By The Athletic NBA Staff | The Athletic, 2026-04-13 08:50:05
2026年NBA季后赛正式拉开帷幕。
随着本周五附加赛的尘埃落定，本赛季的季后赛对阵图也随之出炉。卫冕冠军、西部头号种子俄克拉荷马城雷霆队正力争实现两连冠，这将是自2017年和2018年金州勇士队以来，联盟首次有球队完成卫冕。
在东部，头号种子底特律活塞队正瞄准自2004年以来的首座总冠军奖杯；与此同时，波士顿凯尔特人（2024年夺冠）、丹佛掘金（2023年夺冠）、洛杉矶湖人（2020年夺冠）、克利夫兰骑士（2016年夺冠）、圣安东尼奥马刺（2014年夺冠）、休斯顿火箭（1995年夺冠）、纽约尼克斯（1973年夺冠）以及明尼苏达森林狼（从未夺冠）都在寻求打破冠军荒（如果我们真的认为凯尔特人和掘金正处于“冠军荒”的话）。
以下是今年NBA季后赛首轮各系列赛的简要分析，涵盖了每支球队的核心看点。点击每个系列赛末尾的链接可深入了解详情，包括我们的专家预测。
东部联盟
第1种子 底特律活塞 vs 待定（热火/黄蜂/76人/魔术）
活塞： 对于活塞而言，一切都取决于当对手全力限制凯德·坎宁安 (Cade Cunningham) 时，他们的半场进攻能运转得如何。活塞的防守整个赛季都极具统治力，场均抢断（10.4次）和盖帽（6.4次）均位列联盟第一，防守效率（108.9）排名联盟第二。
对活塞来说幸运的是，他们的进攻似乎在最完美的时机达到了巅峰。在常规赛最后10场比赛中，他们的三分命中率（42.3%）领跑全联盟，投篮命中率（51.9%）排名第三，助攻数（32.1次）排名第四。在坎宁安因左肺萎陷缺阵的11场比赛中，活塞被迫更多地依赖跑动、手递手传球、后门切入和左右调动，这些战术让对手的防守顾此失彼。
如果他们能延续这种打法，同时让坎宁安和杰伦·杜伦 (Jalen Duren) 发挥过去两个赛季磨合出的顶尖挡拆威力，凭借贯穿东部季后赛的主场优势，他们理应能在季后赛中走得很远。—— 亨特·帕特森 (Hunter Patterson)
帕特森： 活塞轰下60胜势不可挡，但季后赛才是“真正的重头戏”
第2种子 波士顿凯尔特人 vs 待定（费城76人或奥兰多魔术）
凯尔特人： 凯尔特人能否为这个童话般的赛季画上圆满句号？在一些人预期的“过渡年”里，他们已经把自己变成了争冠热门。本赛季几乎一切都顺风顺水，从杰伦·布朗 (Jaylen Brown) 的飞跃到多位年轻贡献者的崛起。现在，杰逊·塔图姆 (Jayson Tatum) 已从跟腱断裂中归来——自3月初复出以来，他的表现非常出色。如果凯尔特人在经历塔图姆的伤病和休赛期阵容大换血后仍能夺冠，那将是整个组织的一项壮举。—— 杰·金 (Jay King)
第3种子 纽约尼克斯 vs 第6种子 亚特兰大老鹰
尼克斯： 如果未能闯入东部决赛，是否会导致今年夏天的大动干戈？纽约上赛季时隔25年首次打入东决，最终负于印第安纳步行者。那次失利导致了主教练下课，内部预期也随之公开化。老板詹姆斯·多兰 (James Dolan) 在1月份的一次电台采访中表示，打进总决赛是尼克斯“绝对必须做到的”，而且“他们应该”赢得总冠军。多兰很少在公开场合发言，而且他肯定不希望在发言后被打脸。任何止步于分区决赛之前的成绩可能都无法让他满意。此外，密尔沃基雄鹿关于扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 的局势持续变得微妙，而纽约多年来一直对这位未来的名人堂成员表现出浓厚兴趣。最后，这支尼克斯队造价不菲，如果没有再次打进总决赛，这个身价是否合理？这可能是一个决定成败的季后赛。—— 詹姆斯·爱德华兹三世 (James Edwards III)
老鹰： 亚特兰大赛季末段的火热表现，有多少反映了其真实阵容实力，又有多少是因为对手的实力不济？老鹰利用了大量摆烂或阵容严重残缺的对手，在全明星赛后打出了19胜5负的冲刺战绩。—— 约翰·霍林格 (John Hollinger)
尼克斯 vs 老鹰完整前瞻： 卡尔-安东尼·唐斯的影响力、预测及更多内容
第4种子 克利夫兰骑士 vs 第5种子 多伦多猛龙
猛龙： 猛龙能在顶尖对决中挺住吗？他们面对联盟弱旅时游刃有余，对阵未进入季后赛的球队战绩为22胜6负；对阵老鹰及附加赛区球队的战绩为19胜8负。然而，在面对西部前六和东部前四——也就是公认的联盟最强10支球队时，猛龙的战绩仅为5胜22负。其中三场胜利是在对阵骑士时拿下的，但那都发生在赛季首月，且其中一场骑士还是残阵出战。
特别是猛龙的进攻，在面对联盟强队时一直是个问题。从纸面实力上看，他们很难跟上充满活力的骑士队的节奏。—— 埃里克·科林 (Eric Koreen)
骑士： 这一切的终点在哪里？当然，这是所有16支季后赛球队都要面对的核心问题，但这支由多诺万·米切尔 (Donovan Mitchell)、埃文·莫布里 (Evan Mobley) 和贾勒特·阿伦 (Jarrett Allen) 组成的骑士队从未突破过第二轮。外界普遍认为，克利夫兰必须打进分区决赛才能避免阵容的大幅动荡。顺便说一句，如果这听起来很耳熟，那是因为剧本确实如此。当J.B. 比克斯塔夫 (J.B. Bickerstaff) 三次冲击第二轮未果后，他被解雇了。如果再次失败，肯尼·阿特金森 (Kenny Atkinson) 会面临同样的命运吗？我不想推测具体细节，但如果这支全联盟最贵的阵容连两轮系列赛都赢不下来，变动可能会比换帅更彻底。如果克利夫兰输掉这轮系列赛……噢，伙计，球队可能连球童都要开除了。—— 乔·瓦尔登 (Joe Vardon)
骑士 vs 猛龙完整前瞻： 谁能阻挡多诺万·米切尔和詹姆斯·哈登？
丹佛的尼古拉·约基奇正面对明尼苏达的朱利叶斯·兰德尔的防守，两支球队将在首轮上演一场引人入胜的对决。
西部联盟
第1种子 俄克拉荷马城雷霆 vs 待定（勇士/快船/开拓者/太阳）
雷霆： 雷霆是否依然足够强大以抵御群雄？答案并不像俄克拉荷马城那领先全联盟的11.1净效率所暗示的那样显而易见。他们的防守依然具有历史级的窒息感。有望蝉联常规赛MVP的谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在进攻端的效率和掌控力一如既往。这个常规赛充满了伤病和脆弱时刻，对这支雷霆队的考验远超前两年的头名赛季。阿杰·米切尔 (Ajay Mitchell) 在去年的夺冠征程中几乎没有戏份，但他现在已成为一名重要的稳定器，是亚历山大之外必需的进攻发起点。
所有迹象都表明，这支俄克拉荷马城雷霆比去年的夺冠阵容更强了。
尽管在经验上有所欠缺，但圣安东尼奥马刺无疑已经提前完成了重建。文班亚马是季后赛中最受推崇的防守者。在季后赛这种需要强攻乱战的环境下，圣安东尼奥拥有三名能够处理球、发起进攻的球员。更不用说丹佛，或者西部下半区的任何威胁。
雷霆的三位防守悍将——亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso)、凯森·华莱士 (Cason Wallace) 和吕冈茨·多尔特 (Lu Dort) 能提供什么？他们的三分命中率都比上赛季有所下滑。还有入选年度最佳阵容的杰伦·威廉姆斯 (Jalen Williams)，他带着手腕伤势开始赛季，又带着腿筋伤势结束常规赛。阿杰·米切尔能否挺身而出？在需要针对性调整的对阵中，雷霆能否像常规赛那样有效地调动板凳末端的深度？
竞争对手们会逼迫雷霆给出这些答案。—— 乔尔·洛伦齐 (Joel Lorenzi)
第2种子 圣安东尼奥马刺 vs 待定（太阳或开拓者）
马刺： 焦点显然是维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)。但这位联盟新超级巨星真正面临的悬念是，他能否经受住NBA争冠之路的严酷考验。这不仅仅是他必须打比平时更长的轮换时间，更在于每一道防线都会整晚试图通过身体对抗来消耗他。
他将面对一轮又一轮充满肉搏的防守，对手会花一整个系列赛的时间寻找每一个细微的方式将他挤出舒适区，并寄希望于在漫长的系列赛中拖垮他。我们已经见过文班亚马几乎无所不能，但我们还没有见过他每晚都持续面对这种级别的防守。
他应该能迎接挑战，但对于这位可能成为史上最伟大球员的人来说，这仍然是一个巨大的未知数。—— 贾里德·韦斯 (Jared Weiss)
第3种子 丹佛掘金 vs 第6种子 明尼苏达森林狼
森林狼： 森林狼有“季后赛开关”吗？在连续两次打入西部决赛并带回了除尼基尔·亚历山大-沃克之外的所有人后，森林狼在训练营中曾大谈要迈向总决赛的最后一步。
我原以为会在常规赛看到一支极度专注、动力十足的球队，去弥补去年5月被雷霆4-1横扫的遗憾。相反，我们看到的是一支整个赛季都表现得相当自满的球队，似乎觉得这82场常规赛配不上他们的全力以赴。
他们将在这轮系列赛中回答：他们真的有“季后赛开关”吗？还是说他们正处于下滑期？
他们需要安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 在攻防两端都打出顶级表现，他在常规赛的防守端划了太久的篮。爱德华兹一直是那种为大场面而生的球员，在休息了一段时间以缓解右膝酸痛后，他在进入季后赛时的健康状况应该是数周以来最好的。
朱利叶斯·兰德尔 (Julius Randle) 上赛季已经驱散了许多季后赛心魔，现在他身体健康且体力充沛，杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯 (Jaden McDaniels) 也是如此，他在因左膝骨挫伤缺席六场后也已回归。
森林狼相信他们有实力击败任何人。本赛季有时他们可能过于自信了。现在，是时候看看他们的成色了。
在对阵尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokić) 和掘金时，爱德华兹必须发挥出最佳水平。—— 乔·克劳钦斯基 (Jon Krawczynski)
掘金： 掘金能保持防守的稳定性吗？
掘金拥有全联盟顶尖的进攻，但防守却处于后三分之一水平。然而，在赛季末的12连胜期间，丹佛教练大卫·阿德尔曼 (David Adelman) 认为防守才是连胜的关键。
“在这些比赛的某些时刻，我们在防守端突然‘开窍’了，这意味着我们全年的防守确实很不稳定，”阿德尔曼说，“在某些时刻，你必须沉下下半身去防守，这会带来我们最擅长的东西……快攻得分。”
掘金防守的一个关键因素是他们最出色的外线防守者之一、侧翼佩顿·沃特森 (Peyton Watson) 的出战情况，他本赛季一直在与腿筋伤势作斗争。沃特森自4月1日右腿筋伤势加重后就再未上场，同样的伤势曾让他在此前缺席了19场比赛。沃特森已经开始场上训练，但掘金尚未透露他预计何时回归。—— 杰森·奎克 (Jason Quick)
掘金 vs 森林狼完整前瞻： 为什么这可能是最精彩的首轮系列赛
第4种子 洛杉矶湖人 vs 第5种子 休斯顿火箭
湖人： 没有里夫斯和东契奇，湖人该如何生存？
湖人在常规赛最后五场比赛中不得不经历最残酷的战术重组，摸索如何在缺少两位核心球员的情况下打球。相对而言的好消息是，他们的第三选择是詹姆斯。坏消息是：41岁的勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 还能多少次倾其所有，让球队支撑到东契奇或里夫斯可能——仅仅是可能——回归的那一天？
尽管外界议论纷纷，但这对湖人来说仍是一个出色的赛季。他们连续第二年拿到50胜以上，3月份打出了15胜2负的战绩，有着清晰的战术层级，并击败了一些联盟顶尖强队。但那是建立在东契奇和里夫斯都在场的前提下的。
现在，他们将以这支“残阵版”球队的雏形进入季后赛，虽然成长空间很大，但最终结果如何仍存在巨大的疑问。—— 丹·沃伊克 (Dan Woike)
火箭： 凯文·杜兰特在火箭的第一年能取得多大的季后赛成功？
休斯顿上赛季赢下52场比赛并夺得西部第二，震惊了联盟。但最终，由于缺乏经验和关键时刻的进攻选择，火箭在首轮与斯蒂芬·库里领衔的金州勇士鏖战七场后遗憾出局。
于是凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 来了，他能一次性解决这两个问题。尽管杜兰特本赛季打出了年度最佳阵容级别的表现，但弗雷德·范弗利特 (Fred VanVleet) 和史蒂文·亚当斯 (Steven Adams) 的伤病，加上阵容其他成员在进攻端的挣扎，让火箭未能实现杜兰特加盟后人们预期的那种飞跃。
如果能打进季后赛第二轮，杜兰特在休斯顿的第一年就可以被视为成功，即便对手是阵容受损的湖人队。一旦进入那个阶段，季后赛往往会奖赏那些能在混乱中挺住的人。
对于休斯顿而言，让阿门·汤普森 (Amen Thompson)、阿尔佩伦·申京 (Alperen Şengün) 和其他年轻核心积累更多季后赛经验——甚至可能赢得他们的第一轮系列赛——对球队的现在和未来都将是巨大的胜利。—— 威尔·盖洛里 (Will Guillory)
湖人 vs 火箭完整前瞻： 勒布朗·詹姆斯与凯文·杜兰特，巅峰再见
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：NBA playoffs 2026 preview: What to know about every first-round series
NBA playoffs 2026 preview: What to know about every first-round series
The 2026 NBA postseason is officially here.
With the conclusion of this year’s NBA Play-In Tournament on Friday, this season’s postseason bracket will be set. Defending champion and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder seek the league’s first repeat since the 2017 and 2018 Golden State Warriors.
In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons are aiming for their first title since 2004 as the Boston Celtics (2024), Denver Nuggets (2023), Los Angeles Lakers (2020), Cleveland Cavaliers (2016), San Antonio Spurs (2014), Houston Rockets (1995), New York Knicks (1973) and Minnesota Timberwolves (never) seek to snap title droughts (if we can truly consider the Celtics and Nuggets in a “drought”).
Here is a series-by-series snapshot of the first-round matchups for this year’s NBA playoffs with the biggest storylines for each team. Click the link at the end of each series to dive deeper, including our expert picks.
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. TBD: Heat/Hornets/76ers/Magic
Pistons: For the Pistons, it’ll all boil down to how well their offense can operate in the half court with teams fixated on neutralizing Cade Cunningham. Detroit’s defense has been a force all season, ranking first in the NBA in steals (10.4) and blocks (6.4) per game, and second in defensive rating (108.9).
Thankfully for the Pistons, it seems their offense is peaking at the perfect time. Over their last 10 games of the regular season, they led the association in 3-point percentage (42.3), ranking third in field-goal percentage (51.9) and fourth in assists (32.1). Detroit was forced to rely on far more movement, dribble handoffs, backdoor cuts and side-to-side actions that threw defenses off balance in 11 games with Cunningham sidelined with his collapsed left lung.
If they can replicate that approach while still allowing Cunningham and Jalen Duren to be the dynamic pick-and-roll duo they’ve blossomed into over the last two seasons, they should be able to impose their will for multiple rounds with home-court advantage throughout the East. — Hunter Patterson
Patterson: Pistons motor their way to 60 wins, but playoffs are “time for the real fun”
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. TBD: Philadelphia 76ers or Orlando Magic
Celtics: Can the Celtics punctuate their fairytale season? They have already turned themselves into contenders during what some expected to be a “gap year.” Just about everything has gone right this season, from Jaylen Brown’s leap to the emergence of several young contributors. Now, Jayson Tatum is back from a torn Achilles – and he has looked great since returning in early March. If the Celtics win a championship following Tatum’s injury and their offseason overhaul, it would be an enormous feat for the entire organization. — Jay King
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks
Knicks: Does failing to reach the East finals cause major shake-ups this summer? New York went that far last season for the first time in 25 years before losing to the Indiana Pacers. It led to the head coach being fired and internal expectations going public. Owner James Dolan said during a radio interview in January that making the finals is something the Knicks “absolutely have to do” and that “they should” win the championship. Dolan doesn’t speak much publicly and, surely, doesn’t like to be embarrassed when he does. Anything short of the conference finals might not sit well with him. Plus, the Giannis Antetokounmpo situation in Milwaukee continues to get weird, and New York has shown significant interest in the future Hall of Famer for years. Lastly, this Knicks team is expensive. Can it justify the price tag without another NBA Finals appearance? This could be a make-or-break postseason. — James Edwards III
Hawks: How much of Atlanta’s torrid close to the season reflected on its own roster, and how much it reflected on the quality of the opposition? The Hawks took advantage of a surfeit of tanking and/or extremely short-handed opponents en route to a 19-5 charge to the finish line after the All-Star break. — John Hollinger
Complete Knicks vs. Hawks preview: Karl-Anthony Towns’ impact, predictions and more
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors
Raptors: Can the Raptors hold up against top-level competition? They took care of the league’s worst teams, going 22-6 against teams that didn’t qualify for the postseason. They went 19-8 against the Hawks plus the Play-In Tournament field. Against the Western Conference’s top six and the East’s top four — the teams most people would consider the best 10 in the league — the Raptors went 5-22. Three of those wins came against the Cavaliers, but those all came in the first month of the year. One of them featured Cleveland’s skeleton crew.
In particular, the Raptors offense was an issue against the league’s best teams. On paper, it will be tough for them to keep up with the dynamic Cavaliers. — Eric Koreen
Cavaliers: Where does it all end? I mean, sure, that’s the overriding question for all 16 playoff teams, but this iteration of the Cavs – with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, have never made it past the second round. The general feeling outside of the team is Cleveland has to reach the conference finals to avoid a substantial shakeup. And, by the way, if this sounds like a familiar storyline, that’s because it is. When J.B. Bickerstaff went 0-for-3 in making it past the second round as Cavs coach, he was fired. Would the axe fall on Kenny Atkinson if they fail again? I’d rather not speculate on any specifics. The changes could be broader than that if a roster that is the most expensive in the NBA can’t win two playoff series. If Cleveland loses this series … whoa boy. The team might fire the ball boys. — Joe Vardon
Complete Cavs vs. Raptors preview: Who stops Donovan Mitchell, James Harden?
Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets and Julius Randle’s Timberwolves meet for an intriguing first-round series.
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. TBD: Warriors/Clippers/Trail Blazers/Suns
Thunder: Are the Thunder still great enough to fend off the field? The answer isn’t as obvious as Oklahoma City’s league-lapping 11.1 net rating might suggest. Its defense remains historically suffocating. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who could repeat as league MVP, is as efficient and manipulative on offense as ever. The regular season, riddled with injuries and stretches of vulnerability, tested this Thunder squad more than its pair of No. 1-seeded predecessors. Ajay Mitchell, who hardly played a role in last year’s title run, is an additive stabilizer and necessary creator away from SGA.
All signs point to OKC improving upon its title team.
Though separated by experience, the San Antonio Spurs undoubtedly seem ahead of schedule. Victor Wembanyama is as revered a defender as there is in these playoffs. San Antonio has three ball handlers capable of running offense in a postseason that begs teams to fight through muddied possessions. This isn’t to mention Denver, or any threat opposite of the West’s side of the bracket.
What might the Thunder get from its trio of feisty defenders — Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort — all of whom have seen their 3-point percentages dip from a season ago? Or All-NBAer Jalen Williams, who entered the season mindful of his wrist and finishes it mindful of his hamstring? Will Ajay Mitchell rise to the occasion? Can the Thunder call on the end of its bench in matchup-dependent situations as effectively as it does in the regular season?
The field will beg the Thunder to answer these questions. — Joel Lorenzi
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. TBD: Phoenix Suns or Portland Trail Blazers
Spurs: Obviously, it’s Victor Wembanyama. But the aspect of the league’s new megastar that will actually be hanging in the balance is whether he can truly withstand the rigors of an NBA title run. It’s not just that he has to play more minutes than he is used to. It’s the fact that every single defense is going to be trying to beat him down all night long.
It will be physical defense after physical defense that is spending an entire series finding every little intricate way to knock him out of his comfort zone and hope that they can wear him down over the course of a long series. We’ve seen Wembanyama do just about everything, but we haven’t seen him face that level of defense night and night out consistently yet.
He should be up for the challenge, but it is still the great unknown with the guy who could end up being the greatest player in the game. — Jared Weiss
No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
Timberwolves: Do the Timberwolves have a switch to flip? Coming off of two straight Western Conference finals appearances and bringing back everyone but Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Timberwolves talked in training camp about taking the final step to the NBA Finals.
I thought we would see an ultra-motivated, locked-in group in the regular season, one that was out to atone for a 4-1 wipeout at the hands of the Thunder last May. Instead, we saw a team that was largely complacent all season long, appearing to treat these 82 games as beneath them.
The question they will answer in this series is do they have a switch to flip? Or are they a team in decline?
They will need Anthony Edwards playing at his two-way best after mailing in the defense on too many nights in the regular season. He has always been a playoff riser and should enter the postseason as healthy as he’s been in weeks after getting some time to rest an aching right knee.
Julius Randle slayed a lot of his previous playoff demons last season and will be healthy and rested, as will Jaden McDaniels after missing six games with a bone bruise in his left knee.
The Wolves believe they have the talent to beat anyone. At times this season, they have probably believed in themselves too much. Now, it’s time to see what they’re made of.
Anthony Edwards will need to be at his best against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. — Jon Krawczynski
Nuggets: Can the Nuggets defend consistently?
The Nuggets have the NBA’s top offense, but a bottom-third defense. However, during its 12-game winning streak to close the season, Denver coach David Adelman thought the Nuggets defense defined the streak.
“We flipped defensively at some point in all these games, meaning we’ve been inconsistent all year with that,” Adelman said. “At some point, you have to sit down and guard, and that leads to what we are really good at … fast-break points.”
A factor in the Nuggets’ defensive efforts will be the availability of perhaps their best perimeter defender, wing Peyton Watson, who has battled hamstring injuries this season. Watson hasn’t played since April 1, when he aggravated his right hamstring. The same hamstring caused him to miss 19 games earlier in the season. Watson has started on court workouts, but the Nuggets have not said if, or when, they expect him to return. — Jason Quick
Complete Nuggets vs. Timberwolves preview: Why this could be the best first-round series
No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets
Lakers: How will the Lakers survive without Reaves and Dončić?
The Lakers have had to undergo the worst kind of reinvention in the final five games of the regular season, figuring out how to play together without their two most important players. The good news, relatively speaking, is that option No. 3 is James. The bad news: At 41, how often can he empty the tank to keep them afloat long enough to maybe — maybe — get Dončić or Reaves back on the court.
Despite what the narratives have been, this has been a terrific season for the Lakers. They’re over 50 wins for the second straight year, went 15-2 in March with a clear hierarchy and stood down some of the best competition in the league. But they did that with Dončić and Reaves in place.
Now, they’ll enter the postseason in the embryonic stages of whatever this version of their team is, with tons of room to grow but real questions about how it’s going to turn out. — Dan Woike
Rockets: How much playoff success will Kevin Durant have in his first season with the Rockets?
Houston surprised much of the NBA last season in winning 52 games and grabbing the West’s No. 2 seed. But in the end, a lack of experience and a go-to offensive option resulted in the Rockets being bounced by Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in a dramatic seven-game, first-round series.
Enter Kevin Durant, a player who could help them address both problems at once. Although Durant has performed at an All-NBA level this season, injuries to Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, along with offensive struggles by the rest of the roster, have kept Houston from making the leap many expected after Durant’s arrival.
A trip to the second round of the playoffs would make the first year of the Durant experience in Houston feel like a success, even if it comes against a compromised Lakers team. And once you’re there, the playoffs tend to reward whoever can withstand the chaos.
For Houston, getting Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün and the rest of the young core more experience in the playoffs — and possibly their first series win — would be a huge win for the present and future of the franchise. — Will Guillory
Complete Lakers vs. Rockets preview: LeBron James and Kevin Durant, again
By The Athletic NBA Staff, via The Athletic