8P9S Roundtable: 5 bold predictions for the 2022 NBA Playoffs

Which player, team, or coach faces the most pressure to win the title?

Kyle Pring: Chris Paul. Frankly, this is the Suns’ best shot to win the title, especially with the West now crowded with a bunch of up-and-comers. The point god badly needs a title to put off the stains on his Hall of Fame resume, and Phoenix, which has been dominant to the core all season, should be well on track to capture their (and Paul’s) first title. Anyone else but Phoenix winning the title would be quite tragic, given how ready and poised they appear to finally stand at the NBA pinnacle.

Zach Pearson: This has to be Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns. This team won the most games in franchise history during the regular season, has a coach (nearly) win the Coach of the Year award two years straight, and lost in the finals last season. Chris Paul has to me more motivated than ever and this is probably his best chance to win a ring. If the Suns fall short, that will be a tough pill to swallow in Phoenix.

Rhett Bauer: The most pressure has to be James Harden, Doc Rivers, and the Sixers. You don’t go through all of the Simmons stuff this season, have an MVP-level year from Embiid, get what you wanted in Harden, and then flame out in the first round. The saying goes “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”, but Doc and Harden will be on something like their fifth or sixth time fooling us if this doesn’t go right.