Emmerson Cattich | Opinion Editor
The NBA In-Season Tournament and its brightly-colored courts are back! For the next month, there will be games nearly every night as we see who will take home the 2nd annual NBA Cup. Below is my evaluation of the 5 teams with the best record heading into the contest:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (12-0)
Cleveland seems like the team to beat as the only undefeated squad thus far. In the first round, they play the 76ers (2-7), who are missing star point guard Tyrese Maxey but have Joel Embiid and Paul George finally on the court together. The Cavs, led by Donovan Mitchell, are off to the best start since the 2015-16’ Golden State Warriors. The key to beating them is to stop Mitchell, which is nearly impossible. However, the Cavaliers have shown they are beatable, they have just been able to pull out close victories. Watch out for them to possibly make an earlier-than-anticipated exit.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (9-2)
Sitting atop the Western Conference for the second year in a row, the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Thunder look poised for a deep playoff run. They start with an easy matchup vs. the Pelicans (3-8), which they shouldn’t struggle with at all. The glaring issue with OKC is their lack of star power outside of SGA, with budding star Chet Holmgren slated to miss 8-10 weeks with a hip fracture. Without Chet for the duration of the tournament, Oklahoma City’s next best weapons will be Lu Dort and Jalen Williams, which are less than ideal. Shai will have to play out of his mind to carry this team to a cup championship.
3. Boston Celtics (9-2)
The reigning NBA champs are off to another hot start. They play the Hawks (4-7) to start, and as long as they contain Trae Young, they should be okay. The Celtics bring back the same core they won the title with last season, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown headlining the well-rounded squad. As long as their stars show up in big moments, this team is nearly unbeatable. It’ll take Jayson Tatum playing up to his potential to add an in-season title banner alongside their 2024 NBA Championship.
4. Phoenix Suns (8-2)
The consistently disappointing Suns are showing some life to start the season. They have a cakewalk to start the tournament, playing the bottom-of-the-barrel Jazz (2-7). However, they have intriguing matchups against the Kings (6-5), who they just lost to, and the Thunder to finish out the week. With the Suns, it’s just the question of whether or not Devin Booker and Bradley Beal can make it work without Kevin Durant (calf strain) for the first 2 weeks. The big three have yet to be all healthy at the same time, but if they all are by the end of the tourney, they might be a squad to watch.
5. Golden State Warriors (8-2)
Steph Curry is not slowing down any time soon. I expect Golden State to win out in the group stage, as they are playing the Mavericks (5-5), and the Grizzlies (7-4), which will be a close one, and finally, they should destroy the disappointing Clippers (6-5). As long as Draymond Green doesn’t start any problems, I would consider the Warriors to be my pick to win it all. Curry and his supporting cast are on fire, and when Steph is playing his best, good luck to anyone in his way.
The unpredictability of a tournament this early in the season is what makes it so fun. We will be treated to close games and upsets until mid-December, so tune in and enjoy!
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