The Phoenix Suns; fresh from their stunning appearance in the NBA Finals last time around; have continued their upwards trajectory. Buoyed by the play of veteran Chris Paul and the scoring ability of Devin Booker; they have finished the Regular Season with the best record in the NBA and will be looking to go one better this time around. But how about the Golden State Warriors? The dynasty has been revived with the Big Three of Stephen Curry; Klay Thompson & Draymond Green back; aided by the upcoming Jordan Poole; and their vaunted chemistry seems back again. The Dallas Mavericks have soared in the later stage of the season after a somewhat erratic start; and the Denver Nuggets will always be a threat with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic leading the way. Even the Minnesota Timberwolves & New Orleans Pelicans; the two teams who made it through the Play-In Tournament; are not to be trifled with; with the latter beating the much-favored Los Angeles Clippers to get to the party.
Over on the East; the battle is no less ferocious; as the contest is evenly spread across all eight teams. The Miami Heat just about edged it for the top conference position; but they will be weary of the Boston Celtics; who this season saw the unbridled potential of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown realised to devastating effect. The reigning champions Milwaukee Bucks are only the third seeds; while the Joel Embiid-led Philadelphia 76ers are the fourth. The fact that the Chicago Bulls; so rampant early in the season behind the hot play of DeMar DeRozan & Zach LaVine; are only sixth seeds speaks to the intensity of the conference. And one of the championship favorites Brooklyn Nets; buoyed by the return of Kyrie Irving; only came in 7th (thru the Play-In Tournament) just about says it all.
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