The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
These contenders just got better at a busy trade deadline
The NBA’S trade deadline Thursday featured more than a dozen trades — some surprising, some not so much. Several players named Gary were traded (Trent Jr., Clark, Harris). Miami was the biggest winner, acquiring Victor Oladipo and, separately, Nemanja Bjelica.
Many of the top teams in the league stood pat. The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t trade for Kyle Lowry. Their rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, traded backup point guards: Lou Williams to the Atlanta Hawks for Rajon Rondo. The Philadelphia 76ers added a solid veteran guard in George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But did any teams make any moves to vault themselves to title contender status? With roughly one-third of the season left, a wideopen NBA season is now showing more signs of a traditional hierarchy.
Here’s a look at the top-tier contenders from each conference and where they stand after the trade deadline.
The East Philadelphia 76ers (32-14) Why they’ll win the Finals:
The Sixers are deep and well-balanced to surround Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. They’ve gone 6-2 without Embiid, who hasn’t played since March 12 because of a knee injury but will be back for the playoffs. In that stretch, they beat the San Antonio Spurs — a likely playoff team — by 35 points and the Sacramento Kings by 24. They have also had an elite defense all season, and been boosted by a career year for Tobias Harris. Adding Hill, who led the league in 3-point shooting last season, was a good move. He plays solid defense, has a lot of playoff experience and gives Embiid and Simmons more room to work.
Why they won’t: Health. Embiid has missed roughly onethird of the season and has had conditioning issues. Also, Embiid and Simmons have struggled in past playoffs to produce at a high
level as defenses focused more on them.
Milwaukee Bucks (29-16) Why they’ll win the Finals:
The Bucks made a significant acquisition with P.J. Tucker, the gritty, defensive-minded forward who gives Milwaukee another perimeter threat. The team is finally showing itself to be the juggernaut it was predicted to be in the preseason, going 13-3 in its last 16 games. The Bucks are deep, and Giannis Antetokounmpo may very well win his third straight MVP Award this season. They have one of the league’s best offenses and a top-10 defense.
Why they won’t: Once again, the Bucks are having a great regular season. Ultimately, the Bucks will only advance if Antetokounmpo isn’t flummoxed by playoff defenses, as he has been. He is shooting only 30% from deep, so expect opposing teams to continue to pack the paint when he has the ball.
Brooklyn Nets (31-15) Why they’ll win the Finals:
The Nets are a cheat code. Since Feb. 14, they have had the league’s fifth-best offense. Why is that date relevant? Because Kevin Durant has not played at all in that time because of an injured left hamstring. The Nets have an elite offense and they’re not even playing one of the greatest offensive players in the history of the
game. James Harden has been exceptional. The team is 17-3 in its last 20 games — almost entirely without Durant. And the Nets just added Lamarcus Aldridge in addition to their recent signing of Blake Griffin.
Why they won’t: It’s one thing to navigate the regular season without Durant. But in the playoffs, that creates different challenges. Is he definitely going to be healthy for the playoffs? And even if he is, will there be enough time to mesh with Harden and Kyrie Irving properly?
Miami Heat (22-24) Why they’ll win the Finals:
Yes, the Heat are under .500. But they did make the NBA Finals last year despite being a lower seed, and they have most of the same players this year. Their record is mostly a result of health. Jimmy Butler, their best player, missed a bunch of time this season and now is averaging career highs in field-goal percentage, rebounds and assists. The team also added Oladipo, another playmaker, to help share responsibility with Butler.
Why they won’t: It’s tough to capture lightning in a bottle twice, and the rest of the contenders have better top-level talent. The Heat have lost six in a row, and in general have been inconsistent. It’s hard to believe that a sub-.500 team this late in the season can win a title.
The West Utah Jazz (34-11) Why they’ll win the Finals:
In the early stages of the pandemic, dysfunction swirled around the Jazz. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell had a relationship that was on the rocks. But they began to reassemble their chemistry in the bubble, and now Utah has the best record in the NBA. Mitchell has emerged as a star — one who is fully capable of lifting his team into title contention. The difference this season is that he and Gobert have more help, and the Jazz are overwhelming teams from the 3-point line.
Why they won’t: Aside from their pockmarked playoff history, the Jazz play in a conference packed with championship-tested players, luminaries who are identifiable by their first names (Lebron, Kawhi). The Jazz, on the other hand, have not reached the conference finals since 2007.
Los Angeles Clippers (31-16) Why they’ll win the Finals:
The Clippers faced questions after their meltdown in the bubble. Paul George absorbed much of the criticism for his poor play. He has had his ups and downs this season — who hasn’t? — but appears to be in better form. The Clippers are contenders because of Kawhi Leonard, but George’s postseason play will determine if they are actually capable of winning it all.
Why they won’t: The Clippers hope that Rondo, who they acquired at the trade deadline, can provide the sort of leadership they were missing last season. But they still lack depth at the point, and the team has been terrible in clutch situations. Championship teams are adept at closing out games.
Los Angeles Lakers (29-17 entering Sunday) Why they’ll win the Finals:
Lebron James and Anthony Davis showed the damage they could do together last season when they rolled through the playoffs in leading the Lakers to their first championship since 2010. It was a resurgent season for James, in particular, and it proved (if anyone needed proof ) that a team with two of the top players on the planet is a pretty safe bet to make a championship run, no matter the complementary pieces.
Why they won’t: James (ankle) and Davis (calf ) are not healthy, and that is an enormous problem — for now, if not forever. Davis has not played since Feb. 14, and coach Frank Vogel said recently that Davis was “still a ways away.” The Lakers were already struggling without him when James sprained his ankle on March 20. He could be sidelined for at least another month.
Phoenix Suns (31-14) Why they’ll win the Finals:
In hindsight, the Suns’ nifty footwork in acquiring Chris Paul in the offseason was one of the best moves an up-and-coming team could have made. He brought experience, toughness and defense to a team that was making big leaps — the Suns closed out the 201920 regular season by going undefeated in the bubble — and he has allowed Devin Booker to play off the ball. The window is closing for Paul, who at 35 has never played in an NBA Finals.
Why they won’t: Inexperience. Booker, the team’s best player, has yet to get a taste of the postseason. The reality is that it’s asking a lot of a young group of players to make a very deep push in its first run through the playoffs.
Denver Nuggets (27-18, entering Sunday)
Why they’ll win the Finals: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray continue to evolve and improve, and the time is now for the team to capitalize. The Nuggets’ front office signaled as much at the trade deadline when it acquired Aaron Gordon and Javale Mcgee, veterans who should help improve the team’s middling defense. Gordon also is another scoring option.
Why they won’t: The Nuggets have been wildly inconsistent, and it didn’t help that they lost Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee in free agency. Michael Porter Jr. has huge potential but has missed a lot of time and is still developing.