in only three quarters during a complete and total demolition of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As if that wasn't enough, on Saturday night Curry had his third game with over 10 three-pointers in five days, dropping 47 during a narrow loss to the Celtics.
For context, Curry now has 20 such games in his career. The next highest is Klay Thompson with five. Damian Lillard and James Harden have only three - a feat Steph achieved during the last week alone.
All this to say that even though Golden State have very little beyond Curry and the all-round heady play of Draymond Green, his impossible talent will carry them through the Play-In Tournament and into the play-offs proper, where he will push either the Phoenix Suns or Utah Jazz to six or seven games.
Those two teams have far deeper rosters than the Warriors and will ultimately prevail but even so, Steph alone is enough to make it more of a contest than either would like.
LeBron and AD rush back in time but the Lakers don't repeat
The Los Angeles Lakers have managed to tread water in the West during the ongoing absence of their superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and while James' time away from the court has dragged on longer than expected, you can bet he will back right on cue when the post-season is about to begin.
Perhaps more concerning is the physical condition and sharpness of Davis, who has been inactive since mid-February, when he finally does return for the Lakers. Davis has been cleared for full on-court activity, suggesting he will suit up at some point during the next week, although not during Monday night's rematch against the Jazz.
As we saw with Kevin Durant on Sunday, who left Brooklyn's game against Miami in the first quarter with a thigh contusion and didn't return, players are finding it difficult to stay consistently healthy this season. Part of that is due to the hectic schedule, which has never been formatted with the limits of the human anatomy in mind and was compressed even further this year.
It may well be the pessimist in me talking, but given AD has spent so much time out, another niggle, pull or tweak could be just around the corner.
Should that happen, they won't come through the West with the Clippers, Suns and Jazz all healthier and with more momentum heading into the post-season. For LeBron the extended rest is beneficial, but it will be extremely tough for Davis to get fully back up to speed - without any setbacks - over the next month.
Sixers win the East
Linked to the above, it's difficult to envisage the Brooklyn Nets winning the Eastern Conference given how few games Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden have shared.
The 'Big Three' have played only seven times together, winning five of those. While that bodes well, and three superstars with the talent level of Irving, Durant and Harden will find that chemistry and on-court understanding comes easy (not least because of their friendships off the court), ultimately it will mean they come up short.
Why? It's as simple as the fact that the Sixers' own three stars have been together longer and have the kind of shared experience that goes a long way in the play-offs. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are in their fourth season playing together (fifth if you include Simmons' injured rookie year), Tobias Harris has played alongside them since February 2019.
All three were on the court when Kawhi Leonard's miracle shot bounced, bounced, bounced and dropped in for the Toronto Raptors in Game Seven of the conference semi-finals. That pain will count for something. While the Nets are still ironing out the creases, the Sixers are the most well-oiled machine in the East. Even more than that: they'll be far hungrier when push finally does come to shove.
... And the Suns win it all
Nobody wants the Jazz to win (outside of Utah). In fact, nobody even expects the Jazz to win (including Utah). Yet, they remain the best team in the league. A wise man would simply plump for them, right?
The problem is, hot on their tails are the Phoenix Suns, who have a few clear advantages over their Western Conference counterparts. The first is their away record, a league-best 17-7. Come the playoffs, and with only limited numbers of fans in attendance, the fact that they can stroll into any arena in the country and earn a win should pay dividends. Let's not forget their 8-0 run in last season's bubble, either.
Then there's Chris Paul. I'll put it bluntly: Chris Paul is too good a player to retire without a ring. He is on par with Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton and Karl Malone as one of the greatest ever without a title.
Paul is one of the most fierce competitors in the league's history and will do everything he can to push this Suns roster to a chip given the season they've had so far. With Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton alongside him, this may well represent his last true opportunity. Expect him to put it all on the line, and put up some ridiculous stat lines along the way, likely knowing it's now or never.
The same goes for Booker, who will be appearing in his first post-season since entering the league. Given the huge shots Booker has already made through his career, along with that Kobe-esque 70-point game against the Boston Celtics in 2017, it's hard not to imagine him immediately thriving under the bright lights of the play-offs.
There's no clear favourite given the Nets' and Lakers' injury woes and any number of teams could meet in the finals, but ultimately the narrative of the 'Point God' earning his first ring on this unlikely contender is impossible to resist.
Let's see what happens once all the chaos and the carnage ensues in May.
