A Quick Guide To The NBA Playoffs in 2022
We are only a few days away from the start of the 2022 NBA playoffs. If you are a basketball fan then this will be the most exciting part of your year.
In this tournament we will see 12 teams battle it out to be crowned the NBA Champions.
This year, there are a few big names missing from the tournament, most notably LeBron James, but we still think it is going to be one of the best playoffs we have watched in years.
You can check out these NBA lines to find the odds on who will win this year.
Today, we are going to take a quick look at the top teams involved and how they are expected to fare this year.
Grizzlies (Western)
Coming in at 7th most likely to win the tournament are the Memphis Grizzlies. They are one of the newest teams in the NBA and they seem to have finally found their form.
Last year, they qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 4 years and this year they won their division for the first time ever. A lot of this is thanks to their star player Ja Morant who has been on fire this year.
However, if they want to make it into the finals they will have to beat the Suns. Which is a difficult task. They did come second in the conference table this year, just behind the Suns.
Nets (Eastern)
You can’t rule out the Nets when they have a player like Kevin Durrant on their team. You simply can’t.
This season hasn’t been their best. They came 4th in the Atlantic Division and 7th overall in the Eastern Conference. However, they did make it to the playoffs for the 4th year in a row.
However, their campaign to become NBA Champions is going to be tricky, as they will be playing the Celtics in the first round. Who topped the Atlantic Division this year and are second in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets are currently the 4th favorite to win the playoffs.
Suns (Western)
The Suns came second in this tournament last year, only being beaten by the Bucks.
However, they are in much better form this year than they were back then. They won their division and topped the Conference table. They had the best record in the whole league this year – 64-18.
The Suns are currently the bookies favorite to take home the prize this year. Most of us expect them to be playing in the finals.
The real question is who will they be playing there? The Bucks, the Celtics, or the Heat?
We currently do not know who the Suns will be playing in the first round, good luck to whoever they end up being.
Heat (Eastern)
It has been another good season for the Heat. They topped the Southeast Division and beat the Celtics to the top of the Eastern Conference table.
Their record for this year was an impressive 53-29.
The Heat are currently the 6th favorite to win according to the bookies and are the number one seed in their conference. Last year, the Bucks knocked them out in the first round after a middling season from the Heat.
We currently do not know who the Heat will be playing in the first round.
Warriors (Western)
The boys from the Golden State came third overall in the Western Conference this year – behind the Suns and the Grizzlies. They came second in the Pacific division, again behind the Suns.
Their first round this year will take place against the Denver Nuggets. They are expected to win this fairly comfortably, but the playoffs can throw up all sorts of surprises.
This is the first time in 3 years that the Warriors have qualified for the playoffs. The bookies have them at 5th most likely to win.
Celtics (Eastern)
The Celtics currently hold the record for most running consecutive qualifications to the playoffs. This is their 8th consecutive year in the competition. They are currently listed by the bookies as third most likely to win the tournament too.
To do that, they will have to knock out the Nets in the first round and play either (mostly) the Bucks or the Heat in the Conference finals.
It’s been 12 years since the Celtics have won the NBA Finals, this is the longest drought in their club’s history.
Bucks (Eastern)
Finally, let’s talk about last year’s champions.
The Bucks are currently second to win according to the bookies, with many expecting this year’s final to be a repeat of last year’s.
Their first round will be against the Chicago Bulls, which they are expected to win.
Their current star player is Giannis Antetokounmpo who is being tipped by many to be the regular season MVP this year, as well as being All-Stars captain again. Could he be taking home a second Finals trophy and Finals MVP award, in July?
There are some great teams standing in his way. However, we can’t wait to see what happens…
Robert Griffith is a content and essay writer. He is collaborating with local magazines and newspapers. Robert is interested in topics such as marketing and history.
