The NBA playoffs are underway, and as things stand now, these are the 10 teams with the best chance of being Champs:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
After dominating the regular season, Oklahoma City prepares for Memphis. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will lead Oklahoma City, which finished with the NBA’s best regular-season record, against a Grizzlies team that plays hard. The Thunder lead their series 2-0.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland finished the regular season with the NBA’s second-best record. Now, their focus shifts to their first-round series against Miami. The Cavaliers’ depth will prove too much for Miami.
3. Boston Celtics
Boston opens the first round against Orlando. The Celtics will rely heavily on their trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis, but they will need stout defense facing a young Orlando team looking to prove why they are one of the league’s blossoming squads.
4. Houston Rockets
Houston’s first-round series against Golden State will be a must-watch. Houston’s offense and defense have carried them throughout the season, but Golden State is a team on a mission. It will be shocking if this series doesn’t go to six games.
5. Los Angeles Lakers
In their first-round playoff series, LeBron James will shoulder the workload against Minnesota. Los Angeles’s offense can go toe-to-toe with their round one counterpart, but they must find a way to dominate the glass facing Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.
6. New York Knicks
New York finished the regular season in the top 10 in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and point differential. Detroit will give the Knicks all they can handle, but New York’s overall team efficiency should see them quickly through the first round of the playoffs.
7. Denver Nuggets
The Western Conference’s 4th seed Nuggets face the 5th seed Clippers in the first round. Denver enters the playoffs after firing its head coach and general manager just over a week ago. This isn’t the distraction the team needs as they face a tough Clippers team in the first round.
8. Indiana Pacers
Pascal Siakam will lead Indiana’s fast-paced team against Milwaukee. The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago and are leading their series over the Bucks 2-0.
9. Los Angeles Clippers
Kawhi Leonard is set to lead the Clippers in their first-round matchup against Denver. Leonard is coming off a season in which he played the fewest games (37) and finished with the lowest PPG (21.5) since the 2017-2018 season. However, playoff Kawhi always rises to the occasion, and the Clippers could make quick work of a Nuggets team that’s faced a fair share of distractions over the last week.
10. Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee received word that Damian Lillard is no longer taking blood-thinning medication as he dealt with a blood clot in his calf. The Bucks are down 2-0 to the Pacers, but can still get back in the series.
