2018 NBA Championship – Playoff Power Rankings

Sorry, we were in NBA Championship cheat mode and wanted to see each team play at least one game before making our playoff predictions. Why? Because the playoffs are far different from the regular season. No more playing against tanking teams. No more DNP-quad news alerts for healthy guys that are merely being rested for the playoffs. No more random referee whistles that nobody can explain. Okay, there are still plenty of referee whistles that nobody can explain.

Our point is that once you see how these teams will approach the playoffs, it’s much easier to draw logical conclusions. And wouldn’t you rather read that than random stabs in the dark masquerading as analysis? If not, too bad! Here are our rankings of teams from least likely to most likely to win the NBA Championship:



16. MIAMI HEAT

It would help if their strategy didn’t involve playing Hassan Whiteside 12 minutes a game. That said, we’ve never seen a big man try less to get himself open on offense, so you can’t really blame Spoelstra.

15. BOSTON CELTICS

No Kyrie Irving = No NBA Championship.

14. SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Coach Gregg Popovich deserves Coach of the Year for turning a team with a ton of G-League talent on the floor into a playoff team. Unfortunately for Spurs fans, the playoffs will expose the talent discrepancy that the Spurs are up against. But at least this year’s playoffs gave us another awesome Pop clip!

 

13. MILWAUKEE BUCKS

We love Giannis Antetokounmpo as you probably noticed with our pre-season MVP pick. However, the Bucks can’t rebound. They’re a big man away from being a very scary team in the Eastern Conference though.

12. WASHINGTON WIZARDS

The Eastern Conference’s version of the Clippers when they had CP3/Blake Griffin/DeAndre Jordan – a team with a lot of talent that just doesn’t mesh in a way that leads to playoff success.

11. INDIANA PACERS

Let’s not crown these guys yet. It was one game people. Calm down. Breathe.

10. UTAH JAZZ

This is a team that’s still a year or two of Donovan Mitchell seasoning away. This year was another step in the right direction. Getting closer.

9. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

If they can figure out how to play together, and quickly, the Timberwolves are a very good team. Jimmy Butler is one of the top 10 players in the game when healthy and Karl-Anthony Towns is a beast down low.

8. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

Man, if only DeMarcus Cousins were healthy. His injury has let some other guys shine, but without a healthy Boogie, the Pels just can’t hang with the Rockets and Warriors of the league.

7. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

Their backcourt is as elite as it gets. But that’s where it starts and ends for the Blazers. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are good enough to get the Blazers through a series, but not good enough to get them any further. That said, it isn’t exactly fun to bet against Dame.

6. PHILADELPHIA 76ers

Talk about another fun to watch team. A healthy Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid is like a nonstop happy pill for an NBA fan. They are unique talents and the future of not just the franchise but possibly the entire league.

5. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

The playoffs are a much more suited style of play for the Thunder. They don’t move the ball exceptionally well but they do have mismatches all over the court when they go one on one. Teams are going to figure out whom they want to double team or if they want to let Paul George and Carmelo Anthony abuse their opposition. You know Russell Westbrook is going to get his but if PG13 and Melo get going, the Thunder can make a deep run.

4. TORONTO RAPTORS

Poor Toronto. They’re the team that outworks you and outplays you but again, this is a league where talent wins out. They still aren’t better than a LeBron-led team.

3. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

You’re really panicking after one game? Against the Pacers? Please. The Cavs tried to see if they could get away with saving LeBron some playoff energy by having other people guard Victor Oladipo. Short answer: They can’t. So LeBron will have to expend some energy this series. Big whoop. This is still the team that has LeBron and they are not going out easily.

2. HOUSTON ROCKETS

No disrespect to the Rockets, but if Stephen Curry has his legs under him by the time the Western Conference Finals roll around, it’s a wrap. How exactly are the Rockets going to consistently stop Kevin Durant, Steph, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green? We know that the Warriors can switch every screen to slow James Harden. The Rockets will get into trouble if they try and play the Warriors’ game with a healthy Warriors team. It will be tremendous to watch, but the Warriors’ moving on is a foregone conclusion.

1. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

The champs until someone proves otherwise.

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