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New York Times
18-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Did the Orlando Magic's tough season make them stronger? We'll find out soon
ORLANDO, Fla. — After they won 47 games and nearly won a first-round playoff series last year, Orlando Magic players expected their ascension to continue throughout the 2024-25 season. Instead, they endured unrelenting adversity. Injuries mounted. Paolo Banchero, their emerging star, missed two months because of a torn oblique muscle. Franz Wagner, who played like an All-Star during Banchero's absence, sat out 26 consecutive games with an oblique tear. Sixth Man of the Year candidate Moe Wagner suffered a season-ending ACL rupture. Jalen Suggs missed over half the season, first with a back injury, then with a season-ending cartilage tear in his knee. Advertisement The offense often struggled. As people shuffled in and out of coach Jamahl Mosley's playing rotation, Orlando suffered one of its worst outside-shooting seasons in recent history. The Magic made only 31.8 percent of their 3-point attempts, the worst accuracy rate by an NBA team in nearly a decade. They finished the regular season ranked 27th out of 30 teams in points scored per possession. The offensive woes have weighed heavily on almost everyone, including Banchero. 'The tough part is that when the offense is struggling, I think people are going to more look at me and Franz as maybe the reason,' Banchero told The Athletic. 'So we have to try and figure out ways to keep the ball moving and be efficient despite some of the struggles we've had throughout the year and injuries and stuff. But I think it's going to make us better in the end.' The test of Banchero's hypothesis — that Orlando will solve its offensive woes and emerge better for it — will occur over the next week or so. And what a difficult test it will be. The Magic have drawn the defending champion Boston Celtics in the playoffs' first round, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday at TD Garden. Much has been made about how the Celtics love to launch 3s, setting an NBA single-season record by attempting 48.2 treys per game, but one of the Celtics' greatest strengths is their defense. 'It's a great opportunity to see and play against the best team in the league,' Mosley said. 'They're the champs still, until somebody beats them.' Mosley is quick to point out that Orlando's offense has played better in recent weeks, and that's true. Since a March 16 road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Magic won 10 of their last 14 regular-season games and sank 36.3 percent of their 3-point tries in the process. Players, coaches and team officials point to that stretch as a sign of progress, and as a sign of what the Magic can accomplish. Advertisement But there are warning signs, too. Although Orlando won its Eastern Conference Play-In game on Tuesday over Atlanta in a 120-95 rout, that matchup was closer than the final score indicates. The Magic opened the third quarter shooting 4 of 15 from the field, and the offense sputtered so badly that players looked tight. Only a stretch of excellent shot making by reserve guard Cole Anthony finally snapped the team out of its doldrums. The Magic offense relies heavily on Banchero and Wagner as primary ballhandlers and initiators, with their teammates setting screens to give Banchero and Wagner mismatches to exploit. Then, it's often left to Banchero and Wagner to penetrate and make the right play, either to attack the basket or hurl the basketball to a teammate on the perimeter. It can — and often does — look clunky and unimaginative, especially when compared to teams that rely on ball movement and employ several ballhandlers at any given time. The struggles have been a source of frustration for everyone, even for Banchero's mom, Rhonda, who was a star frontcourt player at the University of Washington and whose professional career included a stint with the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. On March 2, after the Magic lost at home to the tanking Toronto Raptors, she tweeted: 'If you don't have a plan, they don't know what to execute. No anticipation, spotty energy, no synergy. Just randomness all over.' In another tweet, she added: 'If roles are undefined, everyone thinks they can play the lead character.' Asked recently about those tweets, Mosley said they did not cause friction between him and Paolo Banchero. 'I think as a mother, as a fan, as a basketball mind, you understand the thoughts and you see here's what was observed,' Mosley told The Athletic. 'So you welcome those things because people are going to have opinions, good, bad — whether they're a mom, whether they're a fan, whether they're a coach, whether they're (in the) front office. Everyone's going to have something to say, and you welcome the dialogue because you have to look in the mirror and say, 'Are we doing everything that we need to do for us this team to perform at its highest level?'' Advertisement Paolo Banchero said he and Mosley did not discuss his mother's comments, in part because he and Mosley speak constantly about how the team is performing and about how the team can improve. 'My mother, she has her own opinions,' Banchero said. 'If anyone follows her on any of her social media, she's very opinionated and she has the right, I would say, because she played the game at a very high level. She coached and played pro, and so she's going to call things how she sees it. She has her own views and own opinions. I did see the tweet and I just was like, 'All right, Mom. You know what happens when you tweet something like that, right?' And so she was understanding, but I think she was just speaking her mind in the heat of the moment at the time.' It occurred during a difficult stretch. The Magic wound up also losing their next two games, falling again at home to the Raptors and losing at home to the Chicago Bulls. The defeats extended their losing streak to five games, and the team dropped to 29-35. Making matters worse was that Suggs' persistent knee discomfort had been diagnosed as a cartilage tear that would require surgery and would prevent him from playing in any playoff games. That news about Suggs, according to center Wendell Carter Jr., was the Magic's lowest point of the season. 'When J went down, I think it kind of broke our team a bit,' Carter said. 'A lot of guys inside the locker room and outside believe J is one of the hearts-and-soul of this team. He plays so hard every single night. It took a toll on us. We started dropping some games. 'It got to the point where we were ninth or 10th in the East, and the expectations from the outside looking in started to change a little bit, not believing in us, not believing in what we could do with the guys we have. So, it was a moment where everyone had to look in the mirror and just figure out what they could do to help this team win. I think we did a really good job of that after hitting that crazy low point.' Advertisement The Magic ended their losing streak on March 8 in Milwaukee, despite a 37-point performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo. About a week later, they defeated the East-leading Cavaliers in Cleveland, 108-103; the victory at Rocket Arena was especially important because the Magic lost all four of their road playoff games there last spring. In terms of process, Orlando's offense typically does better than it's given credit for. During the regular season, the Magic ranked 16th leaguewide in the number of 3-pointers attempted when the closest defender was at least 6 feet away, averaging 18.8 of those attempts per game. There's just one problem, and it's a doozy: The Magic made only 35.1 percent of those wide-open attempts, which was the worst figure in the league. Since the March 16 win in Cleveland, however, the Magic have made 46.1 percent of their wide-open 3-point attempts, the NBA's third-highest percentage during that span. 'Obviously, people keep talking about the year it has been, with the numbers not being high,' Mosley said. 'But, as you look, we've been trending upwards. We love the looks we're getting because of what we're generating. If we weren't generating (those looks), then I'd have a problem with it. But these guys are generating the right shots, the right looks, and they're continuing to step in with a level of confidence just to keep on shooting them.' The games ahead will test Orlando's mojo. Its physical defense, which finished the regular season second leaguewide in points allowed per possession, could give even Boston problems. Now's the time to prove Banchero's theory that all of the season's tough times ultimately will make the Magic a better team. 'Obviously, we would've loved not to go on those losing streaks,' Wagner said. 'But that's just kind of how this year went and hopefully that can help us out in these really important games coming up.' (Top photo of Paolo Banchero: Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Heat's Latest Win Comes With Major Coincidence
Both the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls are no strangers to the NBA Play-In Tournament. The two teams have met in the Eastern Conference Play-In three years in a row, with the latest installment coming in the No. 9 seed game on Wednesday night. Despite being the lower seed and having been swept by the Bulls in the regular season, the Heat came away with a 109-90 win to keep their season alive. The victory had more implications than just this year's tournament, however - it also marked the third year in a row Miami has ended Chicago's season. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesMandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images In 2023, the Heat disposed of the Bulls with ease in the No. 8 seed game, earning the former a postseason berth that would result in the Cinderella run of a lifetime. Miami made it all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to the Denver Nuggets in what proved to be Jimmy Butler's final postseason hurrah in South Florida. Advertisement One year later, the two squads met once again in the final round of the play-in with a trip to the playoffs on the line. The Heat emerged victorious once more, as Tyler Herro secured a near triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine asissts to lead his squad to a 21-point victory. Miami would go on to lose a five-game first round series against the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics. Fast forward to 2025, a matchup with entirely new ramifications for both teams. Rather than meeting in the No. 8 seed game, the Heat and Bulls were pitted against each other as the bottom two squads in this year's play-in. The winner would advance to play the Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the playoffs. The loser's season would be over. Despite being the underdog this time around, Miami once again staked its claim of superiority over Chicago, cruising to a 109-90 victory over Chicago to secure play-in bragging rights for yet another season. The Heat will now hit the road once more to take on the Hawks this Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Related: Heat Send 6-Word Message After Play-In Win
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA play-in tournament: How to watch and everything to know
NBA play-in tournament: How to watch and everything to know Golden State Warriors will face the Memphis Grizzlies for a spot in the Play-Offs. - Brandon Dill/AP A thrilling finale to the NBA regular season shook up the play-in tournament places in the Western Conference, while there will be some familiar faces taking part in the East. The play-in has already provided many memorable moments and there are yet more enticing match-ups in 2025. How to watch Tuesday's games will be shown on TNT Sports – which shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN – and Wednesday's games on ESPN. TNT will then show the Eastern Conference Play-In game for the No. 8 seed and ESPN will air the West's. Advertisement All of the games can also be streamed on the NBA's League Pass. What is the play-in tournament? The play-in tournament has been around since the Covid-era NBA bubble at Disney World, Orlando in 2020 and was adopted fully by the league in 2022. It was brought in to try and provide a more competitive end to the long regular season, giving an extra two teams – placed ninth and 10th – in each conference the chance to make the eight-team playoffs. The No. 7 seed hosts the No. 8 seed in a single-elimination game, with the winner clinching seventh and a best-of-seven first-round series against the No. 2 seed. Advertisement The No. 9 seed then hosts the No. 10 seed, with the loser eliminated and the winner going on to face the loser of No. 7 vs. No. 8 to decide who clinches the eighth seed. No. 7 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies Tuomas Lisalo (left) was brought in to replace Taylor Jenkins as Memphis Grizzlies head coach. - Marta Lavandier/AP Starting in the Western Conference, an overtime classic between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers decided the fate of both teams on the final day. The Clippers earned a 124-119 win – the team's eighth straight to end the season – in San Francisco to clinch the No. 5 seed and relegate Golden State to a play-in spot to face the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors are 3-1 over the Grizzlies this season and have been one of the NBA's hottest teams since acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade from the Miami Heat at the start of February. Advertisement The move has also helped elevate both Steph Curry and Draymond Green, with the latter now the leading candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. Add in some helpful role players and the presence of 'Playoff Jimmy,' who helped carry the Heat to two NBA Finals, and the Warriors will feel they can be a threat this postseason. The Grizzlies' season was turned upside down when head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired on March 28, just nine games before the postseason. The timing of the decision was shocking, but the Grizzlies were at the time on a run of winning just six out of 16 games. Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo then lost his first three games in charge, before the team began to show signs of improvement, and it finished 4-2 over the last six games. Advertisement Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant ended the season strongly, but he will need plenty of support from running mates Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane if Memphis is to go on a deep run. This roster is certainly still inexperienced when it comes to the postseason and, after a tumultuous end to the regular season, the odds are stacked against the Grizzlies. No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Dallas Mavericks Anthony Davis was sent to the Mavericks in the Luka Doncic trade. - Mark J. Terrill/AP Only two seasons have passed since the Sacramento Kings reached the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in 2023, but it must already feel like a lifetime ago for fans. The Kings dropped to the No. 9 seed last season and find themselves there again now, only this time with a much-changed roster. Advertisement The Kings brought in DeMar DeRozan in 2024 free agency, but then traded away franchise star De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in February this year as Sacramento's season began to implode. The addition of Zach LaVine, acquired in the Fox trade, did little to change the team's fortunes as the Kings limped to the No. 9 seed with a losing record. Beyond this postseason, for which there is already little hope of making any sort of run, the Kings will have some tough decisions to make about the future direction of the franchise. But, chin up, Sacramento fans. It could always be worse. This season, Dallas Mavericks fans endured one of the bleakest stretches for any fanbase in modern sports history. Advertisement After reaching the 2024 NBA Finals, losing 4-1 to the Boston Celtics, optimism was high in Dallas coming into the season. The team had shown it wasn't far away from winning it all and, in Luka Dončić, the team boasted a generational talent entering his prime, plus the supremely gifted Kyrie Irving as his No. 2. On February 2, everything changed. In the midst of a difficult but by no means unsalvageable season, it was announced that the Mavericks would be trading Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most stunning trades in NBA history. Anthony Davis, the main piece the Mavericks got in return for Dončić, got injured on his Dallas debut, before Irving went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Advertisement Davis managed to return to action before the end of the regular season, but it would be a tall ask for him to lead an injury-depleted Mavs roster on a postseason run. No. 7 Orlando Magic vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shoots from the outside over Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22). - Dale Zanine/Imagn Images/USA Today Sports/Reuters Orlando Magic fans will likely be left with an overwhelming feeling of what might have been for the 2024-25 season. It began with so much promise for this talented young core, which found itself as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference after the opening couple of months of the season. However, then the injury bug hit. Orlando was without star Paulo Banchero for 34 games this season, while Franz Wagner also missed an extended period. Guard Jalen Suggs also played just 31 games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. Advertisement While the team and the fanbase will no doubt be excited about next season already, this postseason could provide the young team – in particular key men Banchero and Wagner – with invaluable playoff experience, even if going on a run this season is a long shot. It was shaping up to be an exciting season for a young Atlanta team, but the season-ending shoulder injury to Jalen Johnson in January was a real hammer blow to the Hawks' chances this year. In addition to Johnson's promise, Dyson Daniels took a leap forward this season after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray the other way in the offseason. Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, is also looking like a valuable piece already, while star guard Trae Young is as wonderful on offense as ever. Advertisement It seems unlikely the Hawks will have enough this season to challenge the top seeds if they make the playoffs, but the future looks promising for this young core. No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Miami Heat Can Tyler Herro lead Miami to the playoffs? - Nam Y. Huh/AP The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are familiar faces now in the play-in. Appearing in the play-in tournament for the third straight season, the Bulls look vastly different now than they did to start the campaign. Star man Zach LaVine and highly touted defender Alex Caruso were traded away, while Lonzo Ball returned to the court this season but still struggled with injuries. The Bulls lost in the play-in in each of the last two season, and a win this time around is perhaps as far as they can expect to go this postseason. Advertisement The Heat's already waning season crumbled after the team traded away Butler to Golden State. Miami, also appearing in its third straight play-in tournament, improbably reached the NBA Finals after coming through the play-in in 2023. Without 'Playoff Jimmy' to lead them this year, however, the Heat's chances of repeating that feat are next to zero. While Tyler Herro has taken a leap forward in his development this season, Bam Adebayo has been underwhelming. Fourth-quarter struggles have become a recurring theme for Miami, too, with that historic Finals run now a distant memory. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
CNN
15-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
NBA play-in tournament: How to watch and everything to know
A thrilling finale to the NBA regular season shook up the play-in tournament places in the Western Conference, while there will be some familiar faces taking part in the East. The play-in has already provided many memorable moments and there are yet more enticing match-ups in 2025. Tuesday's games will be shown on TNT Sports – which shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN – and Wednesday's games on ESPN. TNT will then show the Eastern Conference Play-In game for the No. 8 seed and ESPN will air the West's. All of the games can also be streamed on the NBA's League Pass. The play-in tournament has been around since the Covid-era NBA bubble at Disney World, Orlando in 2020 and was adopted fully by the league in 2022. It was brought in to try and provide a more competitive end to the long regular season, giving an extra two teams – placed ninth and 10th – in each conference the chance to make the eight-team playoffs. The No. 7 seed hosts the No. 8 seed in a single-elimination game, with the winner clinching seventh and a best-of-seven first-round series against the No. 2 seed. The No. 9 seed then hosts the No. 10 seed, with the loser eliminated and the winner going on to face the loser of No. 7 vs. No. 8 to decide who clinches the eighth seed. Starting in the Western Conference, an overtime classic between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers decided the fate of both teams on the final day. The Clippers earned a 124-119 win – the team's eighth straight to end the season – in San Francisco to clinch the No. 5 seed and relegate Golden State to a play-in spot to face the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors are 3-1 over the Grizzlies this season and have been one of the NBA's hottest teams since acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade from the Miami Heat at the start of February. The move has also helped elevate both Steph Curry and Draymond Green, with the latter now the leading candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. Add in some helpful role players and the presence of 'Playoff Jimmy,' who helped carry the Heat to two NBA Finals, and the Warriors will feel they can be a threat this postseason. The Grizzlies' season was turned upside down when head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired on March 28, just nine games before the postseason. The timing of the decision was shocking, but the Grizzlies were at the time on a run of winning just six out of 16 games. Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo then lost his first three games in charge, before the team began to show signs of improvement, and it finished 4-2 over the last six games. Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant ended the season strongly, but he will need plenty of support from running mates Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane if Memphis is to go on a deep run. This roster is certainly still inexperienced when it comes to the postseason and, after a tumultuous end to the regular season, the odds are stacked against the Grizzlies. Only two seasons have passed since the Sacramento Kings reached the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in 2023, but it must already feel like a lifetime ago for fans. The Kings dropped to the No. 9 seed last season and find themselves there again now, only this time with a much-changed roster. The Kings brought in DeMar DeRozan in 2024 free agency, but then traded away franchise star De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in February this year as Sacramento's season began to implode. The addition of Zach LaVine, acquired in the Fox trade, did little to change the team's fortunes as the Kings limped to the No. 9 seed with a losing record. Beyond this postseason, for which there is already little hope of making any sort of run, the Kings will have some tough decisions to make about the future direction of the franchise. But, chin up, Sacramento fans. It could always be worse. This season, Dallas Mavericks fans endured one of the bleakest stretches for any fanbase in modern sports history. After reaching the 2024 NBA Finals, losing 4-1 to the Boston Celtics, optimism was high in Dallas coming into the season. The team had shown it wasn't far away from winning it all and, in Luka Dončić, the team boasted a generational talent entering his prime, plus the supremely gifted Kyrie Irving as his No. 2. On February 2, everything changed. In the midst of a difficult but by no means unsalvageable season, it was announced that the Mavericks would be trading Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most stunning trades in NBA history. Anthony Davis, the main piece the Mavericks got in return for Dončić, got injured on his Dallas debut, before Irving went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Davis managed to return to action before the end of the regular season, but it would be a tall ask for him to lead an injury-depleted Mavs roster on a postseason run. Orlando Magic fans will likely be left with an overwhelming feeling of what might have been for the 2024-25 season. It began with so much promise for this talented young core, which found itself as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference after the opening couple of months of the season. However, then the injury bug hit. Orlando was without star Paulo Banchero for 34 games this season, while Franz Wagner also missed an extended period. Guard Jalen Suggs also played just 31 games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. While the team and the fanbase will no doubt be excited about next season already, this postseason could provide the young team – in particular key men Banchero and Wagner – with invaluable playoff experience, even if going on a run this season is a long shot. It was shaping up to be an exciting season for a young Atlanta team, but the season-ending shoulder injury to Jalen Johnson in January was a real hammer blow to the Hawks' chances this year. In addition to Johnson's promise, Dyson Daniels took a leap forward this season after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray the other way in the offseason. Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, is also looking like a valuable piece already, while star guard Trae Young is as wonderful on offense as ever. It seems unlikely the Hawks will have enough this season to challenge the top seeds if they make the playoffs, but the future looks promising for this young core. The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are familiar faces now in the play-in. Appearing in the play-in tournament for the third straight season, the Bulls look vastly different now than they did to start the campaign. Star man Zach LaVine and highly touted defender Alex Caruso were traded away, while Lonzo Ball returned to the court this season but still struggled with injuries. The Bulls lost in the play-in in each of the last two season, and a win this time around is perhaps as far as they can expect to go this postseason. The Heat's already waning season crumbled after the team traded away Butler to Golden State. Miami, also appearing in its third straight play-in tournament, improbably reached the NBA Finals after coming through the play-in in 2023. Without 'Playoff Jimmy' to lead them this year, however, the Heat's chances of repeating that feat are next to zero. While Tyler Herro has taken a leap forward in his development this season, Bam Adebayo has been underwhelming. Fourth-quarter struggles have become a recurring theme for Miami, too, with that historic Finals run now a distant memory.
CNN
15-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
NBA play-in tournament: How to watch and everything to know
A thrilling finale to the NBA regular season shook up the play-in tournament places in the Western Conference, while there will be some familiar faces taking part in the East. The play-in has already provided many memorable moments and there are yet more enticing match-ups in 2025. Tuesday's games will be shown on TNT Sports – which shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN – and Wednesday's games on ESPN. TNT will then show the Eastern Conference Play-In game for the No. 8 seed and ESPN will air the West's. All of the games can also be streamed on the NBA's League Pass. The play-in tournament has been around since the Covid-era NBA bubble at Disney World, Orlando in 2020 and was adopted fully by the league in 2022. It was brought in to try and provide a more competitive end to the long regular season, giving an extra two teams – placed ninth and 10th – in each conference the chance to make the eight-team playoffs. The No. 7 seed hosts the No. 8 seed in a single-elimination game, with the winner clinching seventh and a best-of-seven first-round series against the No. 2 seed. The No. 9 seed then hosts the No. 10 seed, with the loser eliminated and the winner going on to face the loser of No. 7 vs. No. 8 to decide who clinches the eighth seed. Starting in the Western Conference, an overtime classic between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers decided the fate of both teams on the final day. The Clippers earned a 124-119 win – the team's eighth straight to end the season – in San Francisco to clinch the No. 5 seed and relegate Golden State to a play-in spot to face the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors are 3-1 over the Grizzlies this season and have been one of the NBA's hottest teams since acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade from the Miami Heat at the start of February. The move has also helped elevate both Steph Curry and Draymond Green, with the latter now the leading candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. Add in some helpful role players and the presence of 'Playoff Jimmy,' who helped carry the Heat to two NBA Finals, and the Warriors will feel they can be a threat this postseason. The Grizzlies' season was turned upside down when head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired on March 28, just nine games before the postseason. The timing of the decision was shocking, but the Grizzlies were at the time on a run of winning just six out of 16 games. Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo then lost his first three games in charge, before the team began to show signs of improvement, and it finished 4-2 over the last six games. Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant ended the season strongly, but he will need plenty of support from running mates Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane if Memphis is to go on a deep run. This roster is certainly still inexperienced when it comes to the postseason and, after a tumultuous end to the regular season, the odds are stacked against the Grizzlies. Only two seasons have passed since the Sacramento Kings reached the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in 2023, but it must already feel like a lifetime ago for fans. The Kings dropped to the No. 9 seed last season and find themselves there again now, only this time with a much-changed roster. The Kings brought in DeMar DeRozan in 2024 free agency, but then traded away franchise star De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in February this year as Sacramento's season began to implode. The addition of Zach LaVine, acquired in the Fox trade, did little to change the team's fortunes as the Kings limped to the No. 9 seed with a losing record. Beyond this postseason, for which there is already little hope of making any sort of run, the Kings will have some tough decisions to make about the future direction of the franchise. But, chin up, Sacramento fans. It could always be worse. This season, Dallas Mavericks fans endured one of the bleakest stretches for any fanbase in modern sports history. After reaching the 2024 NBA Finals, losing 4-1 to the Boston Celtics, optimism was high in Dallas coming into the season. The team had shown it wasn't far away from winning it all and, in Luka Dončić, the team boasted a generational talent entering his prime, plus the supremely gifted Kyrie Irving as his No. 2. On February 2, everything changed. In the midst of a difficult but by no means unsalvageable season, it was announced that the Mavericks would be trading Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most stunning trades in NBA history. Anthony Davis, the main piece the Mavericks got in return for Dončić, got injured on his Dallas debut, before Irving went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Davis managed to return to action before the end of the regular season, but it would be a tall ask for him to lead an injury-depleted Mavs roster on a postseason run. Orlando Magic fans will likely be left with an overwhelming feeling of what might have been for the 2024-25 season. It began with so much promise for this talented young core, which found itself as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference after the opening couple of months of the season. However, then the injury bug hit. Orlando was without star Paulo Banchero for 34 games this season, while Franz Wagner also missed an extended period. Guard Jalen Suggs also played just 31 games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. While the team and the fanbase will no doubt be excited about next season already, this postseason could provide the young team – in particular key men Banchero and Wagner – with invaluable playoff experience, even if going on a run this season is a long shot. It was shaping up to be an exciting season for a young Atlanta team, but the season-ending shoulder injury to Jalen Johnson in January was a real hammer blow to the Hawks' chances this year. In addition to Johnson's promise, Dyson Daniels took a leap forward this season after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray the other way in the offseason. Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, is also looking like a valuable piece already, while star guard Trae Young is as wonderful on offense as ever. It seems unlikely the Hawks will have enough this season to challenge the top seeds if they make the playoffs, but the future looks promising for this young core. The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are familiar faces now in the play-in. Appearing in the play-in tournament for the third straight season, the Bulls look vastly different now than they did to start the campaign. Star man Zach LaVine and highly touted defender Alex Caruso were traded away, while Lonzo Ball returned to the court this season but still struggled with injuries. The Bulls lost in the play-in in each of the last two season, and a win this time around is perhaps as far as they can expect to go this postseason. The Heat's already waning season crumbled after the team traded away Butler to Golden State. Miami, also appearing in its third straight play-in tournament, improbably reached the NBA Finals after coming through the play-in in 2023. Without 'Playoff Jimmy' to lead them this year, however, the Heat's chances of repeating that feat are next to zero. While Tyler Herro has taken a leap forward in his development this season, Bam Adebayo has been underwhelming. Fourth-quarter struggles have become a recurring theme for Miami, too, with that historic Finals run now a distant memory.
