With the regular season wrapped, we’re heading into two of the most important stretches in all of basketball.

First, the award ceremonies, headlined as always by the illustrious MVP award. We just posted a video on the history of the award and its elusive standard, so we’ll consider that covered for the moment.

Second, is playoff season. The standings have all but solidified, pending the play in tournament, and the matchups have mostly been set.

We’ll be here to provide you the context and projections you’re looking for, starting first with the overwhelming beast that is the western conference.

Young, Wild, and Dominant

We don’t know how the play-in will shake out just yet, but whoever is rewarded for their efforts with the 8-seed is in for a war.

This Thunder team is as defensively tenacious as it gets, armed with the most effective scorer in the world. Add in J-Dub, Holmgren, Hartenstein, and an endless bench, and you have a real monster on your hands.

That said, if there's a play-in team that could give them trouble, it’s Golden State. 

Between Steph’s affinity for going nuclear in OKC and the general maturity of the dubs, the four time champs could prove a tough test for the young and hungry Thunder.

Chaos vs Control

Outside of Jokic making miracles look mundane, things have been rocky up in Colorado. 

The Nuggets have struggled to find any consistency from their bench, and the defensive efforts have been largely lackluster across the board.

On the other hand the Clippers have been shockingly steady, held down by a seasoned coaching staff and a well balanced roster.

Ever since Kawhi came back they’ve looked very dangerous, and Zubac won’t back down from the Joker. He’s one of the few bigs who can absorb contact and stay vertical without flinching.

Betting against the best player in the world is bad business, but keep an eye on this one.

Ant and Luka Vol .2

We’ve got all the star power you could ask for here.

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will lean on their identity, and that means attacking. Offensively, you’ll see a whole lot of Ant pick and rolls, which you can expect Vando or DFS to be navigating.

Defensively it means pressure, pressure, and more pressure.

Unfortunately the Lakers have a stable of high profile playmakers ready to stand still in a storm and make good decisions.

The Wolves are surging, LA is building. It's raging fury against a calming force, and we can’t wait to see it.

Unrelenting Pressure

There’s been some well warranted worries about how Houston’s grinding halfcourt offense will adjust to playoff pressure. But we can’t forget about that defense.

Outside of OKC, there isn’t a team in the league capable of swarming ball handlers this effectively, and even the Thunder don’t have anyone like Amen Thompson.

We’ve seen what they could do against the Warriors should they prevail in the play-in. As dangerous as Steph is, this is a bad matchup for GSW. On the other hand, the Grizzlies might just be brash enough to beat the Rockets at their own game.

But we’d probably roll with Udoka’s squad either way.

Carnage Awaits

Whether we see Memphis and Golden State complete the bracket like many of us expect, or the Kings or Mavs sneak into the 8th seed, this side of the tournament will look like an industrial furnace.

OKC has the most collective talent. The Lakers, a stable of high end engines. The Timberwolves are peaking. The Clippers might be hotter. The Rockets bring hellish speed. The Nuggets still have the best player in the world.

There are no easy outs and no clear favorites. Just a whole bunch of hungry contenders.

Get ready. There’s a whole lot of must see tv coming your way.