At the end of April, the NBA playoffs will showcase new teams in the 2nd round. The Phoenix Suns lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in four games. The Timberwolves were led by Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert in their game 4 victory last night in Phoenix. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined for 82 points, but the #6 seed Phoenix Suns lost by six points to Minnesota on April 28. Bradley Beal scored nine points, and the Suns were outrebounded by 11. The huge difference in rebounding is another reason why the Phoenix Suns season ended quickly. Next, the Oklahoma City Thunder had the best record in the Western Conference. As the Western Conference #1 seed, this team is led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous Alexander and a great supporting cast of players. Chet Holmgren; Jaylin Williams; Josh Giddey; and Gilgeous-Alexander scored in double figures in game 4 tonight. This fourth game is the final game in their first round series, as Oklahoma City swept the New Orleans Pelicans. Oklahoma City's coach is Mark Daigneault, and he won NBA Coach of the year honors this season. The OK City Thunder are the youngest team to win a playoff series in NBA history. In addition, let's talk about the best regular season team in the NBA which is the Boston Celtics. The Celtics won 64 games and the team won the Eastern Conference by fourteen games. The Celtics won the first three out of four games, in their first rounds series against the Miami Heat. Game 5 is on May 1, and the Celtics should win that game at home in TD Garden in downtown Boston. The Miami Heat lost in the NBA Finals in June 2023, but the Heat could be ousted in the first round. In this penultimate paragraph, the Denver Nuggets won the NBA Championship in June 2023. This year, the team is the #2 seed and their first round opponent is the LA Lakers. The LA Lakers are the #7 seed. The Nuggets beat the LA Lakers in five tough games. Will the Nuggets go back to the NBA Finals in June 2024? Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are leading the team, and hope Nikola Jokic does not win NBA regular season MVP. In closing, hope you enjoy the picture above. The picture shows the starting five for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The last time that the OK City Thunder played in the NBA Finals was in June 2012. Good night and enjoy the rest of the NBA Playoffs!
