Four Stories To Watch Out For During NBA Play-In Tournament

The NBA regular season has come to a close, and now it is time for the rest of the playoff picture to come into form as these eight teams vie for the two slots in their respective conferences.

Cavs Aim To Pull Off Upset Against Durant, Nets

The offseason acquisition of Ricky Rubio coupled with the emergence of Darius Garland and rookie Evan Mobley plus the All-Star level of play from Jarrett Allen has pushed the Cavaliers to a potential playoff berth six seasons since winning their first-ever NBA title.

Kevin Love has also been turning back the clock this season, highlighted by his 32 points, 10 rebounds performance in 15 minutes in a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

However, the Brooklyn Nets are starting to find their groove with Kyrie Irving back on the team full time since the vaccine mandate was lifted, the Nets are going to be a hard team to beat with all the marbles on the line.

Kevin Durant is still Kevin Durant and he will surely be a massive headache to the Cavaliers’ 5th-ranked defense, but the Cavaliers can also exploit the Nets’ 20th-ranked defense en route to a playoff berth.

The Nets have championship aspirations fueling them, while the Cavaliers are off to prove that they are moving in the right direction, making this game a must-watch.

Winning Time For Karl-Anthony Towns In Minnesota

After years of lounging in misery, the Timberwolves are off to find playoff success with Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and sophomore sensation Anthony Edwards leading the way.

The Los Angeles Clippers already have their work cut out for them as early as now because of the absence of Kawhi Leonard, and both Paul George and Reggie Jackson need to anchor the team in the meanwhile.

Edwards has continued to up his level of play in his second NBA season and his commitment to the Timberwolves’ future has already made him a fan favorite.

The Western Conference is as deadly as ever, but these two teams could give any of the higher seeds fits for the better part of a series.

LaMelo Ball Plays Under Bright Lights

LaMelo Ball--last season’s Rookie of the Year--is primed to take the Charlotte Hornets to new heights, but they will need to first get past high-scoring point guard Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks first.

The two sides split their four-game regular-season matchups making their play-in face off their rubber match to determine who truly deserves the postseason spot.

Atlanta will be entering this game handicapped as All-Star forward John Collins remains unsure whether he can play while the Hornets will be without the services of Gordon Hayward due to a foot injury.

The Hornets have a potent point guard in Ball, while Miles Bridges has only gotten better over time and this pairing is gunning to knockout the Hawks to secure their spot against either the Cavaliers or Nets.

Pelicans Out To Prove They Deserve Playoff Spot

The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans both played their roles in knocking out the Los Angeles Lakers from play-in contention to reserve their spots, and now it is time for them to determine who moves on.

Despite not having Zion Williamson for the entire season, the Pelicans made strides in creating a playoff-ready team led by veterans Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.

Unheralded rookies Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado carved out their roles after the Pelicans were beset with injuries and players put into COVID-19 protocols early on in the season.

Defeating the Spurs puts them a step closer to securing the eighth seed as they face the loser between the Timberwolves and Clippers.

If the Pelicans are eager to prove to Williamson that he needs them more than they need him, they will need to show they can do it during this play-in.