MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
First round of the NBA playoffs starts tomorrow. For the league's best teams, the real competition begins now with a long and grueling road to the finals. But for the league's worst teams, a different long and grueling road is now over. The race to the bottom known as tanking is done. NPR sports correspondent Becky Sullivan is here. Happy playoffs, my friend.
BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: Happy playoffs to you, Mary Louise.
KELLY: Happy playoffs. OK, let's start good. Let's start with the good teams. What are we...
SULLIVAN: Sure.
KELLY: ...Watching for as this series gets underway?
SULLIVAN: Yeah, you know, I think probably the best two teams in the league this year are the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder, of course, were last year's champions. They are led by this exceptionally good, like, young core of guys, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was last year's most valuable player. He seems to be in the lead to win that award again this year. He's the second leading scorer in the NBA this season.
Meanwhile, you have the Spurs, who were sort of once good but had some years in the wilderness. They are back in contention with this dominating season by their seven-foot-four phenom Victor Wembanyama.
And then on the eastern side, you've got the Detroit Pistons who, just a couple seasons ago, tied the all-time NBA record for most consecutive losses when they lost 28 games in a row. They are now the top seed. Tremendous turnaround for them, and I think everybody in Michigan - I can speak for them when I say they're excited to see them make a run.
KELLY: Yeah, I bet. OK, we're also going to see LeBron - right? - LeBron James, the...
SULLIVAN: Yes.
KELLY: ...LA Lakers. Is that maybe the last time we're going to see LeBron in the NBA?
SULLIVAN: You know, Mary Louise, there is a lot of speculation about that. He, of course, has been in the league since I was a high school freshman, and I'm not so young anymore, I don't think. He is 41. This is his 23rd season in the NBA. That is the longest career in league history.
The most recent reporting is that he hasn't yet made a decision. Up first, he's got this playoff series against kind of another old head in Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. LeBron has said, you know, this season, he's talked about this. He's faced this question. He said he's just trying to take everything in.It could well be his last.
On the other hand, there are some lively rumors and ideas about what he could do for a victory lap next season. Maybe he goes to the Golden State Warriors for a year to play alongside Steph Curry, who himself is 38 years old, or maybe LeBron goes back to Cleveland, his first team -his home, northeast Ohio - in his career there.
Either way, you know, LeBron obviously has had a tremendous impact on the league. He's one of the most respected, most likable, most, you know, sort of lack of controversy. stars of any sports here in the U.S. in a very long time. And if it is his last season, if he is done after the Lakers season comes to an end, it would genuinely be the end of an era.
KELLY: OK, now let's race to the bottom. This phenomenon...
(LAUGHTER)
SULLIVAN: Yes.
KELLY: ...Known as tanking.
SULLIVAN: Yes.
KELLY: These are complaints teams are losing on purpose so they get a better draft pick. What's that?
SULLIVAN: Yeah, more or less. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Honestly, it's kind of always a dynamic in the NBA, but this was truly a crazy season for tanking because the upcoming collegiate draft class this year is so good. There was all these guys who were dazzling in college basketball this past season.
And so you had some NBA games that were outright unwatchable this season. You know, you'd have two bad teams sort of sitting most of their key players for questionable injuries or just kind of mysterious other reasons. Teams like the Washington Wizards, the Brooklyn Nets, the Utah Jazz - often just playing guys who are essentially development league players on the floor 'cause all these NBA teams want a chance to get one of these...
KELLY: Yeah.
SULLIVAN: ...Young players, these dazzling college freshmen who might be able to come in and transform the fortunes of their franchise. Personally, as a basketball viewer, I'm glad that the tankathon (ph) is over. The draft lottery is in a few weeks, so we'll have to wait until then to see, you know, which of these tank jobs were worth the pain.
KELLY: That is NPR's Becky Sullivan. Thank you very much.
SULLIVAN: You're so welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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