Wow, we did it! After countless hours of NBA regular season reps and nearly twenty blogs, we arrive at the NBA playoffs – just in time for this blog’s finale! The NBA playoffs cement various players’ legacy and provide conclusions to exciting narrative surrounds teams and players. For instance, the Knicks-Cavaliers first-round series focuses on Donovan Mitchell; the Knicks tried acquiring the star guard in the off-season, but the Cavs scooped him up in a blockbuster trade. Current reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (although Joel Embiid will finally claim the throne) must win the Western Conference to shut his haters up.

2022 NBA Playoffs bracket and results – Jasmyn Wimpish, CBS Sports.

This season, NBA fans have been blessed with arguably the most competitive playoff matchups ever. Particularly, the Western Conference promises to deliver non-stop popcorn entertainers. The Lakers, Suns, and Warriors are all underdogs in their series even they are considered championship contenders. Now, such matchups, where these three are the underdogs, could create a scenario where the underdog wins! Thus, we will evaluate the Warriors-Kings first-round series with the following question: will the Warriors upset the Kings?

Scrolling through NBA Twitted would suggest that this matchup was the Finals’ matchup; that’s how heated the debate around this series has been. The Kings made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and ended the then longest playoff drought in North American sports, while the Warriors just won the championship a season ago – clearly, these two teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Kings’ offensive leaders Sabonis and Fox – Pete Hernandez, DraftKings.

Statistically, the Kings rank 1^st in offense, scoring 118.6 per 100 possession each game. Led by De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, their offense primarily relies on three-point shooting. They feature two players scoring at an elite 40+% from the three-point line: Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray (broke NBA rookie season record for three’s made). Combine this shooting potential with the mastermind coaching of Mike Brown, the Kings can fiercely compete with the Warriors’ shooting potential as well.

Warriors’ dynasty of Iguodala, Green, Curry, and Thompson – Sopan Deb, New York Times.

The Warriors are led by the greatest shooter of all time (G.O.A.T. shooter) Stephen Curry and the second G.O.A.T shooter Klay Thompson – the Splash Brothers’ duo. They rank 10^th in offense and 14^th in defense. Although these numbers suggest they can contend with the top teams in the league, they struggle to win road games – a 9-30 road record is embarrassing. The Warriors can’t defend and close games out when they’re not at Chase Center, so the Kings have a key advantage. Since the Kings are the higher seed, they play more games at home (so more road games for Warriors).

But, we titled this blog post as potential upsets, and we predict a possible upset in this series. The Kings’ record-breaking three-point success may not repeat in the playoffs. NBA teams play at a slower pace in the playoffs, so the Kings can’t easily run their pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop offense. Additionally, the Warriors have won four championships in the last 10 years, while none of the Kings’ key players have ever graced the playoffs. Experience always benefits, so the Warriors, given their experience as one of the greatest NBA dynasties ever, have the potential for an upset.