BY MIKEL ESCOBAR

With the NBA playoffs starting up, so do the hopes of people with their teams in it. In the Western Conference, the teams that made the playoffs are Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, New Orlean Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, and The Minnesota Timberwolves. For the eastern conference, there’s the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Washington Wizards.

The sixteen teams are split up into 8 on each side going against each other to make it into the quarter finals, semi finals, and in the end, the finals. In the last 3 consecutive finals, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers have gone back and forth fighting for the trophy. The Golden State Warriors won the first game and then the Cleveland Cavaliers won the year after. And last year, the Warriors won again making their rivalry 2-1 with GSW winning.  

However, with the 2017-18 NBA Draft, trading of many players, and the loss of teams because of injured players, it is tough to foresee who will make it to the finals this year.

The NBA Draft has brought in players that have made the spotlight on ESPN and other sports networks such as Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum. Those two have started to show their talent on the court and in the start of the playoffs.

Many trades has happened since the 2016-17 season. Some of these have changed the entire vision of crowds watching their favorite teams. These trades, such as the separation of Kyrie and Lebron, was a heartbreaker to the city of Cleveland. From that, the Boston Celtics made it into the playoffs and now they became an obstacle for opposing teams.

Wish the best of luck for your favorite team in the NBA that has made the playoffs to win. This 2018 playoffs will be an emotional ride for the millions of fans that watch the NBA.