Questions remain as the NBA regular season enters its final month

In just a month, the NBA will be in the postseason, which will be filled with a lot of dramatic storylines and surprises. There are currently a ton of questions swirling around the league as the playoffs grow closer and closer.

For much of the 2023-24 season, the Denver Nuggets have been close to the top of the Western Conference but they have been battling with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder for the number-one seed.

Recently, the Nuggets have looked better than ever and once again appear to be favorites to win in the West and return to the NBA Finals. But will the Timberwolves, Thunder, or another team surpass them in the standings or somehow surprise them in the playoffs? At this point, it seems unlikely but shouldn't be completely counted out.

The same question is being asked about the Boston Celtics. Unlike the Nuggets, the Celtics have remained the top team in their conference all season long and the gap between them and the second seed has only grown over time.

The Celtics are the best team in the entire league and that means they clearly have the best odds of going all the way to the Finals. But they have still lost 14 times, including twice to the Nuggets. That means that their path to an 18th championship might not be as easy as some people assume.

The Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York, Phoenix Suns, and other teams are hoping that they are able to surprise and impress the league and play the spoiler role in the last few weeks of the regular season. They want to be the underdogs who somehow overcome the odds and win.

But which one is most likely to do that? Can the Clippers stay healthy? Will the Bucks continue to look more cohesive? Can the Cavaliers find success despite their youth and inexperience in the playoffs? Can the Suns and Knicks live up to expectations? All of these questions will be answered in the next few weeks.