Inside The Suns

Top Five NBA Title Contenders After All-Star Break

The Phoenix Suns have entered the conversation as a title contender after the all-star break. Where do they rank among the league's best?

Everett Williams

Top Five NBA Title Contenders After All-Star Break
Top Five NBA Title Contenders After All-Star Break /
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The most important stretch of the NBA regular season is now upon us, and with teams having several moves at the deadline, the NBA power has slightly shifted the Phoenix Suns' way. There’s been considerable parody in the NBA this season, something we haven’t seen in a few years.

Contenders, especially in the Western Conference, seem to be constructed of two-to-three stars with depth all around. The top eight teams in the Western Conference have been jockeying for months now, but after large moves all over the NBA, the picture of legitimate franchises making a run at the NBA Finals has become clearer.

The following list is composed of the top five teams to win a championship based on their current roster and current health status of all players. Also taken into consideration the remaining schedule of all teams and potential playoff matchups.

Suns landing Kevin Durant pledges them fully into title contenders with about 20 regular season games remaining. 

5. Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets currently have a 41-18 record and an NBA best 27-4 record when at home. Denver, however struggles on the road with an even 14-14 record. The Nuggets have won their last three heading into the All-Star break.

The Nuggets are undoubtedly led by C Nikola Jokić. The back-to-back MVP winner has one of the most impressive stat lines we have seen in the last decade of basketball averaging a triple double with 24.7 PPG, 11.6 RPG and 10.2 APG.

Offensively, the Nuggets are one of the best shooting teams in the NBA. They lead the league in 3P% and FG%.

The Nuggets made one move at the trade deadline acquiring C Thomas Bryant. Bryant is a depth big.

The expected result for the Denver Nuggets is to lose against the Phoenix Suns in seven games in the Western Conference finals. 

4. Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are currently 33-28 with an interesting 15-10 home record. The Clippers have plenty of star power and have even taken advantage of resting some of their players in order to be healthier in the playoffs.

G Paul George leads to Clippers in scoring with 23.3 PPG however the score sharing for the Clippers has remained high throughout the year.

G Eric Gordon was acquired from the Houston Rockets in a 3-team deal. Gordon could provide outside scoring the Clippers are searching for. 

The Clippers were active during the trade deadline acquiring G Eric Gordon and C Mason Plumlee. Two pieces that address what the Clippers needed more of: shooting and size.

Another interesting pickup for the Clippers was the rest-of-season contract with G Russell Westbrook. Westbrook finds himself in LA as a piece to a championship level team if he plays the way he is capable of playing. Westbrook is a primary ball handler and distributor which makes him on a team with George and G Kawhi Leonard and interesting match.

The expected result for the Los Angeles Clippers is to lose in the Western Conference semifinals.

3. Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are currently 32-28 and have been plagued by injury and drama all-year. Turmoil has been commonplace in Phoenix as new ownership, injury and trade rumors has settled like thick fog into The Valley. All has changed since the trade deadline as F Kevin Durant has offered a ray of sunshine.

The unpredictable thing for the Suns will be the play of Durant with Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. The fit of Durant will be a question that will be answered next Wednesday in Charlotte, but for the time being the speculation will continue.

F Kevin Durant and G Devin Booker have yet to play with each other since the trade. With Durant's return next Wednesday, the Suns will have around 20 regular season games to find a groove before the playoffs hit. 

The Suns will be led by Durant, Booker and have a monster lineup on paper. The depth of the Suns will be the biggest weakness if any.

The Suns have the sixth most difficult remaining schedule and the hardest of the team in this list by a good margin. Come playoffs the Suns will have played about 20 games with Durant, the familiarity will be still fresh. But as we’ve seen before, super teams can absolutely win it all.

The expected result for the Phoenix Suns is to lose in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics in seven games. 

2. Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks currently hold a 41-17 and sit in second by half of a game to the Celtics. The Bucks approached the All-Star break as the hottest team in the NBA winning their last 12 games. Possessing the 12th hardest reaming schedule in the NBA, the Bucks are primed to win bunches of games in the last two month of the season against weaker opponents.

The Bucks are led by superstar F Giannis Antetokounmpo who is averaging 31.8 PPG and 12.2 RPG. Much of the offense is run through Antetokounmpo who has had 40+ point games 11 times already this season. The role players behind the Bucks, such as G Jrue Holiday, F Khris Middleton and F Bobby Portis contribute to wins and make the Bucks a matchup nightmare for teams. 

The Milwaukee Bucks headed into the all-star break with plenty of momentum, winning their last 12 games.
The Milwaukee Bucks headed into the all-star break with plenty of momentum, winning their last 12 games

One of the most important moves made at the all-star break was the Bucks acquiring F Jae Crowder. Crowder is an effective ‘3 and D’ player that has found a new home in Milwaukee. The Bucks are hoping to get the same effect that Crowder had on the Heat, helping spur that team to the NBA Finals in 2020.

The expected result for the Milwaukee Bucks is to lose the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games against the Boston Celtics. 

1. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics currently have a record of 42-17, including an impressive 18-10 record away from TD Garden. They’re 7-3 in their last ten games and are in the top five in many statistical categories around the league including: 3-point percentage, free-throw percentage, assists, blocks and points.

The Celtics are led by superstar G Jason Tatum who is averaging 30.6 PPG, and continue to get contributions from G Jaylen Brown and G Marcus Smart, the heart and soul of the reigning Eastern Conference champions. 

The depth of Boston’s bench is phenomenal and have remained relatively healthy this year. One thing that also goes Boston’s way is the fact that Tatum, Brown and Smart have played an average of 82 playoff games between the three of them, that’s a full NBA season of playoff experience for the 28, 26 and 24-year-olds.

The expected result for the Boston Celtics is to win the NBA Finals in seven games against the Phoenix Suns. 

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Everett Williams
EVERETT WILLIAMS

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