All the NBA latest PLUS a look ahead to a huge week in the Windy City

Your standard Monday around-the-league spin comes from Chicago, where I am here to attend the NBA draft combine, Tuesday's highly anticipated draft lottery and whatever chaos comes next

CHICAGO — If this really is the NBA's Year of the Lower Seed, as I recently proclaimed it to be, we're about to get some legit confirmation.

Eastern Conference finals: No. 2 Boston vs. No. 8 Miami.

Western Conference finals: No. 1 Denver vs. No. 7 Los Angeles (Lakers).

These were the NBA's Final Four matchups in the Walt Disney World bubble in Orlando three years ago and this season’s re-run has created some historic possibilities in the race for the 2022-23 NBA Finals.