After the regular season marathon and its 82 disputed games, the NBA's final stages begin on Saturday evening.

After the regular season marathon and its 82 disputed games, the NBA's final stages begin on Saturday evening.

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Make way for serious things! The NBA regular season delivered its verdict and we now know the posters of the first round of the playoffs which begin, Saturday April 19, from 7 p.m. French time (Indiana-Milwaukee). As always, and during all the playoffs (including the NBA finals which will start on June 5), the victory will be played at the best of the seven games.

The Celtics of Boston, in the east, and the Thunder of Oklahoma City to the west, seem the most armed to go to the ultimate coronation but behind, a pack of hungry wolves remain on the lookout. LeBron James' Lakers, Nikola Jokic's Nuggets and Rudy Gobert Timberwolves also want to touch the Grail.

The favorites: natural favorite Celtics, the Thunder has everything to believe it

Outgoing champion and the most titled franchise in history (18 times), Boston naturally advances as one of the big favorites for his own succession. If the Celtics dominated their conference less during this exercise, finishing second in the east behind the surprising Cleveland horsemen (64 victories, 18 defeats), they still won 61 successes on the 82 regular season games, the third best assessment of the League. Especially since their workforce has not experienced real upheaval. Boston can always count on his magic trio Tatum-Brown-White, the three great craftsmen of the coronation against Dallas (4-1) last year.

On the other hand, he is not guaranteed to see the Celtics stroll as in the previous Playoffs during which they had lost only three small games on their 19 played. Especially since in the west, Oklahoma City has impressed since the start of the season. With 68 victories in its bag, the Thunder signed the 6th best assessment in the history of the NBA. Worn by Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the best league scorer (32.7 points on average), “OKC” arrives at maturity and very revenge after the 2024 failure, beaten in the conference semi-finals (4-2) by Dallas.

The French to follow: Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum can dream in large

Fourteen French people appeared on the starting line at the start of the season. For these 2025 playoffs, there are only four left, the Hawks of Zaccharie Risacher having been beaten by Miami in the second round of the Eastern Conference Play-in. Two regulars first: Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum. Tauliers of the last decade of the French team will each have an important but different role in their respective frankness.

The pivot of the Blues, an indisputable holder and an exceptional defender, remains as always the massive deterrent of the Timberloves of Minnesota, serious outsiders. At 32, and just like the star of his team Anthony Edwards, the Bleu Géant dreams of a first title.

For Nicolas Batum, it will be a question of bringing, at the end of the bench, his great experience (he completes his 17th NBA season!) To very ambitious Los Angeles clippers. At 36, the tricolor veteran and international neo-retitity can count on his science of the game and his versatility to support James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

Finally, Ousmane Dieng (Oklahoma City) and Pacôme Dadiet (New York) will not be able to hope for much of these playoffs but whatever happens, whether through a few minutes on the parquet or on the bench, they will garner a considerable experience.

The stars to follow: “The Last Dance” for LeBron James? Jokic and Antetokounmpo expected at the turn

The question comes back every time: have we attended the last season of LeBron James? One thing is certain, the “King” continues to impress when he celebrated, last December, his 40th anniversary. During this exercise, the best marker in history even exceeded the incredible bar of 50,000 career points.

Above all, with 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 average passes per match, he once again worn the Lakers, in the company of the Sluvène Luka Donnteic phenomenon, arrived from Dallas just before the “Trade Deadline” in February. Third in the West and solidly solid, the “Angelinos” can legitimately hope to fight for the title. And what better end for LeBron James than winning a fifth NBA coronation?

Behind the only player to compete with Michael Jordan in the annals of their sport, the exploits of several other stars of the League should not be missed. Starting with Nikola Jokic. With Denver, champion in 2023, the Serbian giant and triple MVP will want to continue on his extraordinary regular season, completed in average “triple-double '(29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 passes per game).

Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.4 pts and 11.9 rbds in the regular season) will try to win a second title with his Milwaukee Bucks after that of 2021. And finally, the veteran leader (37 years old) but still as brilliant Stephen Curry, executioner of the Blues in Paris during the Olympics, will have a lot to do to lead his Warriors in the 21st century.

The posters of the 1st round of the NBA playoffs

Cleveland Cavaliers (1er) – Miami (8e)
Boston Celtics (2e) – Orlando Magic (7e)
New York Knicks (3E) – Detroit Pistons (6E)
Indiana Pacers (4e) – Milwaukee Bucks (5e)

Oklahoma City Thunder (1er) – Memphis (8e)
Houston Rockets (2e) – Golden State Warriors (7e)
Los Angeles Lakers (3E) – Minnesota Timberwolves (6E)
Denver Nuggets (4e) – Los Angeles Clippers (5e)