The NBA playoffs are heating up, and these are the 10 teams with the best chance of being Champs in 2025:
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 swept their first-round series.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland finished the regular season with the NBA’s second-best record. They have dominated their first-round series with the Heat
3. Boston Celtics
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. They lead their series over the Magic 3-1.
4. New York Knicks
New York finished the regular season in the top 10 in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and point differential. New York’s overall team efficiency should see them quickly through the first round of the playoffs. They won both games in Detroit against the Pistons to take a 3-1 series lead.
5. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago and are leading their series over the Bucks 3-1.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
They lead their series 3-1 over the Lakers and look to make some noise in these playoffs. They will have a tough time if they have to play the Thunder though.
7. Los Angeles Clippers
Kawhi Leonard leads 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. The series is currently tied at 2.
8. 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 as the season ended. They are tied with the Clippers at 2.
9. Golden State Warriors
They have played a great series so far against Houston and have a chance to take a 3-1 series lead at home tonight.
10. Houston Rockets
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 or seven games. As it stands now, the series is at 2-1 Golden State.
