The first round of the NBA playoffs begins Saturday, kicking off a historically atypical title race with several championship contenders.
The Bucks, who won their first title in five decades in 2021, are the betting favorite to win their second championship in three years.
Multiple teams are in position to break similarly painful droughts, including the 76ers (1983), Suns (never), Nuggets (never), Grizzlies (never) and Clippers (never).
The Warriors could flip a switch and retain their crown.
The Celtics could avenge last year’s Finals loss by claiming their first title since 2008.
The Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Best of luck on those futures bets.
Here’s a look at each first round series:
Eastern Conference
1. Bucks vs. TBD: The Bucks will face the winner of tonight’s play-in game between Miami and Chicago. Milwaukee went 2-2 against each opponent during the regular season, but shouldn’t break a sweat against whichever overmatched 8-seed emerges. No play-in team has ever won more than two games in the first round.
4. Cavaliers vs. 5. Knicks: The East’s best matchup could go the distance. Last summer, it looked like Donovan Mitchell would come home to New York. Then, Leon Rose decided he wasn’t worth the massive price, leading Mitchell to Cleveland, where he’s become an All-NBA First Team candidate who has averaged a career-best 28.3 points per game and elevated the potential for a team with the league’s top-ranked defense. The Knicks found a bargain in Jalen Brunson — he scored 48 points against Cleveland in the most recent meeting — a two-time college national champion and proven playoff performer during Dallas’ Western Conference Finals run last season, who won’t allow the Knicks to repeat the no-show of their 2021 clash with Atlanta. The Knicks have won their past three games against the Cavaliers, but the status of Julius Randle — who hasn’t played since suffering a sprained ankle on March 29 — remains unclear.
3. 76ers vs. 6. Nets: Somehow, Brooklyn’s season has been a disaster and a success. Steve Nash was fired after seven games. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving went west. Ben Simmons played 42 games. Still, the Nets stayed afloat with a team built on the fly, as Mikal Bridges transformed into a star. Winning one game in this series won’t be easy. The 76ers won all four meetings in the regular season and the Nets have no answer for likely MVP Joel Embiid. Then again, who does?
2. Celtics vs. 7. Hawks: The most inconsistent team in the field takes on the deepest team in the league. The Celtics, who won all three games against the Hawks this season, have made multiple deep runs with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and won’t have much trouble advancing to a much-anticipated second round brawl with the rival Sixers.
Western Conference
1. Nuggets vs. TBD: The Nuggets will face the winner of tonight’s play-in game between Minnesota and Oklahoma City. Denver went 3-0 against the Thunder when Nikola Jokic played. They won two of three against the Wolves when the two-time MVP suited up. It has been 12 years since an 8-seed won a first round series, one of four times it has happened since 1984.
4. Suns vs. 5. Clippers: The trade for Kevin Durant made Phoenix the favorite in the wide-open West and his seamless transition to another star-studded roster has only supported the team’s case. They have yet to lose with Durant in action. However, they’ve played only eight games with the two-time Finals MVP and have yet to face a playoff-bound team at full strength. The Clippers have the talent to make a run, with two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, but the absence of Paul George — whose return is uncertain after suffering a knee sprain — lowers the ceiling of a team with an underrated supporting cast.
3. Kings vs. 6. Warriors: Sacramento ended a 16-year playoff drought and was rewarded with a matchup against the defending champions. After a series of injuries and absences, the Warriors appear to be back at full strength, with Andrew Wiggins set to return after nearly two months away from the team. Led by All-Stars Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, the Kings feature a historically efficient offense, and will be happy to participate in a 3-point shootout against Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Golden State went 11-30 on the road this season and lacks home-court advantage in the series, but the champs won three of four meetings with the Kings this season and boast a massive edge in experience.
2. Grizzlies vs. 7. Lakers: It wouldn’t be shocking to see the winner of the first round’s most evenly matched series win the conference. The Lakers have won 10 of their past 12 games, and James and Davis are both healthy — for the moment — entering the postseason with their best supporting cast since winning the 2020 title. The Grizzlies have largely been overlooked since Ja Morant’s suspension, but the superstar guard has been back for more than three weeks, and has plenty of help, including Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. The difference could be the absence of Memphis big man Steven Adams, who has been ruled out of the playoffs with a knee injury.
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The Hudson River rivalry resumes.
Despite the Devils pulling out a 5-4 overtime win in their regular season finale in Washington last night, the Carolina Hurricanes clinched the Metropolitan Division with a win over Florida, 6-4, sending the Rangers to New Jersey for Game 1 of their first round playoff series.
The Devils claimed three of four meetings with the Rangers this season, but they’ve played each other only once since Jan. 7.
While the Devils, who are making their first playoff appearance since 2018, are seeking their first playoff series victory since defeating the Rangers in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals — the most recent of the rivals’ six postseason meetings (Rangers lead, 4-2) — the Blueshirts hope to improve upon last year’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. They acquired three-time Cup winner Patrick Kane to be the difference.
The Hurricanes’ win also kept the Islanders one point ahead of the Panthers for the first wild card spot, sending the Isles to Carolina for Game 1 of their first round series, while avoiding the more intimidating matchup with the record-breaking Bruins.
The Islanders won at Carolina, 6-2, in their first meeting of the season on Oct. 28, but the Hurricanes won the next three matchups by a combined score of 10-3.
Like this postseason, the Islanders entered the 2020 and 2021 playoffs with the seventh-best record in the East. Back-to-back unlikely runs to the Eastern Conference Finals followed.
Bring your green hat. They’re going streaking.
No team in (modern) MLB history has opened a season better than the Tampa Bay Rays. With a 9-3 victory over the Red Sox yesterday, the Rays improved to 13-0, tying the 1982 Braves and 1987 Brewers for the most consecutive wins to start a season since 1900.
The Rays — who have homered in every game and outscored opponents 99-30 — will have a chance to take sole possession of the record tonight in Toronto, which will be Tampa’s first opponent that isn’t currently in last place in its respective division.
The Rays are in rare company, but poor company. The ’82 Braves lost in the NLCS. The ’87 Brewers missed the postseason. Of the seven teams to start a season with at least 10 straight wins, only the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers won the World Series.
While the Rays remain perfect, another pair of historic records were unable to survive this week.
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker went 0-for-4 in last night’s loss to the Pirates, marking the first time the rookie had been held without a hit in a game. Walker, 20, opened the season with a hit in 12 straight games, tying Eddie Murphy — of the 1912 Philadelphia A’s — for the longest hitting streak to start a career by a player 20 or younger since 1900.
In Pittsburgh, the Penguins’ 16-year streak of reaching the postseason ended with the Islanders’ playoff-clinching win Wednesday night, ending the longest such active streak in the four major sports.
Here are the current leaders in each:
NFL: Kansas City Chiefs (8). The New England Patriots hold the all-time record with 11 straight playoff appearances (2009-19).
MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers (10). The Atlanta Braves hold the all-time record with 14 straight playoff appearances (1991-2005).
NBA: Boston Celtics (8). The San Antonio Spurs (1998-2019) and Philadelphia 76ers/Syracuse Nationals (1950-71) each reached the playoffs in 22 consecutive years.
NHL: Boston Bruins/Toronto Maple Leafs (7). Boston also holds the all-time record with 29 straight postseason appearances (1968-96).
Behold, the rarest of sights in spring — a college football scrimmage with genuine intrigue.
One of the most fascinating quarterback battles in years truly begins Saturday in Austin during Texas’ spring game, featuring returning starter Quinn Ewers and true freshman Arch Manning.
Two years ago, Ewers was the consensus top-rated high school recruit in the country. Now, Manning holds the honor, looking set to follow the famous footsteps of his uncles (Peyton, Eli) and grandfather (Archie).
Ewers is the favorite to start the season under center despite last season’s inconsistency with the Longhorns, who went 8-5, as the quarterback battled a shoulder injury and threw for 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, with a 58.1 completion percentage.
Manning, who enrolled early to participate in spring practices, arrives after a more storied high school career than his legendary uncles. He was the first freshman quarterback to start at Isidore Newman in four decades, then broke every record his family already held.
“Quinn has an entire year of a head start,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said last month, “but I don’t want to hold Arch back.”