1. Blazers (5-1)
Although they have not yet brought a championship to the city of Portland, the Blazers have been Finals contenders in this league ever since their inaugural 2019 season. In two of their first three seasons together, the Blazers were eliminated in a 3-game series that went the distance by the team that would become the eventual champion that season. Many fans are saying this may be the year General Manager Ham Long finally gets over the hump. For the first time in franchise history (dating back to Michael Conforti’s Thunder founded in 2016), the franchise has earned the number one overall seed entering the playoffs. This feat would not have been accomplished if it were not for a game-winning shot with a second to go by German Torres in the regular season finale.

MVP-Candidate Manny Bejerano has taken a giant leap in 2022. “Manny has made the jump from good player to leading a team as a star/superstar,” argued expert BGBL analyst John Mollica via an exclusive group text. To conclude the regular season, Manny finished in the Top 3 of the league in every statistical category (Points, Rebounds, Assist, Steals, Blocks), as well as leading the league in 3-pointers made. After recovering from a midseason injury, Ozzie has also returned at full strength, playing some of the best basketball of his career. The “Wizard of Oz” finished third in the league in assists (4.5 APG). Clearly, the Blazers have established some chemistry over the past four years playing together. Their hunger for a title makes them that much more dangerous.

2. Warriors (4-2)
During the 2021-2022 offseason, it was declared that both members of the dynamic duo that has been a staple of the Warriors franchise (Brandon Colon & Rob Burns) would be recovering from significant injuries to start the season. For this reason, many thought the Warriors would not be as much of a factor as they typically are. However, Golden State has silenced the critics (I’m sure the refs wish they themselves could do the same thing to Golden State).

The league’s highest scoring team (60.7 PPG) has been tough to stop this season, especially with the way Brandon “Milk” Stevens & Wes Day have been heating up lately. The Warriors finished the regular season with four players averaging over 13 points per game. There’s too many prolific scorers on the Warriors for opponents to really focus in on stopping any one of them, making Golden State feel good about bringing home the franchise’s third title in six years.

3. Spurs (4-2)
Just days before the 2021 BGBL Draft, GM Andrew Owers made the surprising announcement he would be bringing back the franchise that won a championship in 2016. Despite immediately being thrown into a rebuilding phase and missing the playoffs in 2021, Owers trusted the process, bringing back three returning players from the 2021 team in 2022 (Grill, Lapikas, & Hayden). Facing more doubters than any team in the league this season, the Spurs have rallied, and were one second away from earning the number one overall seed.

Consistent with history, San Antonio has been built on defense in 2022, allowing the fewest points per game of any team this season (44.3). That hasn’t stopped Al Starling from making things happen on the offensive side of the ball, though. Starling, who nearly made a game-winner when he converted on an And 1 with 10 seconds left in the regular season finale, has averaged 16 points per game this season. The theme of the Spurs this year has been proving doubters wrong. They’ve come this far; there’s really no reason to think they can’t take home the highly coveted BGBL trophy at this point.

4. 76ers (3-3)
The 76ers may be three-time champions, but the last time they hoisted the championship trophy, the classic Philly trio (Casey, Adil, & Marc) were all still in high school, the first juul had not yet been introduced, and Johnny Depp & Amber Heard were happily married. In other words, the city of Philadelphia would do anything to win a championship in the modern era. After a two-year hiatus, GM Casey McClure’s team is back in the playoffs, finishing the season 3-3 after starting 0-2.

A major contributor to the 76ers’ late season success is that they are arguably the deepest team in the league. “This is the first year since I’ve been on the team that we can take Casey out of the game and not completely collapse,” commented Mike McClure, who joined Philadelphia in 2018. A big reason for this is rookie point guard Andy Dominics, who has been able to manage the offense well enough to lead multiple scoring runs throughout the season when Philly needed it. The 76ers’ depth, along with its veteran leadership, will likely play a large role in their ability to bring the trophy back to its original home.

5. Mavericks (3-3)
After beginning the season 2-0 in the franchise’s first year, the Mavericks were riding high. “The road to the Finals goes through Dallas,” commented rookie Brandon Seal, which seemed to be a reasonable statement at the time. However, once Dallas dropped three straight games, suddenly the Mavericks found themselves entering Sunday needing a win against the great & mighty Golden State Warriors in order to keep their season alive. If Scott Witkowski were to lose, it would have marked the third year in a row that his season was ended at the hands of the Warriors. However, against all odds, Dallas prevailed, surviving to fight another day.

The Mavericks have largely been led by the dynamic offensive duo of Scott Witkowski (1st in the league in scoring) & Allen Brown (5th in the league in scoring). The role players’ ability to step up will be key to Dallas’s postseason success.