A look ahead to the NBA playoffs

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For the past 10 years, the NBA has seen very little parity. The Miami Heat — with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — heavily outmatched the rest of the Eastern Conference while the next five years were dominated by Golden State’s historic teams. While COVID-19 upended sports and its impact is still revelating, it has somehow helped create a league with more equally spread talent than in years past.

The Phoenix Suns are the title favorite, but they are by no means a sure bet to win the championship. The reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks are still one of the best teams in the East, and beating the Nets with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving four times out of seven is no easy task.

Here’s how I’m breaking down the playoffs:

How will the Charlotte Hornets fare?

The Hornets are one of the four teams vying for a spot in the playoffs via the play-in game. They will match up against the Atlanta Hawks in a game that will have been played by the time you read this. This year, the Hawks are far from the team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season. They’ve been without forward John Collins for much of the second half of the season and likely won’t have him for this matchup. The Hornets won’t have Gordon Hayward, but they do have the experience of playing in a winner-take-all type of game. They fell to the Indiana Pacers in a blowout loss to close out last season in the play-in tourney.

Unfortunately for North Carolina residents, I see the Hornets season ending in a similar fashion. The Hawks experience and the electric playmaking of Trae Young will be too much. The Hornets are building a solid core, but they’re still a few pieces away.

Who will win the Eastern Conference?

The Eastern Conference is the most complex of the two. Due to the Toronto Raptors and Canada having a different vaccine requirement than the United States, some players may be missing games if they were to square up against the Raptors. It’s also going to be the most uncertain because arguably the most talented team, the Brooklyn Nets, are in the play-in tournament. I like the Nets to win the Eastern Conference because they have the best scorer in the league in Durant and I’m not sure anybody can stop him.

Who will win the Western Conference?

The early rounds of the Western Conference side of things might hinge on the productivity and health of Stephen Curry. The Warriors’ three stars — Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — have played a total of 11 minutes together this year. It’s unclear if Curry will be healthy for round one, but if he is, it might take a few games for the team to get reacclimated to playing with each other. The Warriors could make a run, but I see no team beating the Phoenix Suns. They’ve been the most consistent team all season and set a franchise record for the most wins in a season. I like Chris Paul to finally win his first NBA title.

Who should you watch out for?

If there’s one player that can change an entire postseason series on his own, it’s Luka Doncic. He single handedly has taken over games against the Los Angeles Clippers in back-to-back postseasons. However, he suffered an injury in the Dallas Mavericks’ last game of the regular season, and it’s unclear if he will be able to play against the Utah Jazz. If he can play, he’s someone who has proven to take over a series and could maybe give the Suns a scare in the second round.

Max Baker can be reached at max@chathamnr.com and @maxbaker_15.