NBA Power Rankings: Best Playoff Teams Remaining
How do the 12 squads with playoff spots already locked up stack up?
The NBA's fourth annual play-in tournament set to tip off this evening and the official 16-team postseason set to start Saturday.
We decided to stack up the 12 teams who have already qualified for the playoffs - with a wide variety of criteria from overall talent, to recent performance, to projecting how the team will translate to the playoffs coming into the equation.
Here are the 12 teams, in order:
1. Boston Celtics
The Celtics come into the postseason entrenched fairly strongly in this spot.
Boston has the most balanced roster in the NBA on both sides of the ball, and are obviously phenomenally coached - but they don't come without concerns.
The Celtics should have a clear path to the finals based on how the bracket has shaped up, but the playoff performances of players such as Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown could cause some trepidation among the fan base.
2. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets deserve the benefit of the doubt despite a rocky finish to the season.
Denver still has potentially the strongest starting five in basketball - Jamal Murray is one of the best playoff performers in the NBA.
Denver could ultimately see a tough draw in the first round if the New Orleans Pelicans secure the seven seed tonight - and we shall see how that shakes out.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder come into the postseason having played good enough basketball down the stretch to secure the number 1 seed in the West.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren should continue their strong regular season output in the playoffs, there are other concerns behind the surface.
Can OKC depend on a Josh Giddey/Isaiah Joe/Cason Wallace off-guard rotation in high-leverage positions? Will Mark Daigneault be able to out-coach more battle-tested coaches in grueling series?
OKC has a high ceiling but very well could be bounced early depending on the draw.
4. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers played well enough down the stretch when fully healthy to restore some level of confidence going into the playoffs.
The reason for concern is the unclear status of Kawhi Leonard - which could very well place them lower.
But for now, LA sticks at number four.
5. Phoenix Suns
The Suns slot in at number five despite being the six seed in the West.
Phoenix navigated one of the most difficult final 10-game stretches in NBA history with a 7-3 record despite a couple of poor losses.
The dominant performances against the Minnesota Timberwolves should also make Suns fans confident going into the first-round series.
6. New York Knicks
The Knicks are one of the most difficult squads to project going into the postseason, but Jalen Brunson's emergence coupled with being surrounded by a littany of quality shooters make them a dangerous squad against virtually anyone.
The absence of Julius Randle could be a double-edged sword, but the Knicks should be looking to advance to the second round regardless of the matchup.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota has experienced one of the best regular seasons in franchise history.
They also match-up worse against the Suns than other potential first-round foes they could have drawn.
Minnesota's immediate playoff fate will likely ultimately come down to how Karl Anthony-Towns performs as one of the only clear-cut matchup advantages over Phoenix.
8. Dallas Mavericks
Dallas was one of the best teams in basketball after the All-Star break.
They also were lightly battle-tested against elite teams.
The positive surrounding the squad is the Luka Doncic/Kyrie Irving duo - that backcourt combination can compete with anyone.
9. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have a tough matchup against a historically strong Indiana Pacers offense - and will presumably be sans Giannis Antetokounmpo for several games in the series.
The saving grace is the potential for Damian Lillard to take over as the number 1 option - a role in which he seemingly plays better slotted into.
The Bucks also have home-court advantage.
That is about where the positives run out until the Greek Freak returns.
10. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers truly could be slotted in a higher spot.
They have had a historically great offensive season and run as deep as anyone in the playoffs.
The reservation on them is built around lack of trust in Tyrese Haliburton as a true number-one in crunch time - Haliburton is a great player, but is he to be trusted over Lillard?
11. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers found a way to "tank" into a 4-5 matchup against the Orlando Magic to avoid the Pacers - which could end up backfiring.
This series could be another rendering of last season's first-round series against the New York Knicks - a team who was an underdog against Cleveland that also possessed a stiffling defense.
The ceiling of Cleveland likely comes down to how well Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley can play off of each other.
12. Orlando Magic
The Magic are a quality squad and can absolutely win the first-round series over Cleveland, but the simple lack of perimeter shooting severely limits the true ceiling of this squad.
The NBA playoffs are set to tip-off on Saturday and will run through mid-June.
