The NBA dressed up to find its new champion: the playoffs would begin with a triple Argentine presence

After a difficult regular season, which has left candidates like LeBron James ’Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA playoffs will begin this Saturday with many teams vying to oust the Milwaukee Bucks’ throne by Giannis Antetokounmpo .

The first round of the playoffs offers tough rivalry, such as Kevin Durant’s Nets against Jayson Tatum’s Celtics and Steph Curry’s Warriors against Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets.

Although they are finalists in 2020, few expect the Miami Heat to end this season as Eastern Conference leaders. The Heat showed tremendous strength in overcoming the extended absence of their three stars (Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry).

His first -round rival will win Friday’s playoffs, starting at 8:30 p.m., between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. The Cavaliers were one of the great surprises of the season but suffered injuries to key pieces like Jarrett Allen in the final period as the Hawks rallied at the most needed moment thanks to their outrageous point guard Trae Young .

The most in-form franchise against today’s best star duo. The Boston Celtics will enter the series against the Brooklyn Nets in their prime, posting a 32-6 record since February.

The Celtics finally found the formula to surround the talent of their young figures, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Although they took second place in the East, the Celtics faced a dangerous playoff against a Nets that relied heavily on their two superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

In a turbulent year on and off the court, the Nets have had to qualify for the playoffs but no one can trust a team that has Durant and Irving, who have a combined average of 57 points per night.

The Bucks reached the playoffs with their leader Antetokounmpo in a fantastic moment of form and his squires are ready to defend the ring they won in the final Finals against the Phoenix Suns. There will be one of three Argentines to play this postseason. It was Luca Vildoza, who joined the franchise before the regular stage ended.

The man from Mar del Plata came from prolonged inactivity as a result of an injury he sustained at the Olympic Games and the last official matches he played were with the Argentine team in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers in February. Although he doesn’t have a minute with the Bucks yet, he is expected to start entering the rotation.

His first hurdle was the resurgent Chicago Bulls, who will experience their first playoff since 2017 at the hands of a trio formed by DeMar DeRozan, who lives in second youth, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

The Philadelphia 76ers are favorites on paper for this tie but they have a lot of pressure on them and face a tough rival like the Toronto Raptors. Cameroonian Joel Embiid had the best season of his career, as the top scorer in the NBA (30.6 points on average) and he is the excellent candidate for the MVP award.

Both the center and James Harden, who arrived on a mega transfer with Brooklyn, are faced with their good chance of reaching their long -awaited ring. The Raptors are far from the champion team in 2019 but they have always been an uncomfortable opponent because of their defensive ferocity and their versatility in attack.

The Phoenix Suns are emerging as favorites to have a second chance at the Finals. Led by Devin Booker and Chris Paul, the Suns tightened their stride even more until finishing as the best team in the regular season.

His opponent will appear in the playoff clash on Friday between Paul George’s Los Angeles Clippers and CJ McCollum’s New Orleans Pelicans.

The Memphis Grizzlies want to confirm themselves as one of the emerging teams in this playoffs, starting against the Minnesota Timberwolves who were released after three years in the postseason. There’s Leandro Bolmaro, who didn’t get any minutes in the Play-Ins against the Clippers and looks to be running from behind in consideration of coach Chris Finch.

Bolmaro, at 21 years old and in his first season in the NBA, played 35 of 82 games of the regular series, where he traded with the franchise’s development team, the Iowa Wolves, of the G-League. The one from Las Varillas is averaging 1.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists in nearly seven minutes per game and will play, if at all, just minutes into the postseason.

Of course, the collection series will offer some of the greatest young talent in the NBA, most notably Ja Morant (Grizzlies), a former All-Star starter at 22 years old. Minnesota’s options depend on the trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell.

Three years after their last NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors returned to the playoffs with the iconic trio that brought them three rings: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

With Thompson recovering after two years of injury, the focus is on Curry’s fitness, as he hopes to be ready after nearly a month out with a sprain.

His first test was against Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, for many who deserved a second MVP after earning a squad damaged due to injuries. In the Colorado franchise, faded Facundo Campazzo continues, who in addition to being left behind in coach Michael Malone’s rotation has just been sacked and has to serve a game suspension for pushing Wayne Ellington, of the Lakers.

The Cordovan base, it’s known, could be a shock for the Nuggets. Despite poor performance and losing a spot in the second team, he was able to finish averaging 5.1 points, 3.4 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 recoveries in 18.1 minutes.

Another team in suspense for their star is the Dallas Mavericks, who don’t know if they can count on Luka Doncic in their challenging series against the Utah Jazz.

If the Slovenian phenom misses games because of his calf problem, the Mavericks have very little chance of surviving Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell’s Jazz, who have been forced to confirm their potential as a playoff pair.

The 2021-22 playoffs

Eastern Conference

Miami Heat (1st) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers/Atlanta Hawks. The first match will begin in Miami on Sunday, April 17th.

Boston Celtics (2nd) against the Brooklyn Nets. They will open the series on Sunday, April 17 at TD Garden in Boston.

Milwaukee Bucks (3rd) vs. Chicago Bulls (6th). The rivalries will begin on Saturday, April 16 at the Fiserv Forum. Matches 3, 4 and 6 are at United Center.

Philadelphia 76ers (4th) vs. Toronto Raptors (5th). On Saturday, April 16, the series will begin; the Sixers will go home to the Wells Fargo Center. Matches 3, 4 and 6 (if required) will be played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Western Conference

Phoenix Suns (1st) vs. Los Angeles Clippers/New Orleans Pelicans. They will start on Sunday, April 17 at the Footprint Center and will play games 1, 2, 5 and 7.

Memphis Grizzlies (2nd) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves. The series will begin on Sunday, April 17. The FedExForum in Memphis will be the venue for Games 1, 2, 5 and 7.

Golden State Warriors (3rd) vs. Denver Nuggets (6th). The duel will begin on Saturday, April 16. The Chase Center will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (the last two if necessary). The Pepsi Center will be home to games 3, 4 and 6 (if needed).

Dallas Mavericks (4th) vs. Utah Jazz (5th). On Saturday, April 16, the faces will be seen for the first time at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Utah will host the Vivint Smart Home Arena for Games 3, 4 and 6.

Source: AFP