NBA Playoff Power Rankings: A look at each team entering the postseason
The 2023 NBA postseason officially tips off on Tuesday with the play-in tournament as teams in each conference take the court with a playoff berth on the line.
Over the course of the rest of the week, the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds will be decided. Once the play-in tournament has concluded, the first round of the playoffs will begin with a jam-packed schedule featuring four games on Saturday and Sunday.
There figures to be a handful of teams that have a real chance to compete for the title this year after an eventful 2022-23 campaign. The Golden State Warriors, as defending champs, will be looking to repeat with several other teams looking to challenge them.
To make further sense of it, Rookie Wire took a look at the NBA and ranked every team that qualified for the postseason in a special edition of our weekly power rankings.
Atlanta Hawks (41-41)
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Seed: 8 | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
After spending much of the year hovering around .500, the Hawks had an opportunity to finish above that mark but dropped their last two games of the regular season to fall to 41-41. They will now face the seventh-seeded Heat in the first game of the play-in tournament on Tuesday with a playoff berth on the line. The team has lost seven out of its last games in Miami and may have a tough task in coming out with a win.
Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40)
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Seed: 8 | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Timberwolves will be without a couple of key contributors in Rudy Gobert (team suspension) and Jaden McDaniels (broken hand) to begin the play-in tournament on Tuesday after a tumultuous conclusion to the regular season. They face a Lakers team seemingly at full health but they did manage to take the season series, 2-1. Based on how things ended on Sunday, the Timberwolves could be in danger of missing out on a playoff berth.
Toronto Raptors (41-41)
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Seed: 9th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Raptors will host the Bulls in the play-in tournament as the No. 9 and 10 matchup. The group had a strong second-half campaign after posting a 13-10 record following the All-Star break. They will need to win two games to claim the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference but will enter as favorites to beat the Bulls on Wednesday. If successful, they will play either the Heat or Hawks on Friday.
Chicago Bulls (40-42)
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Seed: 10th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Bulls claimed the last play-in spot in the Eastern Conference after going 14-9 following the All-Star break. They are playing as well as anyone in the play-in group but will need to post two wins in order to claim the eighth seed in the playoffs. Chicago enters as 5.5-point underdogs on Wednesday against Toronto.
For more coverage on the Bulls, visit Bulls Wire
Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42)
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Seed: 10th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2019-20
The Thunder took a major step in their rebuild this season to claim a spot in the play-in tournament. Led by All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have been a fun team to watch in the Western Conference with several others emerging as key players, such as Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort and others. They are currently 5.5-point underdogs to the Pelicans in the play-in tournament but they seem to flourish in that role this year and should be a tough out.
For more coverage on the Thunder, visit Thunder Wire
New Orleans Pelicans (42-40)
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Seed: 9th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Pelicans had an up-and-down 2022-23 campaign, which was highlighted by a 10-game losing streak in January. However, the group rebounded from that stretch and went 16-13 the rest of the way to claim the ninth seed in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, they will be without Zion Williamson (hamstring) to start their postseason run as his status the rest of the way is unclear. They will host the Thunder on Wednesday in the play-in tournament and are favored by 5.5 points.
Brooklyn Nets (45-37)
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Seed: 6th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Nets held onto the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference to earn an outright playoff berth. They will face the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs and figure to face an uphill battle to make some noise. The Sixers swept the season series versus the Nets, 4-0, and are among a few teams considered to be the favorites in the conference. It seems as though avoiding a first-round sweep to the Sixers would be a victory for this Nets squad.
For more coverage on the Nets, visit Nets Wire
Miami Heat (44-38)
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Seed: 7th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Heat will begin the play-in tournament by hosting the Hawks on Tuesday. They won the season series over their Southeast Division rivals, 3-1, and have posted four straight wins over the Hawks in Miami, including eight out of the last nine matchups. Things look to be in their favor to claim the seventh seed in the playoffs.
LA Clippers (44-38)
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Seed: 5th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2020-21
The Clippers will begin their postseason run without the services of Paul George. He is progressing in his recovery from a knee injury suffered on March 21 and could eventually be cleared to play at some point in the Clippers’ series versus the Suns. The group figures to have a difficult road, though, with the Suns healthy and playing at a high level with Kevin Durant back in the lineup.
Los Angeles Lakers (43-39)
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Seed: 5th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2020-21
The Lakers enter the postseason playing some of their best basketball of the season after going 16-7 following the All-Star break, the second-best record in the NBA over that span. They are seemingly healthy, leading many to have high hopes for this group over the next two months. However, they will first need to defeat the Timberwolves on Tuesday in the play-in tournament. With a win, the Lakers will see the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.
For more coverage on LeBron and the Lakers, visit LeBron Wire
Golden State Warriors (44-38)
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Seed: 6th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Warriors, as the defending champs, enter the playoffs with plenty of question marks after an inconsistent season. They open up on the road versus the Kings in what should be a raucous crowd in Sacramento, though, they took the season series, 3-1. The team is expected to get a boost in the lineup with the return of Andrew Wiggins, who missed the last 25 games of the season due to personal reasons. The Kings have been perhaps the best feel-good story of the season, but they may not have enough to get past the battle-tested Warriors.
For more coverage on the Warriors, visit Warriors Wire
New York Knicks (47-35)
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Seed: 5th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2020-21
The Knicks are back in the playoffs for just the second time in 10 years and have a tough first-round opponent in the Cavaliers. They took the season series, 3-1, but enter the matchup as the underdogs. Led by Donovan Mitchell and the top-ranked defense in the league, the Cavaliers are heavily favored to take the series so the Knicks will have their hands full.
Sacramento Kings (48-34)
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Seed: 3rd | Last Postseason Appearance: 2005-06
The Kings snapped the longest playoff drought in postseason history in the NBA and are back in for the first time since 2006. As a result, the buzz in Sacramento is seemingly at an all-time high as playoff tickets against the Warriors are the most expensive ever for a first-round matchup. The Kings lost three out of their four games against the Warriors this season and are underdogs in the series. It figures to be an entertaining matchup between the top offense in the league and the defending champs, but the darlings of the NBA this season could face a tough task in advancing out of the first round.
Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31)
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Seed: 4th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2017-18
The Cavaliers are favored to win their first-round series against the Knicks, despite losing three of four games to New York in the regular season. The group posted the top defense and the eighth-best offense in the league, which makes it a dangerous team in the postseason. As a team that doesn’t have much playoff experience, outside of a few players, it will need to prove itself this year to be taken seriously. Fortunately, Donovan Mitchell has been there and has found some success.
Memphis Grizzlies (51-31)
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Seed: 2nd | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Grizzlies begin the postseason as the second seed and will face either the Lakers or Timberwolves in the first round. Ja Morant is averaging 20 points, 7.4 assists and five rebounds in eight games since returning from his team suspension. The group was one of the top teams in the league for much of the year and will need to prove itself in the playoffs this year. With Morant leading the way, the team will need the likes of Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks to step up. With a potential matchup against the red-hot Lakers looming, the Grizzlies will be tested early.
Philadelphia 76ers (54-28)
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Seed: 3rd | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Sixers are viewed as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and will open up with the Nets. They swept the season series, 4-0, and are heavy favorites to advance to the next round. With potential MVP Joel Embiid leading the way, the Sixers should have plenty of basketball to play this postseason.
For more coverage on the 76ers, visit Sixers Wire
Phoenix Suns (45-37)
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Seed: 4th | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Suns are seemingly healthy and project to be perhaps the most dangerous team in the Western Conference. They went 8-0 with Kevin Durant in the lineup as the former MVP is averaging 26 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists with the Suns. The group had an up-and-down campaign but is now considered a heavy favorite with the addition of Durant. They didn’t have a ton of time together to build chemistry ahead of the postseason so that should be something to monitor as they move forward.
Denver Nuggets (53-29)
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Seed: 1st | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The top seed is viewed as the favorite to advance out of the Western Conference and contend for a title this year. They have been the best team, from start to finish, in the conference and have the fewest question marks entering the postseason. They have the firepower needed to go on a long run and will be looking to prove themselves and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history.
Boston Celtics (57-25)
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Seed: 2nd | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Celtics will be looking to advance to the NBA Finals for the second straight year and for the first time under Joe Mazzulla. They have the second-highest odds of winning the title (behind the Bucks) and should have no issue with advancing to the conference finals again. Boston has had some dominant runs this season and should continue that level of play into the postseason. They will face either the Hawks or Heat in the first round.
For more coverage on the Celtics, visit Celtics Wire
Milwaukee Bucks (58-24)
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Seed: 1st | Last Postseason Appearance: 2021-22
The Bucks enter the playoffs as the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference and win the title. They posted the best record in the league and have proven to be dominant throughout the year. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the front-runners for MVP as the two-time winner has received some tremendous help from the likes of Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and others. The team is hopeful to have Middleton (knee) at the start of the playoffs, but it should have enough firepower to get past the eighth seed.
