Let the playoffs begin
Bucks, Suns favoured to make it out of each conference for a repeat of last season's final
The 2021 NBA Finals ended with a historic bang, thanks to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo's 50-point, title-clinching performance against the Phoenix Suns.
Looking back to that stirring finale is instructive as the 2022 playoffs begin Saturday, given that a lot had to break right for Milwaukee and Phoenix on their way to the summit.
To claim their first championship in 50 years, the Bucks survived seven games against Kevin Durant's Brooklyn Nets in the second round, weathered an untimely knee injury to Antetokounmpo during the Eastern final and dug out of an 0-2 hole in the Finals. Phoenix, for its part, defied the oddsmakers by knocking off Lebron James's Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, withstood a strong upset bid from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western final and made do as Chris Paul suffered a shoulder injury and was briefly sidelined by coronavirus protocols.
Both the Bucks and Suns are back this year, entrenched in the top tier of contenders and potentially on course for a Finals rematch. After losing four straight to Milwaukee in a stunning collapse in July, Phoenix has responded with a dream season, winning a franchise-record 64 games.
The Suns brought back all of their important pieces and set about on a merciless revenge mission, maintaining their focus during the continuing investigation of owner Robert Sarver's alleged racist and misogynistic comments.
With coach Monty Williams overseeing a disciplined and unselfish culture, Phoenix was the only team to rank in the top 5 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
“It took us a whole year to get back to this point,” Paul said. “Now the question is, `What are we going to do with this opportunity?' ”
Paul, who will turn 37 in May, averaged 14.7 points and a league-leading 10.8 assists, orchestrating a well-balanced offence in which six players averaged in double figures. Devin Booker tallied a career-high 26.8 points per game to earn his third straight all-star nod.
Phoenix will face the winner of Friday's play-in game between the Clippers and the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. Then, the Suns would draw the Dallas Mavericks or Utah Jazz in the second round after going a combined 6-1 against those teams this year. Phoenix wouldn't need to face either of its toughest conference opponents — the Warriors or Memphis Grizzlies — until the West final.
Milwaukee has a strong chance to hold up its side of the bargain, despite a rocky regular season marked by health absences. Centre Brook Lopez missed more than four months with a back injury, and Milwaukee's three stars — Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday — each missed at least 15 games.
The Bucks finished 51-31, good enough to claim the East's third seed and top title odds. Antetokounmpo averaged a careerhigh 29.9 points to go with 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists while leading the NBA'S third-ranked offence, but the Bucks defence slipped to 14th from ninth.
Aside from its revolving lineups, Milwaukee's title defence has been mostly drama-free, with Antetokounmpo rising to the moment in late-season wins over the Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. This post-season presents the opportunity for the 27-year-old most valuable player candidate to solidify his status as basketball's best player.
Milwaukee's path to the Finals opens with an ideal first-round matchup against the injury-ravaged Chicago Bulls, who have plummeted down the standings since they entered all-star weekend as the East's top seed. The Bucks swept the four-game season series.
Life would get considerably tougher in a second-round matchup with Durant's Nets or Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics, who boast the NBA'S best defence. From there, Milwaukee could face the Heat, Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers or the Toronto Raptors in the conference final.
Injuries to key players are always a threat to spoil post-season aspirations, but Milwaukee and Phoenix remain the safest bets to win their respective conferences, in part because both have rejected complacency.