Ben Kuchipudi’25 & Jake Ruderman’26, Sports Editors

The NBA regular season has officially come to a close, meaning each team is locked into their current seed and will either be in the playoffs, the play-in, or Cancun. 

First, let’s look at the East. The Celtics, Knicks, Bucks, Cavaliers, Magic, and Pacers have clinched the postseason, while the 76ers, Heat, Bulls, and Hawks have to battle in the play-in for the seventh and eighth seeds. The regular season is over, but the fun is just getting started in the NBA.

The Boston Celtics have been locked into the first seed for about a month right now, and even though they have had some bad losses in that span, it was clear they weren’t playing at 100% with home court advantage already clinched. Their 64-18 record is their best since 2008, when they won their 17th title. They have been close to number 18, but they haven’t been able to get over the hump. If there was any year for the Celtics to finally break through and get that Larry O’Brien, it’s this year. Jayson Tatum and Co. will be facing the winner of the 8/9 play-in game, which takes place later this week. 

The New York Knicks, despite losing Julius Randle for the season and OG Anunoby missing 30 games, have found themselves with 50 wins and the second seed to finish off their best season in 11 years. Jalen Brunson has been on another level this season and will surely be an All-NBA First Team member with some MVP votes. The supporting cast for the Knicks has been amazing too, with fellow Villanova Wildcats Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo having career years. It has been a special season for the Knicks so far, and they will play the winner of the Sixers/Heat play-in game Wednesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks have looked shaky this year to say the least, finishing with a 49-33 record and the third seed in the East. They have gone 19-20 in the Doc Rivers era and there is a cloud of uncertainty over their heads. Their opponent is no one to glance over either, as the Indiana Pacers have had Milwaukee’s number this year, going 4-1 against the Deer. This is the first postseason appearance in four years for the Pacers, and the upstart squad will look to upset their Central Division rival. Even though the Bucks have struggled, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are battle-tested, and the young Pacers will have their hands full even with winning the regular season series.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic wrap up the first round matchups, and it’s fitting that these teams play each other. Both were in contention for the second seed not even two weeks ago, but they lost key games down the stretch of the season and are on a crash course to play the Celtics in the second round. For the Magic, they weren’t expected to make much noise this year, but breakout seasons from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner led to wins for them, 47 to be exact, so they are playing with house money right now. The Cavs however have much more at stake. They disappointed last year losing 4-1 to the Knicks in the first round, and if they bow out early again, it wouldn’t be surprising if Donovan Mitchell requests a trade with a year remaining on his contract.

For the play-in, the Atlanta Hawks will travel to Chicago to play the Bulls in the 9/10 game. Both teams were in the same spot last year, with Atlanta beating the Heat to secure the 7th seed and the Bulls losing to Miami in the 8/9 game. If I’m being honest, these teams are a tier below the Sixers and Heat, and the winner of this game is bound to get knocked by one of those teams.

The Sixers and the Heat will face off for the 7th seed on Wednesday in a de facto playoff game, and both teams could cause problems for the top two seeds. The Sixers missed Joel Embiid for over two months, and have the best win percentage in the league with him on the court, while Miami as we all know made a run to the Finals as the 8th seed behind another year of Playoff Jimmy Butler. These teams are better than play-in teams, and the Celtics and Knicks won’t have a freebee in the first round.

Now, let’s look at the West. The #7 seeded Pelicans will be hosting the #8 seeded Lakers for what should be a gritty, defensive-oriented matchup, with the winner advancing to play the #2 seed Denver Nuggets. While either team could consider blowing the game to avoid the juggernaut Nuggets in the first round, it seems highly unlikely and ultimately too risky. While the Lakers may have the star power of Lebron James and Anthony Davis, the Pelicans are sneakily one of the deepest, best defensive teams in the league; if Zion Williamson can continue his recent dominant play, the Pelicans will have a real shot to snatch the #7 seed. It is also worth mentioning that these two teams just played in the final game of the regular season, and the Lakers ran them out of the gym.

As for the #9 vs. #10 game, the Kings will be hosting the Warriors in a one-game, winner-take-all rematch of last year’s first round playoff series. The Warriors have the veteran star power, with an older, but still dangerous, version of their Hall of Fame ‘big three’ (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green). The Kings’ stars, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, are talented and young, but ultimately unproven. While the Kings started the season stronger, the Warriors have been more successful as of late; since Kings’ guard Malik Monk strained his MCL a few weeks ago, the Kings have struggled to make up for the loss of one of their marquis, crunch-time scorers – a noticeable disadvantage against an ultra-experienced opponent. 

The loser of the Pelicans vs. Lakers game will play the winner of the Kings vs. Warriors game for the #8 seed, although it’s too soon to predict that matchup. For whichever team prevails, the #1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder are ready and waiting for them. Either way, the West Play-In Tournament should be an exciting few games featuring some of the game’s biggest stars. 

Because of the uncertainty of the Play-In, it’s a little challenging to preview the #1 and #2 matchups, although we can discuss the teams themselves. The Oklahoma City Thunder secured the #1 seed on the final day of the regular season, finishing the year with a 57-25 record, and holding the tie-breaker over the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder had a phenomenal season, led by All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and supported by rookie Chet Holmgren’s and sophomore Jalen Williams’ stellar seasons. To top it off, their head coach, Mark Daigneault, just won the NBA’s Coach of the Year. The Thunder are young, frisky, and supremely talented, but very inexperienced. Whoever their first round opponent may be, the Thunder should make quick work of them (although Lebron always has the potential to make things interesting). 

The #2 seed Denver Nuggets also finished the year with a 57-25 record, but lost the tie-breaker to the Thunder. The Nuggets are the reigning NBA champions and the prohibitive Western Conference favorites, helmed by the likely 3-time MVP and reigning Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets are the favorites for a reason, and are, without a doubt, the safest bet to come out of the West; but, with All-star point guard Jamal Murray battling a knee injury over the last few weeks, anything is possible.

In the #3 vs. #6 matchup, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be taking on the Phoenix Suns. The Timberwolves were in a three-way tie for the #1 seed with just one game to go, but drew the short straw and ended up at #3, after losing their final contest, ironically, to the Suns. The Wolves sported the NBA’s best defense this past season, and certainly bring the defensive firepower to potentially counter one of the NBA’s more skilled offenses. The Wolves’ main questions revolve around all-star Karl Anthony Towns’ health status, and what level their young star, Anthony Edwards, will be able to ascend to. Edwards showed serious flashes of making the leap from star to superstar this past season, and a powerful playoff performance could cement his status. For the Suns, this past season was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride; their incredibly top-heavy team has looked elite when healthy, but their lack of depth and defense is very concerning for their playoff chances. That being said, all it takes is for one or two of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Grayson Allen to get hot, for the Suns to outscore any opponent at any time – this series should be an absolute blast.

Finally, the #4 seed Los Angeles Clippers are taking on the #5 seed Dallas Mavericks. In what will be their third first round matchup in the last five years, the Mavs and Clippers have come to know each other quite well. The Clippers emerged victorious back in 2020 and 2021, but since then, both teams have reshaped their rosters, save for their star players – over the last few years, the Mavs have added All-NBA guard Kyrie Irving, and the Clippers have added future Hall of Famers James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The real story of this matchup, however, will be the superstar battle between Kawhi Leonard and Luka Doncic. Kawhi’s ability to save his best for the playoffs has achieved mixed results in the last few years, with a few impressive performances in the midst of general disappointment. Meanwhile, Luka’s skill set has continually improved, culminating this past year in arguably his best season yet. If Luka is able to channel his best game, the Mavs should be able to get by the Clippers with ease; but, the Clippers’ veterans won’t go down without a fight, especially with their career reputations on the line.

Featured Image courtesy of Delbarton Athletics.