It’s A Bubble Rematch: A 2023 NBA Conference Finals Preview
Picture from NBA.com.
Srikar Kalapala
The second round of the 2022-23 NBA playoffs came to a close last week, with a lineup consisting of every single seed (1-8) being represented for the first time in the history of the NBA. In the East, the eighth-seeded Miami Heat upset the fifth-seeded New York Knicks in six games, even with a scary injury to Jimmy Butler in game one. Also in the East, the Celtics took care of business against the 76ers, with Jayson Tatum breaking record after record with a 51-point performance to close out the series. Out in the West, the Nuggets beat the Suns in six games, which included an elimination game blowout in stunning fashion for the Suns (sound familiar?). The West also had one of the more anticipated semifinals series in recent history, a matchup between the Stephen Curry-led Warriors and the LeBron James-led Lakers. In the end, the Lakers defeated the Warriors in six games, and one can only hope that wasn’t the last time these two legends see each other in the playoffs.
The dust has been settled and the matchups are now set. In the East, we will see the eighth-seeded Miami Heat take on the second-seeded Boston Celtics, and in the West, we will see the first-seeded Denver Nuggets take on the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. With these teams having familiarity with each other from their time in the 2020 bubble, there is an abundance of storylines to cover. Let’s get into it.
Eastern Conference
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Miami Heat
For the third time in the past four years, the Miami Heat take on the Boston Celtics to decide who becomes the Eastern Conference representative in the NBA Finals. To get here, the Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games and the 76ers in seven games in a series where Jayson Tatum put up a game seven record of 51 points.. As for the Heat, it has been an upset-filled playoff run, as they eliminated the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and the fifth-seeded New York Knicks, with Jimmy Butler showcasing “Playoff Jimmy”. There are some health concerns with the Heat, especially after losing both Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo to injuries, and having Jimmy Butler miss some time against the Knicks as well. Butler will play through his ankle injury, but it is yet to be seen if Herro can come back against a deep Celtics roster.
The Celtics and the Heat always seem to play hard against each other, providing down-to-the-wire games and intense moments. In the regular season the teams split their games against each other 2-2. The Celtics propelled themselves back to the ECF with a top five offense and a top five defense, but while those rankings may matter when facing the other 28 teams in the league, it won’t matter against the Heat. Why? Because the Heat always elevate their play in the playoffs. Butler leads the league with 31.1 PPG this postseason, and it seems like all of the undrafted gems and savvy veterans that the Heat have played their best when they need to. The Heat this postseason have seemed to be good for at least two wins in every series. One where Playoff Jimmy goes off, and another where the roleplayers for the Heat step up and get the job done. It will be up to the Celtics to limit these things.
This has the makings of a series that could go the distance. If there is anything an NBA fan has realized in the past four years, it is that when the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat play in the playoffs, seedings do not matter. In the end, the team that wins this series will have found a way to limit the other team’s star player(s).
Western Conference
(1) Denver Nuggets vs (7) Los Angeles Lakers
In the West, the one-seeded Denver Nuggets take on the 17-time NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers in a series that will determine the Western Conference representative in the 2023 NBA Finals. This is a matchup between a team at the top of the regular season standings and a team that barely made the playoffs. However, just like the East, the seedings don’t tell the whole story. LA started out this season 2-10, with a miniscule chance to make the playoffs. But since the trade deadline, the Lakers have been one of, if not the hottest team in basketball. After beating the Timberwolves in the play-in, the Lakers defeated the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. LeBron James now stands four games away from his 11th Finals appearance. However, this bubble rematch will not be played out the same as it did in 2020. The Nuggets were at the top of the West this season for good reason. Their core has led them to this stage, and no trade deadline was needed for them to be a Finals-caliber team, unlike the Lakers. Furthermore, the Nuggets are hungry. In their entire history as a franchise, they have never reached the Finals. With two-time MVP Nikola Jokic leading the charge, and a reemergence of Jamal Murray in these playoffs, the Nuggets are scarier than ever.
The big matchup to watch in this one are the two big man superstars: Jokic and Anthony Davis. Both players have been playing extremely well, with Davis being one of the best paint defenders in this postseason for the Lakers and Jokic being the offensive heartbeat for the Nuggets. As for LeBron, taking advantage of going up against weaker defenders compared to the ones of the Grizzlies and Warriors has to be a must do in this series in order for the Lakers to win. Although he is 38, James has shown that he has been able to delay Father Time. But this is the series where he must be aggressive. For the Nuggets, they need Jokic to take advantage of the Lakers when Davis is resting. Both teams will have to capitalize on every opportunity, because every single game is a must have in this series.
Just like the East, this series has the makings of a series that could go the distance. The Nuggets and Lakers also split their regular season 2-2. Although the focus has been on the three superstars between these two teams, any player could step up and be the hero for these teams. So will it be the Denver Nuggets making their first Finals appearance, or the Los Angeles Lakers vying for their 18th banner?
