NBA SHOWDOWN 2023 SET - PLAYOFF TEAMS

 Part two of this three part release series. The top 6 teams in each conference that qualified for the playoffs outright. I will post the conferences in order of their top 6 teams. These teams sure are loaded compared to what we've seen so far. The best the league has to offer, including the 3 finalist for the NBA MVP award will all be included in this release. The playoffs are set to start tomorrow so what better way to celebrate then by watching the final play in games and writing this blog post. 

 Eastern Conference Playoff Teams
1. Milwaukee Bucks (58-24) The Milwaukee Bucks come in at 5850 points, so this team is illegal and cannot be played LOL. That right there is how every team must feel when they see Giannis coming at them downhill knowing your aren't stopping him. I love this team, have called Giannis my favorite non Cavalier since at least 2016, and if things go the way I hope, my team is going to have to play against him in the second around and I will be sad. Jrue Holiday is a two way superstar, I love the way he plays, and his showdown card translates to that as well. Grayson Allen is a great role player, average offense and average defense and you will get some scoring, rebounding and assists out of him. Khris Middleton had been coming back all year from an injury and he slowly has been coming back to himself. Giannis is Giannis, MVP candidate and two way superstar, not much more else to say about him. Brook Lopez is one of the 3 finalists for Defensive Player of the Year, and he anchors this Bucks team in the middle. The Bench is nice, as Bobby Portis, Jae Crowder and Jevon Carter all are nice inserts to replace a cold player. The rest of the bench is good as well but aren't really needed but will get plenty of garbage minutes when they are wrecking teams. The Bucks are my pick to come out of the East this year, but as I noted earlier in this post, I am biased. 
Starters: (4160 points)

Bench: (1690 ponts)

2. Boston Celtics (57-25) The defending Eastern Conference Champions come in at 5470 points. Derrick White has been lauded as an analytics dream role playing star, and his card reflects it. His defense is great and he provides a good efficient card. In a salary cap league, I don't know if he is the guy for me for his price, but as the lead guard of a contending team he is great to have for the big defensive number. Marcus Smart, last years defensive player of the year provides a nice chart with plus defense giving hem good defense against a two stud backcourt. Then we get to the Jays, Jaylen Brown regressed a little this season but he can still go out there and score some points on that explosive chart. Tatum is lethal on offense, while defensively you are going to try to hide him on weaker cards. Al Horford has been really good for his whole career and I feel like he is once again just a solid player for this team. 4th or 5th option of this offense will allow him to get some good starts. The bench is lead by 6th man of the year finalist Malcolm Brogdon who can start for this team if you want to bring a little offensive punch into the starting lineup over Marcus Smarts defense. Robert Williams battled injuries this season but provides a good defensive card. Hauser and Muscala provide a nice scoring upside in a pinch for a quarter or 2. The Celtics are going to be an incredibly tough team to knock off. 
Starters: (3740 points)

Bench: (1730 points)

3. Philadelphia 76ers (54-28) The Philadelphia 76ers come in at 5040 points, but that is very deceiving as they have two 10 point players. They are led by two 1000+ point guys including MVP favorite Joel Emiid. What a season he has had and whether or not he wins the MVP this year, he has been outstanding this year. He can be the most dominant player on the floor in any series if he chooses to do it. James Hardens first full season in Philly went well and he provides a very plentiful chart all over the court. Tyrese Maxey can score in bunches and is a great 3rd scoring option on this team. Jalen McDaniels was a nice deadline pickup for them and slides nicely into the defensive wing role for this team. Tobias Harris is a max player, and he hasn't really ever lived up to that in Philly. He can provide some consistent scoring to the lineup and add in a couple rebounds. Then there is Joel Embiid, offense, defense and everything you could want on a chart. Roll maxes and he can have a 60-20 game, thats really all you need to know about him. De'Anthony Melton gives the 76ers quite the bench guard, he fixes all the defensive issues they have at the top of the guard rotation. Paul Reed also has defensive upside, and can slide him in when playing against a top level offensive forward. If Joel can channel his inner Shaq Philly can be a dark horse team to come out of the East, and if they do, I hope for the sake of Philly fans they win, losing the World Series and Superbowl already this season, an NBA Championship would make up for those losses.
Starters: (3830 points)

Bench: (1210 points)

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) *cracks knuckles* Alright my Cleveland Cavaliers come in at 5230 points, and I am going to try to keep this short and sweet as I can write about this team all day. They were a ton of fun to watch last year, and continued that this season, with their team ball and explosive play. Darius Garland continued to grow even though his usage went down this season due to the acquisition of Donovan Mitchell. Speaking of Mitchell, the man had 71 points in a game this season, and in a game where your max roll is determined by your season high, well hes going to be fun if he gets favorable rolls/match-ups and assists from his teammates. Isaac Okoro is their starting small forward and he showed the ability to hit the 3 ball this year, but if you're playing showdown as this team, Caris LeVert is starting to give them 4 potential 40 point scoring players on the floor. Evan Mobley really made a leap on the court this year, he showed he is only going to get better, and when he chooses to take over, not many are going to be able to stop him, as well as being a finalist for defensive player of the year this season. Jarret Allen is a anchor in the middle that rebounds and defends, filling in his role while still being able to score 20. LeVert and Osman off the bench provide wing depth, and Rubio, Stevens and Wade provide defensive matchups when in need to shut down scoring. Super happy with my Cavs this season, I don't have playoff run expectations as the top 3 teams to me are the clear cut favorites, but the Cavs and New York should be a really fun series between two team trying to climb the ranks.  
Starters: (3620 points)

Bench: (1610 points)

5. New York Knicks (47-35) New York basketball is back at 5510 points. This team has a ton of options and a great deadline move help spark this team. Jalen Brunson started the move with signing in New York in the offseason and he has been everything New York had hoped for an more. Julius Randle after a tumultuous season last year, bounced back and shined this season. RJ Barret signed an extension this summer and he can score some points, but his inefficiencies in a showdown game really weaken him, that defense is ugly.  Josh Hart was a outstanding pickup at the deadline and has fit right in with the Knicks, providing great wing defense and some efficient offense. Mitchell Robinson dunks, defends and rebounds, which will be huge for this team as they move forward. The bench feature Immanuel Quickly who will be seeing the court as much as possible by Knicks managers, taking the penalties to play him or Brunson at the shooting guard. Isaiah Hartenstein and Quentin Grimes are two more really good bench players giving this Knicks team the depth to counter other teams, or deal with cold markers. Toppin and McBride each bring their own benefits to seeing the floor for a quarter but are really just there in case.
Starters: (3480 points)

Bench: (2030 points)

6. Brooklyn Nets (45-37) The new looked Nets come in at 3800 points and are the clear cut weakest team in the East 6. Four 600 point players show they have some good players, but they need a little more from the others. The team had a roller coaster year, dealing with Kyrie is hard enough, but finally cutting if off and trading him, followed up by trading Kevin Durant leaves the cupboards bare but Mikal Bridges has me excited to see what he can become as a lead player. Spencer Dinwiddie is a good point guard, with solid offense. Mikal Bridges is a two way star in the making, and his numbers will only improve being in Brooklyn. Royce O'Neal is one of those role players that just fits really well in a showdown style game. Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton give this team some really good interior defense, and Johnson can do it on both sides of the floor. Then there is Ben Simmons off the bench, and I don't even know what to say about him, so there he is. Cam Thomas is my favorite player in this set. 180 points for a guy that can get you 44 points in a game. I call him the 2000 Karim Garcia of NBA Showdown. When I do a draft, I can't wait to see how early this man goes, and how he will be built around. The rest of the Nets are weak, and this team can thank Kevin Durant for their spot in the playoffs, but once he was gone ,they did a good job maintaining that spot, however I think it will be a fast exit, and a slow rebuild as they have no picks so it could be a fire sale this offseason on some of their pieces. 
Starters: (2990 points)

Bench: (810 points)

Western Conference Playoff Teams
1. Denver Nuggets (53-29) The Denver Nuggets come in at 4880 points, led by MVP Finalist and reigning back to back MVP Nikola Jokic. Jamal Murray looked more healthy this season, and is coming back to his old self. KCP was a great offseason pickup as a two way wing that can defend and shoot. Michael Porter Jr can score the basketball, with his high offensive rating and sub par defense. Aaron Gordon is another 2 way player much like KCP to alleviate the defensive weaknesses. Nikola Jokic is a freak and his card shows it. We all know he is not that good defensively, but RAPTOR ratings love him and he earned his card. I really don't know if he is roster able in a draft due to how expensive he is, but when he is on the floor he will simply dominate. Bruce Brown off the bench is another offseason signing that helps bolster this team, especially de to all the positions he is eligible to play at.  In the wide open west, can Jokic shush the doubters and lead this team to the Finals?
Starters: (4030 points)

Bench: (850 points)

2. Memphis Grizzlies (51-31) The Memphis Grizzlies shot up the standings this year, and the point total with 5750 points. Lead by Ja the Grizz were really good again this season. They also have a defensive player of the year finalist in Jarn Jackson Jr. This team is really deep, sadly Steven Adams is most likely out for the playoffs. Desmond Bane is an offensive stud and Dillon Brooks is a pain in the ass, and he plays that role so well. Tyus Jones was great off the bench for like the 4th year in a row. While i can keep harping on the Grizzlies, LeBron did it just the other day so if you need more just watch this. 
Starters: (4080 points)

Bench: (1670 points)

3. Sacramento Kings (48-34) For the first time since 2006 the Sacramento Kings are back in the playoffs. Coming in at 4220 points the Mike Brown coached Kings lit the beam all season long, and were a super exciting team to league pass binge. They scored, and scored and scored, while not playing much defense, making their games very exciting to watch. Then you look at their cards offense and defense ratings and its basically what I just said. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis lead this team and are both fantastic cards to play.  Huerter, Barnes and Murray all provide decent scoring as role players, but this teams defense really worries me in a competitive game. Malik Monk can score 44 points off the bench and is just like everyone else with great offense and terrible defense. Davion Mitchell is the savior for this team in a crunch as he is a guard with positive defense. Welcome back to the playoffs Kings, I hope they can make some noise. 
Starters: (3150 points)

Bench: (1070 points)

4. Phoenix Suns (45-37) The remodeled Phoenix Suns come in at 5200 points, and if healthy are the West favorite in my opinion. While it is hard for new formed teams to win it all in their first season, this team ahs the pieces to do so. Chris Paul seems to always get injured in the playoffs but maybe this year is the year that changes. He is great for setting up Devin Booker or KD for big scoring rolls. Devin Booker can provide some high scoring and KD can be KD for the Suns as the superstar he is. Deandre Ayton and Damion Lee can hold their own scoring and are really good role players behind the Suns big 3. Josh Okogie is a really fun matchup defender for this team, he will be very handy in late game matchups. The biggest thing for this team is health. If they are healthy, they will be a very tough out. If they have injuries to their stars, it will be a disappointment for the Suns.
Starters: (3560 points)

Bench: (1640 points)

5. Los Angeles Clippers (44-38) The Clippers come in at 5280 points and bring some interesting cards to the table. Russell Westbrook can always bring a triple double to the table, but which Russ will you get. PG and Kawhi are stars, and possibly the best defensive wing duo in the set, then you get to add in that the yare both offensive studs as well. Its a shame the clippers haven't been healthy the entire time PG and Kawhi have been together because I would really like to see this duo at their best in playoff series. Covington is a good role player, and Zuabc can get you a 28 rebound game. Plumlee may get the start in this form, but Zubac high rebounding plus better defense would give him the nod for me. The clippers have a all around solid bench and they have flexibility to always move guys around if need be to supplement a cold marker or 2. 
Starters: (3470 points)

Bench: (1810 points)

6. Golden State Warriors (44-38) The defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors come in at 4960 points. They weren't themselves this year due to injury, but here they are just ready to pounce in the post season. Steph Curry is going to be really tough to stop in this game, and Klay and Jordan Poole are both spark plugs offensively as well that can score 40 points. Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green are two very good wing defenders much like what we just saw with the Clippers. Kevon Looney is another really good defensive center that can rebound, feels like the set is littered with these guys. Donte Divincenzo and Anthony Lamb are both really good bench defenders, that can shift the game on the defensive side if needed. As mentioned earlier Jordan Poole is going to score at will with his chart. The warriors are not a team I would want to see in real life, but in showdown, they look beatable this year. 
Starters: (3580 points)

Bench: (1380 points)

So there we have it, the 12 teams that have locked up a playoff spot, who would win the NBA Showdown playoffs????? Who are your top draft targets? Here are the overall top point getting teams so far. Only 10 teams remain, and those are the lottery teams.

Team	Points
Milwaukee Bucks	5850
Memphis Grizzlies	5750
New York Knicks	5510
Boston Celtics	5470
New Orleans Pelicans	5360
Los Angeles Clippers	5280
Cleveland Cavaliers	5230
Los Angeles Lakers	5220
Phoenix Suns	5200
Miami Heat	5060
Philadelphia 76ers	5040
Golden State Warriors	4960
Denver Nuggets	4880
Chicago Bulls	4740
Minnesota Timberwolves	4720
Toronto Raptors	4480
Atlanta Hawks	4370
Sacramento Kings	4220
Oklahoma City Thunder	4170
Brooklyn Nets	3800