Minnesota loses Karl Anthony-Towns to meniscus tear: Are their playoff lives in jeopardy?
The Timberwolves have been one of the best teams in the NBA all year but an injury at an unfortunate time puts their title hopes at risk. Timberwolves All-Star Karl Anthony Towns recently suffered a left meniscus injury and will be revaluated in a month putting his return to the court and the Timberwolves playoff chances in jeopardy. A major part of winning a championship is being lucky when it comes to avoiding injuries to key players. With the Timberwolves now facing their toughest test of the season due to Towns' injury they will rely heavily on their star guard Anthony Edwards to carry the load in his absence
Minnesota has lost back to back games causing them to slip to the third seed in the West but the situation could even get worse as they face the Clippers on Tuesday. They also will take on the defending champion Nuggets twice in the month of March who are looking to reclaim the first seed in the West. With a highly competitive western conference even a small losing streak could make all the difference for any of the contending teams in the West. The Timberwolves will look to avoid dropping in the standings but if Towns is unable to come back fully health their playoff run could be short lived.
Are the Magic the most underrated playoff team in the East?
The Orlando Magic have flown under the radar for most of the season despite all of their young talent especially former #1 overall pick Paolo Banchero. Orlando currently has their best team since the Dwight Howard era as they sit at the fifth seed in the East with a 37-28 record. A major reason for their turnaround this season has been due to the 3rd ranked defense which could make them a tough matchup come playoff time.
Orlando is easily the most underrated playoff team as they sit just a half game behind the Knicks from starting the playoffs with home court advantage. With their first time All-Star Paolo Banchero already looking like a franchise player due to his excellent season averaging 22.9 points per game the Magic will be a fun team to watch in the playoffs. When you consider the injuries to several of the contending teams in the East such as the Sixers and Knicks the fact they have an overall healthy roster makes them an even more underrated playoff threat.
Milwaukee starting to hit their stride: Are they the biggest threat to the Celtics?
Milwaukee appears to have started to hit their stride winning seven of their last nines games since the All star break. The most impressive part of their recent success has been more than just their wins as their defensive improvement has been a huge factor to why they look like a different team. In their seven wins post All-Star break they have allowed 110 points or fewer in 6 of those games. Their lack of defense was a primary detractor from them looking like a true championship contender but now the East appears to be a two horse race between the Celtics and Bucks.
The Celtics have a commanding eight game lead over the 2nd seeded Bucks but with Tatum's recent shortcomings in the clutch against the Cavaliers and Nuggets is why the Bucks could be their biggest threat. Not only has the Bucks defense improved enough to keep up with the Celtics highly potent offense but they also have one of the most clutch players in NBA history in Damian Lillard. Giannis has also been more consistent playoff performer in his career than Tatum which makes a seemingly inevitable Conference Finals matchup a tougher pick than initially expected due to the Bucks recent play. Boston is still the best team in the East but as thing currently stand the Bucks are clearly their biggest obstacle to the Celtics goal of returning to the NBA Finals.
Game of the week- D'Angelo Russell takes over in Lebron's absence dropping a season high 44 points including 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers to a 123-122 victory
Comments