Analyzing the Elite Eight: First-Round Matchups in the 2024 NBA Playoffs

Sixers vs. Knicks? Nuggets vs. Lakers? Let’s rank the eight first-round matchups of the 2024 NBA Finals in order of excitement.

The days of regular season records and stats are over.

The NBA playoffs are all about how you respond to your current game. opponent, no more, no less.

Thankfully, the 2024 series has eight solid first-round matchups as a blueprint for what’s to come.

But which eight should fans be most excited about? We’ll rank them from least to most exciting:

Advertisements

Miami is used to back-to-back games in the postseason, but it’s fair to doubt they have one more. in the tank this season. Jimmy Butler’s knee injury reinforces that suspicion.

6. Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
It’s a rematch of the 2023 Western Conference Finals, but it wasn’t competitive at all. Denver swept Los Angeles, and it’s fair to wonder if that could happen again this time.

No. 2 The Nuggets just lost the No. 1 spot, while the Lakers grabbed the No. 7 spot via NBA Play. At the tournament. Both teams have relatively the same key players from last season. The Nuggets just have more youth in Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther, while the Lakers have Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Will that be enough to topple Nikola Jokic and Co.? Probably not.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Oklahoma City is the first time since 2019-2020. years ago in the postseason and did so in style, knocking Denver out for first place. Whether such a young, inexperienced team can make it all the way remains to be seen, but the Thunder should be able to avoid a first-round upset.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Co. Pelicans No. 8. The Pelicans are a major injury doubt for Zion Williamson, while CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram need to step up their games in a more intense environment. The Pelicans have the profile to succeed in the postseason, but they were more of a theoretical team than a practical team.

4. New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Excitement is building with Knicks No. 2 and Sixers No. 7. New York clinched the second seed thanks to the fall of Milwaukee, but will be without Julius Randle due to injury, a significant blow to their hopes. Jalen Brunson will lead, but OG Anunoby, Donte DiVincenzo and Bojan Bogdanovic will be called upon to help.

Philadelphia is not your average seventh because superstar Joel Embiid is injured. put them back Rising star Tyrese Maxey has played a key role in keeping the Sixers afloat, so they’ll be hoping Randle doesn’t get fouled against Embiid. If Embiid can stay healthy, this series could go either way, and the cities involved make it even more interesting.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Phoenix Suns
The outcome of this series will reveal a lot about each team. The Timberwolves remained elite, led by the league’s best defense and Anthony Edwards after Karl-Anthony Towns was injured. But Towns and Rudy Gobert will be closely watched because of their past playoff performances, so it will be interesting to see how they fare with higher expectations.

Speaking of which, Phoenix was supposed to be a championship contender, but the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal rarely played together. The Suns came in sixth and survived a tough schedule pretty well until the end of the regular season, but the bigger test will be how they fare against top defenses in the playoffs.

The loser of this series will have a lot to think about. about moving forward.

2. Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers
The rivalry between the third-ranked Bucks and the sixth-ranked Pacers is based on what happened during the regular season, so this matchup is a good time for both teams to settle things. However, Milwaukee is in a tough spot, deflated since hiring Doc Rivers. Giannis Antetokounmpo is struggling with an injury and Damian Lillard has to step up on defense. Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez also need to return to their previous levels to help the superstar. Can Malik Beasley prove to be reliable based on past flames?

Indiana, on the other hand, is anchored by the trio of Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. If the Pacers manage to upset Milwaukee, which is entirely plausible, they have a chance to make a run. But role player depth is questionable without Bennedict Mathurin, and that was the risk they took in acquiring Siakami from Toronto. Are Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith, Obi Toppin and Andrew Nembhard ready to rise to the occasion?

1. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks
Usually, the most even matchup is the most fun, especially when it’s loaded with stars that the Cavs-Magic series lacks. Well. The #4 Clippers have Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and several other strong talents, while the #5 Mavericks have Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

The Clippers beat the Mavericks in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs. , but Doncic has better secondary parts this time, e.g. Tim Hardaway Jr., P.J. Washington’s Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.

This matchup could go either way, and the winner could very well advance to at least the conference finals, so keep an eye on the results here..