NBA Western Conference playoffs burning questions: Is Luka Doncic ready for primetime?

Coming into the season, most ball-knowers predicted this would be one of the most crowded and competitive Western Conference races ever. 

They were right — and then some. 

Though the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away, establishing themselves as the class of the conference, a measly four games separated the second-seed Rockets from the eighth-seed Grizzlies. There was virtually no margin for error.

For many, that essentially means the playoffs started months ago, as hungry contending teams fought for their lives on a nightly basis. But now the real thing starts, and if you were already enamoured by the intensity, get ready for it to really ratchet up. It’s time for the best two months in basketball — the NBA Playoffs. 

A tight regular season should only mean a tight post-season, and this year, more than any other, it feels as though anybody could make some noise in the West. To best examine the crowded field, here are some burning questions for each series ahead of the first round.

(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) L.A. Clippers

Season series: Tied 2-2

Series schedule:
* If necessary

Game 1: Saturday, April 19 at 3:30 p.m. (Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet+)
Game 2: Monday, April 21 at 10 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, April 24 at 10 p.m.
Game 4: Saturday, April 26 at 6 p.m.
*Game 5: Tuesday, April 29 (TBD)
*Game 6: Thursday, May 1 (TBD)
*Game 7: Saturday, May 3 (TBD)

Burning Question: Is coaching the biggest mismatch after Mike Malone’s sudden firing?

If you thought the Grizzlies firing Taylor Jenkins with 11 games to go was crazy, then the Nuggets firing 10-year head coach Malone must’ve been completely nonsensical. 

With only three games to go, the Nuggets did the unthinkable and cut ties with their championship-winning bench boss, leaving the team in flux with a decisive post-season run looming. 

Interim head coach David Adelman is being thrown into the fire with this series, matched up against Tyronn Lue, who is widely considered one of the best coaches in the league. And though he has the smartest player in the NBA coaching his team from the hardwood in Nikola Jokic, the pressure of a seven-game series for a guy only three games into his head coaching career could be too much to overcome. 

The stakes are high for the Nuggets, as another premature exit would waste yet another year of Nikola Jokic’s prime, and considering his potential as a top-15 player ever, the prospect of not being able to compete in the West because of a sudden firing could have some ugly ramifications. 

When talking about brains, the Clippers certainly aren’t lacking in that department. Beyond just Lue, the Clippers lean heavily on James Harden, who has proven doubters wrong in his stint in L.A., showing once more that there’s still juice left to be squeezed out of one of the most gifted and intelligent offensive operators in the league. 

Add onto that a healthy Kawhi Leonard, a breakout season from Ivica Zubac, a career-best campaign for Norman Powell and a Clippers team on an eight-game win streak coming into the post-season, and the Nuggets might’ve gotten the worst possible draw for a team suddenly in limbo after an impulsive firing. 

(3) L.A. Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves

Season series: Tied 2-2

Series schedule:

Game 1: Saturday, April 19 at 8:30 p.m.
Game 2: Tuesday, April 22 at 10 p.m.
Game 3: Friday, April 25 at 9:30 p.m.
Game 4: Sunday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m.
*Game 5: Wednesday, April 30 (TBD)
*Game 6: Friday, May 2 (TBD)
*Game 7: Sunday, May 4 (TBD)

Burning question: How will Luka Doncic embrace the lights of playoff basketball in Los Angeles?

Though he’s donned the purple and gold for the better part of three months, Doncic’s Lakers tenure starts now. 

The Slovenian superstar has lived up to expectations so far, but what matters to Lakers fans more than anything else starts and ends in the playoffs. There’s no love from La-La-Land if you can’t hang banners, and though the faithful have embraced Doncic, the scrutiny could be swift if he can’t play up to his lofty expectations in the post-season.

If there’s one player in the league who isn’t a shrinking violet come playoff time, however, it’s Doncic, who has performed with the best of them under the bright lights. And after tasting the NBA Finals last season, and with a bigger point to prove than ever before, Doncic could cement himself as the face of the Lakers and the league with a massive showing. A championship run would also be the perfect passing of the torch from LeBron James. 

Opposite him, however, are the Minnesota Timberwolves, led by another player hoping to snatch that torch — Anthony Edwards. 

The fifth-year guard has been on a tear this season, scoring 27.6 points while shooting 39.5 per cent from deep on 10.3 attempts per game, all career highs. His 320 triples this season led the league, as he’s leaned hard on the look since the team dealt away fellow sharpshooting star Karl-Anthony Towns just before the season. 

Edwards has embraced the superstar role, as he’s harkened back to his hero-ball playing style from his time in college at Georgia, though in a much more refined manner.

While both teams have their share of star power, they will each only go as far as Doncic and Edwards can take them. And as two of the most enjoyable players to watch in the league, we could be witnessing a battle for more than just a ticket to the second round — this could be a battle for the face of the NBA. 

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Golden State Warriors

Season series: Warriors lead 3-2

Series schedule:

Game 1: Sunday, April 20 at 9:30 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, April 23 at 9:30 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, April 26 at 8:30 p.m.
Game 4: Monday, April 28 at 10 p.m.
*Game 5: Wednesday, April 30 (TBD)
*Game 6: Friday, May 2 (TBD)
*Game 7: Sunday, May 4 (TBD)

Burning question: Are the young, upstart Rockets ready for a matchup against the battle-hardened Warriors?

Welcome to post-season basketball, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.

For their first go-around at the big dance, the Rockets couldn’t have dreamed up a tougher matchup. Getting the second seed may wind up being more of a curse than a blessing, as they now stare down the barrel of a Warriors team with more playoff and Finals experience than any other squad in the NBA.

The Rockets have been stellar this season, and have gotten by because of their youth. Their defence, led by Thompson and Dillon Brooks, flies around the court, pestering every action their opponent puts down. It’s fast, aggressive, annoying and predicated on having young, athletic players ready to put their lives on the line.

But a team as inexperienced as this one, that hasn’t earned their scars in late April and May, could falter against a Warriors squad well-versed in breaking opponents down over the slog of a seven-game series.

The Warriors have shown who they can be once the post-season rolls around, as the newly formed duo of Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler dropped a combined 75 points to down the Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament. There may not be a duo more dangerous in the playoffs than them.

However, the Rockets won’t go into this series scared. They’ve done a great job of shutting down Curry this year, holding the legendary scorer to 16.3 points on 36.4 per cent from the field and 30 per cent from three-point range in three games this season with Thompson putting him into a box. Meanwhile, Butler is averaging 16 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two games against the Rockets since joining the Warriors.

Golden State is as battle-hardened as it gets, and both Curry and Butler are well-known for raising their games come playoff time. But the Rockets are young, frisky and hungry, and shouldn’t go into any matchup scared, regardless of any gap in experience.

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

Season series: Thunder lead 4-0

Series schedule:

Game 1: Sunday, April 20 at 1 p.m.
Game 2: Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, April 24 at 9:30 p.m.
Game 4: Saturday, April 26 at 3:30 p.m.
*Game 5: Monday, April 28 (TBD)
*Game 6: Thursday, May 1 (TBD)
*Game 7: Saturday, May 3 (TBD)

Burning question: Does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander need a deep playoff run to legitimize his all-time season?

It’s been a year for the ages for Gilgeous-Alexander, who cemented himself as one of the two best players in the league with an incredible 32.7-point, 5-rebound and 6.4-assist season while leading the Thunder to 68 wins — the most since the 2015-16 Warriors.

All that is reset back to zero in the playoffs.

It’s been a slow rebuilding process for the Thunder since going all-in on the future. But with the pieces they’ve accumulated, along with the superstar leap SGA has taken, the time is now for one of the most complete and talented teams in the league.

Though they also entered last year’s post-season as the West’s first seed, the expectations weren’t nearly as high, and anything less than a Finals appearance should be considered a disappointment as Gilgeous-Alexander looks to cap off a ridiculously impressive year.

The West might be crowded, but the gap between the Thunder and everyone else is still apparent, and with playoff scars finally dotting their roster, the stars have aligned for them to take that next step.

Standing in the Thunder’s way are the Memphis Grizzlies, who looked impressive in the Play-In, dismantling the Dallas Mavericks to earn the eighth seed, but they shouldn’t be a tall task for the Thunder to overcome.

With the Grizzlies’ coaching situation in flux and a string of injuries chipping away their depth, the Thunder will want to make quick work of Memphis in order to be well-rested and primed for tougher tasks ahead.

It’s all or nothing for SGA and the Thunder. It’s time to make good on their promise.

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