Five burning questions on NBA playoffs

Seven months, 82 games, a handful of crises and we made it to the NBA playoffs. Well, almost made it. The final two spots will be up for grabs on Friday but with most of the field locked in, let’s examine a few of the biggest questions entering the playoffs. 

Can the Knicks level up?

The Knicks should win the NBA championship. That’s not me, that’s James Dolan, the Knicks owner who popped on to WFAN in January (Jim in the car, you’re next!) to emphasize that this New York team has what it takes to win a championship. Now, in fairness to Dolan, he made these statements before the Cavs traded for James Harden and before Jayson Tatum made his stunning return to the Celtics (more on that below). Still, when the boss says you should win, the pressure is on. 

Can they? The Knicks checked a lot of boxes in the regular season. They were fourth in the NBA in offensive rating, seventh in defensive rating and fifth in net rating. They have an elite lead guard (Jalen Brunson), defensive-minded wings (OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart) and one of the best offensive big men (Karl-Anthony Towns) in the NBA. Last year, New York was two wins away from advancing to the NBA Finals. Most of that team is back. 

So what’s the problem? The problem is that the Knicks lost nine of 11 after Dolan’s pronouncement. The problem is the Knicks have struggled to establish an identity on both ends of the floor. The problem is Brown and Towns have often seemed at odds during the season. The problem is the Knicks closed the season with an uninspiring home win over Boston, which was resting Jaylen Brown and handing heavy minutes to Nikola Vučević. And the problem is instead of getting a Raptors team they clobbered in the regular season the Knicks open the postseason against the surging Hawks. 

Can they rise above it? They did last year, knocking off the Celtics in the second round before dropping a competitive conference finals to Indiana. There is enormous pressure on the Knicks to get at least that far again. 

Is it too soon for San Antonio?

There’s a methodology to building a title winner. Get bad, get good, get great, win a championship. Rarely do teams skip steps along the way. Milwaukee experienced plenty of failure before winning its title in 2021. Denver absorbed four straight years of playoff defeats before winning its championship in ‘23. Boston had nine years of empty postseasons, including six trips to the conference finals, before they broke through in ‘24. Even Oklahoma City needed a second-round loss before it won in ‘25. 

Can San Antonio buck that trend? Better question: Is Victor Wembanyama good enough to do it? The NBA has never seen a player like Wemby, a truly transformative defensive presence and unique offensive one. Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and an NBA-leading 3.1 blocks this season. Stretched out to per-36 they jump to 30.1/14.2/3.8. He is a Swiss Army knife in San Antonio’s offense, operating from every spot on the floor. 

He’s completely blown up the defensive strategy of going small against him, effortlessly dissecting defenses from the post. The Spurs generated 12.3 corner threes this season, the most in NBA history, many of which are created from Wembanyama spacing or rolling to the rim in the half court or going full speed in transition as the most terrifying 7’ 4” rim runner ever seen.

Again, though-is that enough? The Spurs’ rotation players have 121 games of playoff experience. Harrison Barnes accounts for 71 of them. Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper-none of them have played a minute. Maybe Wembanyama is so good that inexperience won’t be a factor. Or maybe this postseason, like so many others, will be a learning experience for years to come. 

Can Jayson Tatum complete a miraculous comeback?

There’s a word for Tatum’s return from last May’s Achilles injury: Unprecedented. There have been players who have returned inside the 10 months it took Tatum to get back on the court-Kobe Bryant and Wesley Matthews come to mind-but none who returned to this level this quickly. Tatum averaged 21.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in 16 games, picking up NBA Player of the Week honors just three weeks into his season. 

Is there more? Boston was among the favorites to win the Eastern Conference before Tatum returned. Now they have an All-NBA scorer with no minutes restrictions-he played 40 minutes against the Knicks last week-playing alongside an MVP candidate (Jaylen Brown), a Most Improved Player candidate (Neemias Queta) and one of the top defensive guards (Derrick White) in the game. There’s a reason oddsmakers have the Celtics just behind Oklahoma City and San Antonio to win the championship. 

Can Tatum be that missing piece? He will likely have to go through New York, where last season dramatically ended. And Detroit, where a physical Pistons team will be waiting. If Boston gets back to the Finals, any number of Thanos-level opponents (OKC, San Antonio, Denver) could be waiting. Tatum has already done something we have never seen. Can the Celtics do another? 

How far-and for how long-can LeBron James lead the Lakers?

Say what you will about James’s place in history but no player, at 41, has done what he is. Can he do more? Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves remain out indefinitely and it’s very hard for me to see the Lakers take any chances with either, even after Dončić’s trip to the European medicine cabinet. 

That puts an enormous burden on James, who will have to battle a Houston team loaded with physical wing defenders. That means 35-plus minutes of Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr., among others. James will often function as the Lakers’ primary playmaker, increasing the burden. 

Where will the help come from? Will the Lakers feed Deandre Ayton in the post like it’s 2021? Will Rui Hachimura get more isolation opportunities? Will Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart play more on-ball? The Rockets are flawed, which is the only reason anyone is giving L.A. a shot to win this series. But it’s going to take something special from James-and something unexpected from everyone else. 

The Pistons are built tough. But are they built for the postseason?

Here’s how Detroit won games in the regular season: A ruthlessly efficient, paint-oriented offense, a physical, throttling, turnover-producing defense, both backstopped by an MVP candidate (Cade Cunningham) and arguably the NBA’s Most Improved player (Jalen Duren). The Pistons led the league in paint points (57.9 per game) and paint touches (28.5) while allowing the fourth-fewest points in the paint (43.7). 

Here’s how Detroit could lose in the postseason: three-point shooting. As in, they don’t do it. Not well, anyway. The Pistons ranked 17th in the NBA in three-point efficiency (35.6%), a so-so number that sandwiched Detroit between Indiana and Washington. But it’s the attempts that stand out. The Pistons finished the season 29th in three-point attempts, a fraction of a shot ahead of Sacramento. 

In building out this team, Detroit has zigged where others have zagged, assembling a throwback team that would have fit right in during the mid-90s. Will the formula work today? Of the last four NBA champions only Oklahoma City averaged fewer than 37 three-point attempts per game in the playoffs-and the Thunder checked in with 35. A conference finals showdown with Boston could be the ultimate test. Can the Pistons trade enough twos to match the Celtics threes? We may find out. 

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five NBA Playoffs Burning Questions: Knicks’ Title Chances, LeBron James’s Leadership. 

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 1:39 PM.