NBA: 7 future-defining storylines to follow down the stretch

Chicago Bulls Zach LaVine (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
Chicago Bulls Zach LaVine (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
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NBA
NBA Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Will the Denver Nuggets enter the playoffs as the favorites?

Unless something drastically changes over the course of the final few weeks of the regular season, the Denver Nuggets are going to enter the playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference. Despite that, I find it hard to believe that they’re going to be viewed as the favorites to win the West and go to the NBA Finals.

But that’s something that the Nuggets are trying to offset over the next few months. Because of the franchise’s lack of historical dominance, there aren’t many people clamoring for the Nuggets as the best team in the West, let alone the best team in the NBA. However, especially with the NBA MVP favorite, they very well might be.

At least in my opinion, the Nuggets are one of the most intriguing storylines heading into the playoffs. Can this team continue to play at such a high level that they can beat teams into giving them respect? It will be interesting to see.