NBA playoffs pressure meter: Luka Dončić faces new degree of Lakers heat, Jimmy Butler holds key for Warriors

Here are 10 players about to be examined under the brightest postseason spotlight

The NBA Play-In Tournament has wrapped and all 16 seeds are set for the 2024-25 playoffs, which begin on Saturday with the Bucks vs. the Pacers at 1 p.m. ET. Playoff time is pressure time. Everyone feels it. But some have more riding on this than others. 

Take LeBron James and Stephen Curry, for instance. Sure, they feel personal pressure to win a fifth ring, but if they don't, their legacies are already sealed. Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo have the rare combination of an MVP trophy and a championship ring. Kawhi Leonard has been there and done that. The Rockets are full of young guys who aren't yet saddled with any real expectation. The Pistons are playing with house money. Indiana is mostly doing the same.