FEATURED

Ranking The Remaining 2026 NBA Playoff Teams

Will Despart 227 May 4, 2026Fact checked by: Sara Jane Gamelli No Comments

The second round of the NBA Playoffs is officially upon us, with eight teams left standing in pursuit of the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The first round was headlined by surprises, like the Boston Celtics blowing a 3-1 lead against the Philadelphia 76ers and LeBron James leading the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers to an upset over the Houston Rockets, so it’s safe to say that the remaining teams aren’t exactly who we thought they would be when the postseason started a few weeks ago. 

Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham Game 7
Chris Schwegler/Getty Images

It’s no secret that the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs stand in a class of their own against essentially any of the other franchises in the NBA at the moment, but where do the other contending teams fall in line behind them? And is OKC even still a clear No. 1 over San Antonio?

Ranking Who’s Left

8. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 6 win over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets was among the most impressive by a team in the first round, especially with Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo sidelined, but the Nuggets are also just nowhere close to the threat they had been in previous years and probably would have lost to whatever first-round opponent they could have drawn. 

Edwards is expected to return way ahead of schedule for Game 1, but you have to question just how well his knee will hold up after such a quick comeback for an injury that usually requires weeks of rehab. As fine a job as Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels have done keeping Minnesota afloat, it’s hard to have much confidence in the Timberwolves knowing what they’ll be missing against the Spurs. 

7. Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers finally played like the team they were built to be when Joel Embiid was on the floor in the first round, but the downside was that Embiid played only four games in the series and was clearly moving gingerly in Game 7. Tyrese Maxey has grown into a true playoff alpha, and Paul George is experiencing a bit of a postseason renaissance as well, but it’s hard to pinpoint just what this team’s potential is without knowing how well Embiid will hold up.

Philly may pose a challenge to the Knicks in the second round, and I wouldn’t even be floored if they found a way to pull off another upset, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they get run out of the gym for four games. Regardless, the 76ers’ core trio plus rising guard VJ Edgecombe and veteran wing Kelly Oubre make for a scary mix of players to go up against in a seven-game set.

6. Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are another team, like Philadelphia, that's hard to pinpoint until (or if) they get Luka Dončić back. LeBron James’ vintage performance in the first round has certainly planted seeds of hope that The King may have one more great run in him, but even with Austin Reaves making his way back, it’s tough to put them in the upper echelon of true contenders without Dončić.

It also doesn’t help that the Lakers have to go against an Oklahoma City Thunder squad that’s teetering on the edge of historical greatness, so much so that Vegas oddsmakers are giving the Lakers a historically low chance to pull off the upset. James’ fatigue was noticeable toward the end of the Rockets series and will likely only compound against a much more capable team in the second round.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a barnburner of a series against the upstart Toronto Raptors that may have surprised some folks by going seven games, but the reality of that situation is that the Raptors really were just that dangerous of a first-round opponent and will soon be a contender in the East in their own right.

Donovan Mitchell is still one of the most proven playoff performers in the NBA, and the combination of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is still devastating for opposing frontcourts. Not to mention future first ballot Hall of Famer James Harden, who brings additional experience and offensive weaponry to a team that’s still trying to really break through in the postseason. Most importantly, the Cavaliers actually match up with the Pistons pretty well in the 1 vs. 4 matchup. 

Related Stories

4. Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are the team whose stock on this list was most impacted by their first-round performance, because going down 3-1 to the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic (who aren’t good, by the way) was a legitimate moment of panic for a 60-win team that hadn’t won a playoff series in nearly two decades. 

It was Detroit’s response, however, that kept them from sliding down the rankings too far. Cade Cunningham proved he’s one of the league’s most valuable talents with three spectacular performances to overcome the deficit, including a 32-point, 12-assist performance in Game 7 and a Pistons postseason record 45-point outing to keep the series alive in Game 5. Tobias Harris has stepped up alongside Cunningham so far this postseason, posting 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in the first round. 

3. New York Knicks

Talk about panic, it seemed like New York was going to turn into a warzone when the Knicks went down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks. Luckily, the city was saved as Jalen Brunson and company led such a dominant comeback over the next three games that it not only spared the Knicks from a potential blow-up-worthy disaster but has also made them the prohibitive favorites to come out of the East. 

The last few postseasons have presented the Knicks with some pretty desirable paths to reach the Finals, but they still haven’t been able to take advantage of the finickiness of the conference by making an appearance. The Pistons proved during the regular season that they are certainly going to be a hard foe for the Knicks to overcome if they meet, but going down 3-1 to the Magic robbed them of some of their aura points from the regular season. If I had to make my call right now, I’d say the Knicks finally make that long-awaited Finals berth.

2. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs narrowly avoided disaster after Victor Wembanyama’s hard fall in the first round only resulted in a concussion, which he promptly returned from, but the silver lining of that ordeal is that it proved just how great the supporting cast around Wembanyama is. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are already championship-caliber pieces this early in their NBA careers, and the veteran leadership provided by De’Aaron Fox has helped round the Spurs into a legitimate contender to take down the Thunder in the West. 

The Spurs shouldn’t have much trouble with Minnesota in the second round, and another fast series could bode well for them against the Thunder, who will presumably need to exert a little more effort to beat the Lakers. Pound for pound, San Antonio probably has the easiest series on paper this round.

1. OKC Thunder

There’s no question that the Spurs are creeping up on the Thunder’s supremacy in the West, but they’re going to have to knock off the champions to eclipse them on this poll. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the verge of being named a two-time MVP with a 20-point scoring streak that’s unprecedented in NBA history. Not to mention, the cast around him has seamlessly navigated a hamstring injury to key contributor Jalen Williams. 

Even with Williams’ status in question, you can't say in good faith that any team should be favored over the Thunder when SGA’s consistency is so automatic. Chet Holmgren has also been a force on both ends of the floor so far this postseason, averaging 17.3 points and 3.3 stocks (steals + blocks) per game. The Lakers may be able to steal one or even two games under the right circumstances, but they have no realistic path toward winning the series. Thunder vs. Spurs in the Western Conference Finals will be the de facto NBA Finals, and I’d roll with the Thunder in that matchup. 

Editor's Pick
Nas Dominates Gerald Green 1 v. 1! Who's Next On His Hit List?Nas Dominates Gerald Green 1 v. 1! Who's Next On His Hit List?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.