Skip to main content

NBA Playoff Power Rankings

Welcome to the Playoff Power Rankings, a sneaky way for me to make predictions about the postseason without directly picking anybody.

In this context, "power" refers mostly to championship viability: Who has the best chance of holding the Larry O'Brien trophy seven or eight weeks from now? For example, in the last few regular-season Power Rankings, I had the Lakers ahead of the Bulls. But I've flipped those teams here because Los Angeles is looking at more challenging matchups than Chicago in the first two rounds and faces the prospect of having to win on the road in the final two rounds. Advantage, Chicago.

Here's how all 16 playoff teams stack up.

NBA Playoff Power Rankings