This is how we rank the remaining teams in the NBA playoffs:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City cruised through in their first-round series against Memphis. Ja Morant’s injury did Memphis no favors, but the Thunder dominated every aspect of the game. They have trailed in this series to the Nuggets, but found a way to even it up twice already and took a 3-2 series lead, winning game five at home.
2. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers shockingly won the first 2 games of their series against the Cavs in Cleveland. They lost game three at home but won by 20 points in game four and finished the series off with a win on the road in game 5.
3. New York Knicks
New York played close games throughout their first-round matchup against Detroit. The Knicks’ defense has been a mainstay throughout the regular season and has carried over into the playoffs. They won in comeback fashion in game one against the Celtics in Boston, and then did it again in game two. Although they lost game 3, the Knicks won game 4 and are in complete control of their series.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
The T-Wolves were able to beat LA in 5 games and advance to the second round. They lost game one to the Warriors 99-88, but have won the past 3 games to take a 3-1 series lead.
5. Denver Nuggets
Last Monday, they opened up their round 2 series against the Thunder, the best team in the NBA all season long, and were able to come away with a 121-119 win. Unfortunately for them, the Thunder were far too much for them to handle in game two. The two teams split the games in Denver, and now it has become a best-of-three series with OKC having home-court advantage.
6. Boston Celtics
The Celtics first two losses in their series vs. the Knicks are pretty shocking. They had huge leads in both games one and two, and realistically could be up in their series 3-1 right now, but instead, trail it 3-1. They will look to keep their hopes alive at home in game 5.
7. Golden State Warriors
Golden State led their series over the Rockets 3-1, but let the Rockets win games 5 and 6 to force a decisive game 7 in Houston. They were able to win it on the road and advance to round 2. They used that momentum to win game one on the road in Minnesota, but have lost three straight games and are one game away from being eliminated.
