A slight shift in the playoff race ......

The long awaited return of Paul George has now raised eyebrows in the NBA, as it is reported he is expected to be back in the Pacers line up next week. This particularly effects the Eastern Conference and the playoff race. With his return this lifts the Indiana Pacers past their current seed of 7 possibly to make a deep run in the playoffs. If George plays at the level he did last season and the Pacers are able to avoid the Cleveland Cavaliers in the earlier rounds we could see a possible rematch of these teams in the NBA Eastern Conference finals. A few weeks ago George wasn't sure if it would be a smart decision to return this late in the season as the Pacers geared up for the playoffs but multiple sources report George could return as soon as next week. So, what does his return mean for the rest of the Eastern Conference? Lets just say every team should be "shaking in their boots". The Pacers have done a great job this season making the adjustments to replace George and Lance Stephenson but no one can do what Paul George does on the defensive end of the ball. It also doesn't hurt that he averaged around 22 points a game for the Pacers last season. On the flip side since he hasn't been their for the season the chemistry between him and his teammates has to be reignited.

The clear point here is the Pacers could be a true threat to the Cavaliers come playoff time if George returns and is productive as he was over the past three years in the post season.

The attention shifts to a team that can't stay out of the heads and minds of NBA basketball fans. Yes, you guessed it the Cleveland Cavaliers? This team has made headlines every week from their 12 game winning streak to them only losing 6 games since January 15th. This team is definitely feeling the pressure.

This brings me to the point of why I brought the Cavaliers into context, if the play offs began today these two teams would face off but who would win.  Since the return of George is highly likely for the Pacers, how will this effect their first round match-up? For one LeBron James and company based on recent history don't want to face off against at hot Pacers team currently,especially not in the opening playoff series. Who would want to face off against a elite defender and offensive player in Paul George and who was a contender the past two seasons for the league MVP? The last three weeks for both teams will be crucial.

On to the Western Conference where  Oklahoma City Thunder star forward Kevin Durant is not expected to return the remainder of the regular season. What does this mean for the Thunder heading into the post season? First, they must get to the post season. Not much has changed since the end of February when this team single handily became Russell Westbrook's squad. Russell Westbrook over the span of a month half "has been ball'n", getting shots how ever when and when ever he wants. In addition he matched his assist record of 17 and recorded over 11 double doubles and 3 triple doubles this season. To say the least he has completely taken over this team. The decision made to sit Durant the remainder of the season has both positive and negative effects. For Westbrook's career it is a smart decision for the team not so much while it might be the best decision chemistry wise. With the return of Durant, Westbrook would have to readjust his game to a more conservative. This meaning he would revert back to strictly an assisting scorers for the Thunder and releasing some of those ball handling responsibilities to Durant. As the playoffs approach this might not be something they want this close to the post season.

The difference in this situation verses the situation in Indiana is the Pacers as a cohesive unit have stepped up their game to make up for the lost of George; while the Thunder have placed the responsibilities onto Russell Westbrook. The problem with what happened in Oklahoma City is Russell Westbrook over this time has exploded and adjusted his game to make up for the lost of Durant. Minor changes to your game by a few players to make up the absence of a player is far easier to address then telling a superstar player some of his star power is going to have to be reeled in.