A Swiss, who is the favourite, where it pops

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The NBA is entering the really hot phase. From Saturday, 16 teams will compete for the championship in the best basketball league in the world. Here are the main questions and answers.

With 16 of the 30 teams, just over half of all teams have qualified for the play-offs. Eight teams from both conferences (Eastern and Western) are represented, which determine the winner of the respective conference in three playoff rounds. The two conference winners will then play for the championship in the NBA Finals. The game is played in best-of-seven mode. This means: The first team to win four games advances to the next round. The better placed team always enjoys the home right first.

Probably the biggest favorites for the title are the Milwaukee Bucks with Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (28). The 2021 champions finished the regular season in first place in the Eastern Conference. Last year’s finalists, the Boston Celtics, finished the season in second place and were able to start another run in the playoffs this year with their explosive offensive.

The Phoenix Suns are a popular name in the Western Conference. The team from the desert strengthened on the last day of the trade deadline with superstar Kevin Durant (34). And the change paid off: With Durant in the starting lineup, the Suns managed to win every game so far. They are in top form going into the most important part of the season. The Golden State Warriors can be expected again this year. The defending champion largely fell short of expectations in the regular season, but the star ensemble around Stephen Curry (35) and Co. is known for delivering when it really counts.

The only Swiss in the NBA is also represented in the playoffs: Clint Capela and his Atlanta Hawks placed seventh best team in the Eastern Conference. The Geneva native plays in center position and has had a strong season so far: the 28-year-old has averaged 11 rebounds per game and ranks 5th in the league in these stats. In the first round, however, Capela and his Hawks are clear outsiders, they meet title contenders Boston.

The Sacramento Kings ended their 16-year losing streak and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Kings end not only the longest playoff absence in NBA history, but also the currently longest in all American sports. In the first round, they will meet the defending champion: the Golden State Warriors.

The eternal LeBron James (38) is also back. In his 20th NBA season, he qualified with his Los Angeles Lakers for the playoffs with a bang and has only outsider chances for his fifth NBA title. The most popular player in the league right now is probably the Philadelphia 76ers with Joel Embiid (29). The Cameroonian had the most points per game in the NBA during the regular season and will almost certainly take home the MVP (Best Player of the Regular Season) award.

Already in the first round of the NBA playoffs, things could go well. So it comes to a duel between Russell Westbrook (34) of the LA Clippers and Kevin Durant with the Phoenix Suns. The two were once a powerful duo with the Oklahoma City Thunder for eight years (2008-2016) and became good friends there. But since Durant’s inglorious departure to the Golden State Warriors in 2016, the curtain has been cut between the two – radio silence reigns. Now the former friends meet in the playoffs.

There is also a lot of tinder in the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies. In the last duels between the two teams there were often minor quarrels and incidents. “This is the last damn time you disrespect me,” LeBron James raged after a duel in January. On the other hand, the Grizzlies want nothing more than to send the superstar on vacation: “It’s LeBron’s first time since 2021 that he’s back in the playoffs. We knock them out right away,” Memphis player Dillon Brooks said combatively .

Source : Blick