With only the last game left in the 2022-2023 regular season, all teams have only one game left in the regular season, and although the final rankings may still change slightly, the playoff teams and the four teams that will enter the play-off zone in the East and West have been determined. From the current situation, the 3 teams in the East have a chance to stand on the stage of the finals, while the 3.5 teams in the West have the title competition.
1. 3 championship teams in the East:
The Bucks, who currently have a 58-23 regular season record, sealed the All-League championship. As a championship-backed team, it has enough squad depth. Alphabet Brother is at the peak and is the absolute core of the team, Middleton, Holladay, Lopez, Portis can perfectly form a "star" with Alphabet Brother. The current deficiency is that after the second-in-command Middleton recovered from injury, he never found his form; Another criticism is that the championship of Alphabet Brother came from the feet.
The Celtics, currently 56-25, are second in the Eastern Conference and in the league. The duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown, plus Horford, can be described as a prospecting team. Although they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals last season, the team's strength is obvious to all. At present, the biggest shortcoming is that the second-in-command Jaylen Brown status rumors are rife, and there are even rumors of being traded, which makes the team unstable.
The Philadelphia 76ers currently have a 53-28 record, ranking third in the East and the league. Embiid averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, basically sealing the scoring champion this season. Harden averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, successfully crowning the season assist king. Scoring king + assist king, the 76ers are simply a tiger with wings. The problem with the 76ers at the moment is that the bench is not deep enough. At the same time, Embiid and Harden are called soft eggs, and they can't fight a tough battle, especially in the playoffs, which is the stage for really fighting a hard battle.
2. Western 3.5 championship teams:
The Suns, currently 45-36, are fourth in the West. Although the ranking is not high, after Durant joined the Suns, he immediately promoted the team to the championship of the Big Four. Durant + Booker + Paul + Ayton is the only luxury team in the league that can be called the Big Four, disrupting the Western Conference and making the whole league fearful. At present, the biggest shortcoming is that Durant's time with the Suns is relatively short, and the run-in with the team, especially the compatibility with Booker, needs to be tested by time.
The Grizzlies, currently 51-30, are second in the West. The young Grizzlies, led by Morant, are full of momentum and dare to wrestle with any team. Bane and Jackson also played Morant's assistant role and could even play the rhythm of dominating the game. Of course, the biggest drawback of the young Grizzlies is instability, especially the explosive style of play, which is more vulnerable to injury.
The Warriors, with a current record of 43-38, tied with the Clippers for fifth place in the West, seem to need the last game to really divide the winner and loser, from the analysis of the situation of opponents in the first round of playoffs, the Warriors will most likely choose the sixth place in the West. Although the ranking is not high, with Curry, the Splash Brothers, and Dream Green, the damn Golden State Warriors definitely have the strength to compete for the championship. The championship remains, Looney continues to work hard without complaint, Poole continues to grow, Kuminga and DiVincenzo defend the line, Wiggins is likely to return in the playoffs, and the Warriors are sure to kill again. At present, the biggest deficiency of the Warriors is poor stability, ups and downs, especially the second-in-command Thompson is a ghost.
The Nuggets, currently 52-29, top the Western Conference. Jokic, the star of the game, is averaging a triple-double of 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists this season and is a strong contender for MVP. In the fierce competition in the West, the Nuggets' ability to overwhelm the crowd, and the top spot alone is enough to prove that the strength cannot be underestimated. Murray and Gordon's lethality on the offensive end is overwhelming. But the Nuggets are the team that has Jokic as the absolute core, and once the opponent locks up Jokic in the playoffs, the Nuggets will be fierce.
The Nuggets are at the top of the West and the Suns are fourth in the West, and if the two teams make it through the first round of the playoffs, the second round will definitely meet each other, and one team will be out anyway. From the current team roster, the media fans are optimistic about the Suns, most people think that the Nuggets may be out of the second round of the playoffs, so the Nuggets are regarded as half a championship team, do you agree with this view?