A number of teams have been eliminated over the past few days, but of the teams remaining, here is how they rank in their chances to be NBA champions in 2025:
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. Oklahoma’s big men led to 50.7 RPG and 6.7 blocks per game. They will play a pivotal role in their next series.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland dominated their first-round series with the 2nd-best point differential at +15. Over their series, they won by an average of 20+ PPG. Cleveland will have their work cut out in the next series, but they are the favorite to reach and win the Eastern Conference Finals.
3. Boston Celtics
Boston is one of the lowest-ranked playoff teams in field goal attempts. Projected to reach the next round, Boston must find a way to manufacture more shot attempts because their competition moving forward will be much tougher than the Magic.
4. Golden State Warriors
Golden State leads their series over the Rockets 3-2 after losing game 5. They can close the Series out in game 6, and with their experience, there is no telling how far they can go.
5. Indiana Pacers
Indiana has been a top-ranked playoff team in FG%, FT%, and assists. They won game 5 in OT over the Bucks to win their series 4-1.
6. 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 survived a late comeback in game six from the Pistons to come away with the game and the series, and will head to round 2.
7. Denver Nuggets
Denver struggled against Los Angeles’s defense earlier in the series, and their high turnover rate was costly. They lost game 6 in Los Angeles by 6, and now head home for a win-or-go-home game 7.
8. Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles has played close games, but their turnover rate (9.0) is second-best to Cleveland’s 7.5. Their ability to protect the basketball must continue if they want a chance to beat Denver and move on to face Oklahoma City.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota features the 4th-best point differential of the playoffs, and even though the Lakers surprisingly won the rebound battle, the T-Wolves were able to beat LA in 5 games and advance to the second round.
10. Houston Rockets
The Rockets are on the brink of elimination as they are down 3-2 in their series to the Warriors. They won game 5, but still have to win two more in a row now if they want to advance to round 2.
