The key to your team winning the NBA championship

As the NBA heads past the All-Star break, the season begins its final push to the playoffs. At this point, the contenders for the championship are quite obvious and have been narrowed down to a few. This article does a deep dive into why your team has the chance to hold up the Larry O'Brien trophy by the end of the year. Oklahoma City Thunder The defending champs are right back to where they need to be. All season long, the Thunder have been cruising along as the best team in the NBA. It is no surprise where the Thunder are at the moment, but they have been doing this with a big load of injuries. All-NBA player Jalen Williams has only played 26 games this season and hasn't had a real chance to get into form, while starting big man Isaiah Hartenstein is in a similar boat, as he has only played 35 games. Along with these two players, some of their best role players, such as Caruso and Mitchell, have missed a chunk of the season. Even with all these injuries, the Thunder have kept the best Net rating in the NBA and the best defensive rating in the NBA. This shows that they are right where they want to be. They are currently the favourites to win, and if they get all their players back, they are in a prime position to make a run at back-to-back championships. Detroit Pistons The bad boys Pistons Mentality. After a few down years, the Pistons are finally back to the top of the East. They pride themselves on defence, where they rank second in the league. Their identity all season has been to be a physical team, which brings back that bad boys mentality from the early 2000's. This is a perfect brand and identity for the style of basketball that is played in the playoffs. Yes, Cade Cunningham is also a big reason why they can make a push for the NBA championship, and if Cunningham isn't playing up to standard, then they realistically have no chance. But their backbone will be their defence and the physicality they play with, which gives them a chance to win any playoff game, which means they have a real shot to win the championship. Boston Celtics The return of superstar Jayson Tatum. The Celtics have surprised many and currently sit in second spot in the Eastern Conference. Jaylen Brown has done a great job of leading this team and becoming an MVP candidate in Tatum's absence. Joe Mazzula's coaching has also been a big factor, as he is widely considered one of the better coaches in the league, and the Celtics have the second-best net rating in the NBA. They are a good enough team to compete for a championship at the moment, but the piece that can take them over the line is Jayson Tatum returning to his best form. Tatum is set to return very soon from his Achilles injury, and if he can find a way to get back to his All-NBA form, the Celtics would automatically become one of the favourites to win the championship. San Antonio Spurs The depth around Victor Wembanyama, including shooting. The Spurs have risen to the top of the West this year, and that is mainly due to the depth they have. When Wembanyama doesn't play, the Spurs are still 10-4 without him, proving they have some great depth around him. We know in the playoffs, teams are going to target Wembanyama, especially physically. Teams are going to throw everything at Wembanyama, and the Spurs will have to find a way to help him out. This will be mainly through the play of their bench and depth in the starting lineup. These players will also need to hit shots especially threes, to help space the floor. If the Spurs are unable to do this, they won't be able to win many games. New York Knicks The defensive ability as a team. The Knicks have always been a great offensive team over the past years, so the offence isn't a concern at all heading into the playoffs. The concern has always been their defence especially from their two superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns. In the past, Towns has been a liability for his team on the defensive end, but as of late, the Knicks have been able to sustain a top defence in the NBA. They have great wing defenders in Anunoby and Bridges, while Alvarado provides great bench defence. Brunson gives a lot of effort on the defensive end, but at times it is hard due to his height, while Towns has all the tools, but at times can lack effort and foul too much. The key to their championship is the defence. Houston Rockets The offence without Kevin Durant. The Rockets have had a very up-and-down year thus far, but still find themselves at the third seed in the West. Their problems at times have come on the offensive end especially in the clutch time. Outside of Kevin Durant, they don't have much offensive creation. Yes, they have Sengun, but if you look at who spaces the floor around them, that's where their problem is. In the playoffs, your half-court offence is very important, and if you can't score in the half court it is going to be a struggle for the Rockets. Kevin Durant is a huge bailout a lot of the time, but are the players outside of him sustainable enough to keep the offence going? Cleveland Cavaliers James Harden. After trading for James Harden at the deadline, the Cavs hope for a championship run has skyrocketed. So far, everyone looks great playing together especially Jarrett Allen, who has exploded with Harden. Mitchell and Harden look comfortable together, while the new additions Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis have brought much-needed energy off the bench. If they can stay healthy with everyone playing, Harden and Mitchell can lead the Cavs to a championship. Minnesota Timberwolves New depth additions. Minnesota Timberwolves have made back-to-back conference finals appearances so we know that they are capable of making a deep playoff push. The one thing they have different to past years is their depth off the bench and the players they have coming into the game. Ayo Dosunmu is an important player they added, who was in the sixth man of the year race. Him alongside Naz Reid, gives them offensive and defensive punch whenever they enter the game. It may finally be their time to get over the hump. They have done well to build a great roster, and led by Anthony Edwards, anything can happen. Denver Nuggets Health. The Nuggets have every chance to win any game they want when Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are playing. The only problem seems to be health at the moment, which was the same as last season. Jokic has just come back from injury and hasn't looked amazing as of yet, while a bunch of role players have missed some time. Christian Braun has missed heaps. Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon are both currently out with hamstring injuries. While Cam Johnson keeps missing some time. They need to get everyone healthy and in a rhythm before the playoffs start for them to have a great chance. Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid health. We all know the key to the 76ers winning the title relies on the health of star big man Joel Embiid. If Embiid can stay healthy and play in the playoffs, they can win any series. Maxey is already a top player in the league, while Paul George is set to come back from his suspension just before the season ends. They also have a solid team built around them with good role players around them. If Embiid can stay healthy, anything can happen. Los Angeles Lakers The offensive ability of Luka Doncic and LeBron James. As shown in previous years, Luka Doncic is a man on a mission in the playoffs, and he can win a playoff game by himself. Which is what the Lakers are going to rely on all playoffs if they were to make a deep run. Lebron James will also need to have a big playoff run to have the Lakers pushing for a title. Their defence is not great and outside of the big three they don't have much offence. It is going to be hard for them to make a deep run but a team with Luka Doncic and Lebron James can do anything.

The key to your team winning the NBA championship

Why your team can win the NBA title.

Denver Nuggets

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