NBA basketball: seven French in the playoffs, the Lakers in danger ... what you need to know before the finals

Serious things begin.

Started in December and "shortened" to 72 games - against 82 in normal times - due to the health crisis linked to Covid-19, the NBA regular season ended this Sunday with the historic first place of the Utah Jazz by Frenchie Rudy Gobert.

But before attacking the playoffs next weekend, eight teams - four from each conference, ranked 7th to 10th - will compete in an attempt to secure their place in the final sprint.

While waiting for the festivities, here is a summary of the regular season.

Gobert, Batum and Fournier candidates for the title

They were 12 in December when the NBA season kicked off.

Since then, Vincent Poirier, not retained by Philadelphia, has put an end to his adventure in the United States by returning to Europe (to Real Madrid) to try to win his ticket with the Blues for the Tokyo Games.

Axel Toupane signed a contract in March with one of the title contenders, the Milwaukee Bucks.

In this beautiful French legion in the NBA, seven Habs have validated their sesames for the dams or the playoffs.

For the first time in franchise history, the Utah Jazz own the best record in the NBA 🖤 # TakeNote pic.twitter.com/DCXzYH5JB3

- utahjazz (@utahjazz) May 17, 2021

A vital part of Utah Jazz, Rudy Gobert took his team to first place in the regular season.

This is the first time that the Jazz has ended the season with the jacket of the best team of the two conferences.

He is obviously one of the main contenders for the title.

The Jazz will have a first round trap with a duel against one of the winners of the dams.

Read alsoBasket: how Rudy Gobert invited himself to the NBA greats table

Just like Nicolas Batum with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Coming out of his retirement with Charlotte where he no longer played, Batum recovered his health under the California sun and could well afford his first NBA title.

Transferred during the season from Orlando to the Boston Celtics, Evan Fournier will aim for the coronation with an always ambitious team.

Rarely used by their coaches, Timothé

Luwawu-Cabarrot (Brooklyn Nets), Frank Ntilikina (New York Knicks) and Axel Toupane (Milwaukee Bucks) play in teams that are also seeking the title.

As for Killian Tillie (Memphis Grizzlies) he will play the play-off in the west against San Antonio.

For the young French guard, led by Théo Maledon, Jaylen Hoard (Oklahoma Thunder), Killian Hayes and Sekou Doumbouya (Detroit Pistons), the season is already over.

The Lakers in danger

It would be an event. Since his debut in the NBA in 2003-2004, LeBron James has missed the appointment of the finals only three times (2004, 2005 and 2019). Yet the question arises. Holders of the title after their coronation in the Florida “Bubble” last season, the Los Angeles Lakers finished the season in 7th place and will have to go through the play-offs to participate in the Grand 8 at the end of the season. They will face Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors. The "gunslinger", crowned for the second time in his career (after the 2015-2016 season) leading scorer of the regular season (32 points on average per game), becomes, at 33 years old, the second oldest player to win this tournament. distinction, behind the 35 years of Michael Jordan in 1997-1998.

This duel will obviously be the shock of the dams in the NBA.

The winner of this poster will validate his ticket for the first round of the final stages, with the number 7. The loser will have a second chance with a second home support match.

We can always hope to see LeBron James and Stephen Curry in the playoffs.

The final ranking of the #NBA 2020-21 season!

The Play-In tournament begins on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday and ends on the night of Thursday to Friday!

Start of #NBAPlayoffs this weekend!

pic.twitter.com/CvRjmaCUZL

- NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) May 17, 2021

New York is back

They had become the laughing stock of the NBA for a few years. Mythical franchise but with starving results, the New York Knicks had not played in the playoffs since 2013. A long crossing of the desert and an incongruity corrected. The two-time NBA champion (1970, 1973), whom the pre-season forecasts announced in the bottom of the standings, took 4th place in the Eastern Conference. They will therefore have the advantage of receiving in their Madison Square Garden in the quarterfinals. And maybe more.

The city that never sleeps will be doubly represented in the playoffs, since the Brooklyn Nets finished in 2nd place in the conference and approach this meeting with the label of favorite.

After having accumulated disappointments in recent years, the Nets, now driven by Steve Nash, have a unique fire force in the NBA with the trident of All-Stars Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant.

Elite company.

Stephen Curry joins Michael Jordan as the only players in @NBAHistory to win a scoring title after turning 33 years old.

pic.twitter.com/4voUO9xZG7

- Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 17, 2021

THE PROGRAM

Dams

• Tuesday May 18: Pacers - Hornets (12:30 a.m.), Celtics - Wizards (3:00 a.m.)

• Wednesday May 19: Grizzlies - Spurs (1:30 am), Lakers - Warriors (4:00 am)

• Thursday May 20: loser of Celtics - Wizards against winner of Pacers - Hornets

• Friday May 21: Lakers - Warriors loser vs Grizzlies - Spurs winner

The playoffs, from Saturday May 22

• Eastern Conference

• Philadelphia - winner of Thursday's game

• Brooklyn - winner of Celtics / Wizards

• Milwaukee - Miami

• New York - Atlanta

• Western Conference

• Utah - winner of Friday's game

• Phoenix - winner of the Lakers - Warriors match

• Denver - Portland

• LA Clippers - Dallas