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The NBA is preparing for a unique playoff: "The ranking has no effect, there are a lot of question marks"

All playoff series are scheduled except for the Lakers rival in the first round: the Clippers and Kwai are preparing for the "little things" that have changed, Houston is worried about Westbrook's injury, Yukic is ready for the challenge

• Kwai Leonard
• Russell Westbrook

Walla! sport

The battle for eighth place in the West still remains open, but the rest of the playoff picture in the NBA has already closed. The only question left open is who the Los Angeles Lakers will play in the first round, with Portland (39:34), Memphis (39:33), Phoenix (39:33) and San Antonio (38:32) still having a chance to finish in eighth place. Ahead of the crucial games. Either way, the league already knows: this year the playoffs will look different, with no team having a home-court advantage, and they all come with a different momentum from the regular season, which seems to have reopened in a bubble in Orlando.

The Clippers, for example, secured second place in the West tonight thanks to a 111: 124 victory over Denver, which are closed in third place. The Clippers (23:48) will meet Dallas in the first round (31:43), in a fascinating series that arranges a meeting between two pairs: Paul George and Kwai Leonard vs. Luca Doncic and Kristeps Forzingis. The Clippers defeated the Mavericks in their three meetings this season.

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However, Kwai knows that this year in Orlando everything is open. "Right now the rankings don't seem to have an impact," said Kwai, who won the championship with Toronto last year, "that is, tonight we played against Denver. We did not go there, we did not play in an atmosphere we are used to, no crowd. Beyond that, little things, travel to another city and try "Settling and stabilizing and finding a routine on the roads, these are some of the difficulties in the playoffs and there is no bubble."

Denver (26:46), who also lost the home advantage, an important element in the playoffs that teams win thanks to hard and stubborn work throughout an entire season - will meet Utah in the first round (28:43), with the Nuggets in a 0: 3 balance against the Jazz. "There will be a really good match-up against Utah," said Nikola Jokic, who will face Rudy Gober's defense, "I had no easy game against them, there will be an interesting series."

The series with the most potential for drama is between Oklahoma City (27:44) and Houston (27:44), with Russell Westbrook (who is still unclear as to his suitability to open the playoffs) meet his former teammate, and Chris Paul will also play against his former teammates. The Thunder lead the season series 1: 2 over the Rockets. An MRI scan revealed Westbrook was suffering from a sprain, and Houston coach Mike D'Antoni admitted: "We'll see how he reacts, we're all hopeful (he's playing in the playoffs), we'll see next week. Right now I don't know." The Brooks are encouraged that at least Eric Gordon is back, playing for the first time in a bubble. "It was fun to come back," said Gordon, who settled for 1 of 9 from three and 13 points at 5 of 15 from the field.

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In the East Yannis Antocompo and Milwaukee (16:45) will open against Orlando (40:32), but even in the Eastern Division it looks like the more intriguing battle will be between 4th and 5th places: Miami (28:44) vs. Indiana (28:44), with amateurs Basketball is waiting to see if TJ Warren's surprising fitness in the bubble can last for Money Time as well. Warren, it will be recalled, was sent off at the previous meeting between the teams in January, when Jimmy Butler called him "soft." Miami is on a 0: 3 balance against the Pacers this season. Tonight TJ Warren and Malcolm Brogdon got a rest, and Indiana still defeated Houston. “All of our players, once they get a chance, do a good job,” said Indiana coach Knight McMillan, who is expected to give Warren a rest even in the final game of the regular season on Friday night.

Third-ranked Boston (23:48) will play Philadelphia (30:42), with the Sixers in the season series beating the Celtics 1: 3, but Philadelphia, which lost three straight games in the bubble, also lost the injured Ben Simmons and finished the season. Joel Ambide played just one half tonight in the Sixers' loss, after missing the previous game due to an ankle injury. Tonight also got hit in the hand, in a game he finished with 5 points in 14 minutes. "We've been through a lot of lineups and fives from the beginning until now, and if you look at our team, the significant word for him is the ability to make an adjustment ," Tobias Harris said of the Sixers' situation. To move on".

Toronto (19:52) will begin the title defense campaign against Brooklyn (36:35), and while the Nets lost to the Raptors 3-1 in meetings between them this season, Brooklyn is 2: 5 in the bubble. "There are a lot of question marks," Paul George said ahead of the playoffs, "but we will arrive confident. We are playing in an egalitarian battlefield."