We are through the play-in tournament, and the first-round matchups are set. As we prepare for the upcoming playoff series, below is a breakdown of team power rankings heading into the first round of the 2024-2025 playoffs.
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 should cruise through the first round.
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. 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.
9. 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. There is no official word when Lillard will be cleared to resume basketball activities, but Lillard may not be ready to appear during Milwaukee’s first-round series against the Pacers. Regardless, expect Giannis to push the Bucks through the first round.
10. Indiana Pacers
Pascal Siakam will lead Indiana’s fast-paced team against Milwaukee. The Pacers will have their work cut out for them, and Giannis could be too much for them to handle. Indiana must win at least one of the first two games at home. The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago.
11. Golden State Warriors
Golden State survived the play-in tournament and takes on Houston in the first round. The team will rely heavily on Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler as they face one of the league’s best defensive squads in the Houston Rockets.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
A year removed from the Western Conference Finals, Minnesota faces the Lakers in the first round of the 2024-2025 playoffs. Minnesota’s frontcourt tandem of Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid is superior to Los Angeles’s, and their offensive rebounding will be crucial for the team and Anthony Edwards to get second-chance points.
13. Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham is set to lead Detroit against a Knicks team that will rely heavily on their defense. The Pistons begin the playoffs after finishing last season with a league-worst 14-68 record. Taking one game in the series would be a win regardless of whether New York wins the first-round series.
14. Orlando Magic
Orlando faces the defending champion Boston Celtics in the first round. Still, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are ready to lead the young Magic team, which features a high-tempo offense that attempts many shots. If Orlando finds a rhythm, the series could reach six games.
15. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies survived the play-in tournament and will face Oklahoma City in round one. The talent is there, but the series won’t need more than five games.
16. Miami Heat
Miami made it through the play-in tournament, dismantling Chicago and surviving their overtime battle with Atlanta. Now, they take on Cleveland in the first round. Miami plays hard, but Cleveland should cruise through this first-round series.
