As the NBA Conference Finals trudge on, there are still many questions surrounding every team. As the Bucks, Hawks, Clippers and Suns all try to become their conference’s representative in the NBA Finals, let’s take a look at a few of the bigger question marks that could haunt these teams in the next and final round.
Will the Clippers get Kawhi Leonard back?
Ahead of Game 3, Kawhi Leonard has already been ruled out. Since spraining his right knee in Game 4 of the semifinals against the Jazz, the Clippers’ best player will now have missed five straight games.
In his absence, Paul George has stepped up and willed the team to victory in that game and the next two. Now, down 0-2 to the Phoenix Suns (who have not lost a game since the first round), George has to keep the team out of an 0-3 hole. No NBA team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit.
There is no timetable for Kawhi’s return as of now. When he was initially ruled out, his absence was determined “indefinite.” According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Los Angeles is not confident he can return to this series. He may be able to return for the Finals, but even that is up in the air, if the team even reaches that level.
If the Clippers push the Suns to six or seven games, expect Leonard to at least try to push his timetable up, as James Harden did. If they fall into an 0-3 or 1-3 hole, though, it may be time for Kawhi to shut himself down and get ready for next year.
Will home court advantage matter?
Whichever Western Conference team makes it to the NBA Finals will own home court advantage. The Suns and Clippers both own better regular season records than the Bucks and Hawks. This gives them home court advantage in the event of a Game 7. The way the 2021 playoffs have been playing out, a Game 7 does not seem far-fetched.
NBA lines site Betway went back and looked at all 71 NBA Finals, concluding that only four teams have ever won a Game 7 on the road. That is 15 out of 19 home teams taking home the championship in front of their home crowd, good for almost 79 percent.
Home court advantage means the Suns/Clippers will also start the Finals in their building, which is also a difficult hurdle to climb. With arenas at full capacity now, an NBA Finals matchup will undoubtedly be the loudest environment any of these players have seen in over a year.
Either the Bucks or Hawks will end their current series knowing they have a disadvantage at the beginning and at the end of the Finals, if it goes the distance. It is hard to say the full-throated crowds will have no bearing. In fact, home court could very much be the difference in each and every game.
Is every team too reliant on their star?
As discussed above, the Clippers will absolutely have to ride Paul George to victory. Tyronn Lue has proven himself as a fantastic coach, but this team is mostly full of role players outside of George and Leonard. He put the team on his back during the semifinals and has played well in the WCF despite their deficit. He will have to continue that trend.
The Suns are essentially Chris Paul’s team. He is almost a player-coach at this point and the team suffers when he is not on the floor. However, Paul’s leadership and assist abilities are the easiest to smooth over. The team can carry over those tendencies he promotes if he misses more time due to COVID or his shoulder injury.
Trae Young is the Atlanta Hawks right now. In his 13 playoff games (all in 2021), he has six games scoring 20-plus points, six game scoring 30-plus points and one 48 point performance. Young has eight double-doubles and has not played fewer than 33 minutes in any game. His assist numbers are impressive, but Young is clearly the first, second and third scoring option on the team. As the Young go, the Hawks go, which is why they are in the ECF, because he has been unstoppable.
Finally, Giannis Antetokounmpo is leading the Bucks in minutes and points per game. His performances were streaky in the semifinals, ranging from fantastic to poor. His free throw shooting is a huge issue and his teammates either light up the arena or may as well not even play. For what was, generally, a team’s team in the regular season, Antetokounmpo has had to will Milwaukee to victory in the playoffs.
Featured Image courtesy of Getty Images
Source: NBA picks site, Betway
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