Franz and Moritz Wagner at the Orlando Magic, the duel between the two Germans Daniel Theis and Maxi Kleber and the hunt for champions Denver with Nikola Jokic – everything important at the start of the NBA playoffs.
Five German NBA professionals made it into the playoffs with their clubs – more than ever before in the US professional league. Only for Dennis Schröder, captain and leader of the German world champion team, the season with the Brooklyn Nets ended prematurely.
Franz and Moritz Wagner with Orlando in the playoffs
But Moritz and Franz Wagner made it into the playoffs for the first time ever with the Orlando Magic. “This means a lot to us,” said Franz after reaching the playoffs. “We grew up getting up at three in the morning to watch the playoffs. Or the highlights first thing in the morning. To have done that myself, on a team with my brother, that’s really cool.”
But the Berliner also made it clear that the Magic, who last got out of the first round in 2010, want more. Franz Wagner is the second “go-to guy” for the important points for the Magic, alongside young star Paolo Banchero. Orlando, fifth in the East last season, will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
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Hartenstein with Knicks second best team in the East
In terms of the ranking, Isaiah Hartenstein has the best starting position, who goes into the playoffs with the New York Knicks in second place in the East and has home advantage in a possible seventh game at least up to the semifinals of the Eastern Conference.
A permanent fixture at the New York Knicks: Isaiah Hartenstein
Hartenstein has come to the fore with the Knicks this season, especially with his extremely reliable work under the basket, grabbing an average of 8.3 rebounds per game – and thus played a large part in making the Knicks the best rebounding team in the world NBA promoted. In the first round, New York will face the winner of the play-in duel between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat.
Theis versus Kleber – duel between the German “Big Men”
In the Western Conference there will be a direct duel between two German NBA professionals: Daniel Theis even made it to the NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics two years ago (losing against the Warriors), but only had short appearances. Now the “Big Man” is making a new attempt at the LA Clippers, in the quarterfinals the Clippers will meet the Dallas Mavericks with Maxi Kleber from Würzburg.
Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber (l.) and superstar Luka Doncic
Because Kleber, actually a power forward, also likes to take on the center position depending on the Mavs’ formation, he could even have to deal directly with Theis as an opponent. Most recently, the Clippers won two series in a row in the playoffs against the Mavs. But at Dallas, Luka Doncic is once again playing in MVP form, even scoring 73 points in a game against Atlanta in January, the fourth-best score by a player in NBA history.
The favorites – who can beat Denver and Jokic?
There is no way around the Denver Nuggets, who were sovereign champions last year with a 4-1 win in the final against Miami, in the title race this time around. The top duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, guarantees of the first title in club history, continue to lead the team. However, playmaker Murray struggled with injuries during the season.
After the all-star break, the Nuggets were able to improve again and were back in top form in time for the playoffs. All-round genius Jokic showed last year that he can still improve in the postseason – which is another reason why the Nuggets are considered the top favorites for the title.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and plenty of overachievers in OKC
The first challengers in the West are the young high-flyers from Oklahoma City. The Thunder, equipped with various high first-round picks, are actually considered a team of the future. But the squad, led by a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in MVP form, is already bringing enormous strength to the floor.
The Thunder secured first place in the West with 57 wins. They are one of the best teams in the league offensively and defensively, with the extremely strong rookie center Chet Holmgren as the defensive anchor. But their youthful energy is also the biggest question mark with OKC: their leaders have little playoff experience, which is always a big factor in the postseason.
LA Clippers – Big names, but also a lot of doubts
The LA Clippers should also be on the bill, just because of the dazzling line-up: In addition to the established top stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, other big names such as James Harden and Russell Westbrook were added this season, but they didn’t necessarily rejuvenate the squad.
The performances during the regular season were correspondingly fluctuating. The Clippers could have problems, especially against fast, defensively strong teams. How far we go in the playoffs will depend above all on whether leader Kawhi Leonard stays fit. Recently, the two-time Finals MVP was injured again.
Celtics – once again favorites in the East and title contenders
The favorites in the East are once again the Boston Celtics, who, after several disappointments in the postseason, finally want to win the championship they long for. Jayson Tatum’s team led the league for almost the entire season. With playmaker Jrue Holiday and big man Kristaps Porzingis, both signed at the start of the season, the Celtics have successfully eliminated two problems from the past.
Lots of question marks with the Knicks and the Bucks
There are many question marks behind the Celtics in the East: The New York Knicks secured second place primarily with an impressively strong defense and a consistently delivering Jalen Brunson. However, the loss of Julius Randle will be difficult for the Knicks to compensate for; in the opinion of many experts, the squad is too thin to go far.
The Milwaukee Bucks actually wanted to attack at the top again by signing Damian Lillard. But the Bucks drag their ailing leader Giannis Antetokounmpo into the playoffs. The “Greek Freak” will probably have to sit out the opener on Monday (April 22, 2024) against Indiana. And last year’s finalist Miami, who had thrown out the Celtics, barely made it into the play-ins.
Playoffs without superstar Curry – Warriors already out
In the play-in tournament, the teams in conference positions 7 to 10 each play for the last two playoff spots – with the Golden State Warriors, the first top team fell by the wayside. The Warriors, led by four-time NBA champion Steph Curry, only finished in ninth place after the regular season – and said goodbye to the title race with a loss to Sacramento.
Lakers and James are threatened with an early playoff exit
The Los Angeles Lakers with NBA record scorer LeBron James barely made it into the playoffs with a narrow win against New Orleans. But they now have to deal with defending champion Denver in the first round, a repeat of the Western Conference Finals from last year, when the Lakers received the maximum penalty with a 0:4 “sweep” from the Nuggets.
Embiid and Butler are shaking with Philly and Miami
In the East, another top star, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid or Miami’s Jimmy Butler, could say goodbye early on vacation. The 76ers, 7th in the regular season, and the Heat (8th) also have to take the detour via the play-in tournament.
