Ranking NBA title contenders: Nuggets, Celtics sit atop loaded class; Thunder, Wolves must be taken seriously

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The NBA postseason is almost upon us, and I’m here to tell you that there are 10 teams I could make a case for as a title contender. Now, of those 10 teams, obviously there are levels, and for the purposes of this piece, I’m going to focus on the top. Below, I have listed my top five title contenders. 

With pure opinion pieces like this, there is always going to be disagreement. But this one is sure to rile up a bunch of fanbases. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a deeper title race. A lot of teams have a real shot, but to me, these are the five with the best shot. 

Denver has the best and most manipulative player in the world in Nikola Jokic, who puts every defense he faces in an impossible position: Single cover him and he kills you as a scorer, double team him and he kills you as a passer. It really is that simple. 

By extension, Denver becomes the championship favorite because of this quality-shot reliability. No matter how tight a possession becomes, the Nuggets possess the captain and cohesion to comfortably work their way through it. That creates a consistency that holds up under all conditions. 

Jokic’s two-man game with Jamal Murray is indefensible. His sixth-sense connection with Aaron Gordon for cuts and lobs is uncanny. You can’t cover everything. Even if you have left only one crack, Gordon will find a way to pop out of it, or Murray, a top-shelf shotmaker, will create on his own. 

Michael Porter Jr. is shooting 40% from 3 and over 45% since the start of March. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is also over 40% from deep and defends like crazy. Christian Braun is smart as a whip running the second unit and playing off of others. 

Peyton Watson is going to surprise a lot of people in the playoffs who haven’t been watching the Nuggets much this season. Everybody can shoot, so Denver is always properly spaced. Everyone can make a play, but doesn’t go out of their way to do so. 

Denver’s defense as a whole, like everything it does, is defined by its connectedness. This is what a team looks like that has been in the wars…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/ranking-nba-title-contenders-nuggets-celtics-sit-atop-loaded-class-thunder-wolves-must-be-taken-seriously/

Author : Brad Botkin

Publish date : 2024-04-05 17:34:56

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