We are a few weeks past the NBA All-Star break and the push for the playoffs has begun. This year the playoff race is particularly competitive, so we should be in for some exciting NBA action over the next couple of months. To kick off the stretch run, we ranked the Top 5 teams in the NBA as we head towards the playoffs.
Top 5 Teams:
- Minnesota Timberwolves
Timberwolves fans can finally rejoice as their years of picking #1 overall in the draft are finally over. There is good news and bad news for the T-Wolves looking forward to the rest of the season. The good news is that Anthony Edwards is a bonafide superstar. Everyone knew he was special, but very few people expected him to be this good this fast. He is fearless in the final moments of the game and will not hesitate to take over. He is the perfect player to build a championship team around, and Minnesota already has most of the pieces. This is why they are currently the 2 seed in the west. The bad news is that they are far from the most experienced team in the Western Conference. In 2022, the Timberwolves made the playoffs and lost a hard-fought, 6-game series against the Grizzlies. Last year, they advanced through the play-in stage and lost a quick series to the future champion Denver Nuggets. Few players on the Timberwolves have experienced the 2nd round. This means teams like the Clippers, Suns, Lakers, Warriors, and Nuggets will have the huge advantage of veteran stars who know what it takes to win in the playoffs. Nonetheless, it is a great time to be a TImberwolves fan as the future is very bright.
- OKC Thunder
Many of the things that were said about the Timberwolves can also be said about the Thunder. They are a young, successful team with little-to-no playoff experience, but an extremely bright future. However, the Thunder are currently doing something we’ve never seen before. Over the past couple of years, OKC has been rebuilding the same way I used to rebuild my team in NBA2K. They recognized that they were not going to win many championships in the same conference as Steph Curry and LeBron James, so they traded away all of their star players (Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, etc.) for future draft picks. After shipping out all of their stars, the Thunder (predictably) fell to the bottom of the standings and were able to draft Chet Holgrem to pair alongside rising superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. So now, not only do the Thunder have an extremely high quantity of first round draft picks over the next 5 years, they also already have a team that is good enough to be the top seed in a competitive Western Conference. It is possible that we are witnessing the birth of the next great NBA dynasty. As for this year however, I would be surprised to see anything more than a Western Conference Finals appearance from OKC.
- LA Clippers
A few years ago if you had told me that Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George were all going to be on the same team, I would have assumed that team would be so good that it would make the NBA unwatchable. Luckily for everyone, all of these stars are past their primes now, and the league is still competitive. However, there has never been a better time to be a Clippers fan. Since Covid the Clippers have gone through the same cycle every year: They are ranked as a top team at the beginning of the season, they underperform in the regular season and get a 4 or 5 seed, then they lose in the 1st or 2nd round. It seems like this year could be the season they break the cycle (even though they are currently the 4 seed). James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook recognize that this is one of their last opportunities to get a championship. I expect for them to turn back the clock come playoff time. The only thing holding them back is one of their stars trying to play hero ball. If they perform in the playoffs as a cohesive unit, I see no reason why they can’t be the team that makes it out of the Western Conference.
- Denver Nuggets
And for the fourth Western Conference team on this list, we have the reigning champion Denver Nuggets. Last year we watched nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray prove that they might just be the most unstoppable duo in the league, as they cruised their way to a championship. There was never a point in the playoffs where Nuggets fans were worried that they might lose a series, it was just pure wire-to-wire domination. The scary thing is, not much has changed for Denver. Sure, they lost some key role players like Bruce Brown, and they’re not the far-and-away top seed in the West like they were last year. However, they still have their core: Jokic, Murray, Porter Jr, and Aaron Gordon. It would be no surprise to see the Nuggets return to their prime form come playoff time. Jokic is still the best player in the NBA, and it doesn’t seem like the Nuggets have any intention of slowing down. If the Nuggets play to their potential, a repeat might just be in the cards.
- Boston Celtics
Of all the teams on this list, there is no team that needs to win the championship this year more than the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have been contenders since Jayson Tatum’s first year in the NBA, 7 years ago. Each year they have found a new way to let down hopeful Celtics fans such as myself. Last year the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, went down 3-0 to the Miami Heat, won their next 3 games, and then lost in Game 7. This year, there are no excuses. The 3 biggest threats to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference are the Bucks, Cavaliers, and Knicks. While I do think the Cavaliers and Knicks are good right now and have a bright future, the Celtics are clearly a better team and would have to severely underperform to lose to either of them. The Bucks are different since Giannas and Damien Lillard are veteran stars who can be trusted in important situations. Also, the Bucks, much like the Celtics, are in “win now” mode, meaning they recognize that this is one of their best opportunities to win a championship in the next 5-10 years. I anticipate a Bucks vs Celtics Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics are defensively built to contain Giannas, and it has worked in the past, but will the addition of Damien Lillard be too much for the Celtics to handle? I think not. This Celtics team has more depth and plays more selfless basketball than any Celtics team over the past 7 years. Something feels different now. Could this finally be the year Tatum and Brown do what they’ve been working towards their whole career, and bring a championship home to Boston? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
