This is the final NBA Power Rankings of the season, and comes out on the day the playoffs begin. After this there is no point in power ranking, the NBA has a playoff to decide which team is the best (can you imagine a sport that is so backward that it uses media questioning to determine a champion?) . We only have the 22 bubble teams here, and with the way the boiling games went, these rakes can look up in a week.
1. Raptors (53-19, 7-1, LW 1). The adaptation of the defending champions ends the season at the top of the rankings. They had the best defense through the seeding games, anchored by a healthy (and slimmer) Marc Gasol, and that could take them far in the playoffs – if they can find some offensive punch from the half court (fifth worst offensive at replay start). That ability to get a bowl when the game is slower was a strength of last season, the Raptors need Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam to recreate the magic in the playoffs to get back to the finals.
2. Bucks (56-17, 3-5 in bubble, LW 2). Giannis Antetokounmpo is frustrated by the 3-5 Bucks record in the bubble, the way they came into the postseason, and the fact that he had to play a game out for Moe Wagner’s header. None of that is a real concern. The Bucks find their focus in the first round against a Magic team that they scored by 16.3 points per 100 this season.
3. Clippers (49-23, 5-3, LW 5). Los Angeles lacks key players for much of the new start, it was not a team that blew people’s doors, but in the end they had the third best net rating in the bubble (+6.1). The Clippers did that all season: Win while not potentially fulfilling their potential. Looks like a fan on paper, but someone who has not yet built chemistry. Is it all coming together for them now in the playoffs?
4. Lakers (52-19, 3-5 in bubble, Last Week No. 3). The Lakers shot the ball badly and had the second worst attack in the restart. Los Angeles has had problems all season with smaller, fast scoring guards and now they meet Damian Lillard in the first round. The Lakers will have to work to get out of the first round, but the Portland challenge can snatch LA out of its abuse. Finally, Frank Vogel can go to the pick-and-rolls of LeBron James / Anthony Davis all day and who will stop it?
5. Celtics (48-24, 5-3, LW 4). While the Raptors had the better record in the bubble, the Celtics were probably better off playing (they had the better net rating). Boston had a top 10 offense and defense in the starting lineup, Kemba Walker is healthy and this roster has a lot of versatility. Joel Embiid will be a tough test in the first round, however, Philadelphia outscored Boston with 2.3 points per 100 possessions in the regular season.
6. Pacers (45-28, 6-2 LW 8). TJ Warren was a breakout star of the bubble, they have a healthy Victor Oladipo, and the Pacers had a top-three defense in the bubble – Indiana is also set for the playoffs. Miami, with Jimmy Butler as perimeter stopper, presents a real challenge (the Heat outscored the Pacers by 4.2 points per 100 during their regular season meetings), but the Pacers can win the series if they balance and the players step up.
7. Dark (44-28, 4-4, LW 9). Chris Paul played brilliantly in the throughput (and there might not have been a rematch without him) the Thunder were a rollercoaster through the eight games. saw dangerously one game and like the next a pushover. If Steven Adams can stay on the court against the Rockets’ Micro-ball and punish them in the Thunder, they’re in good shape in the first round.
8. The Rockets (44-28, 4-3, LW 6). No Russell Westbrook to start the series against OKC is a concern (quadriceps injury) because the Rockets are so top heavy. James Harden has been brilliant, but Eric Gordon, Danuel House, Austin Rivers, Ben McLemore as someone will have to step up and pick up the secondary score loa to do it all. On the other hand, Houston defends very well in the seeding games and that should bear.
9. Heat (44-29, 3-5, NB 7). Jimmy Butler picks up his game level in the postseason and we (and TJ Warren) can expect that again. Finally, Indiana (and the teams that Miami may be above them) may be able to slow him down, rather than anyone who shoots and gets shots. The Heat have had good games from Bam Adebayo and Jae Crowder, and there are rookies like Tyler Herro who play well, but are any of them ready to be the man who should get a kick out of crunch time?
10. Trail Blazers (35-39, 6-2, LW 10). Damian Lillard is the deserving bubble MVP, but the win-in-game win over Memphis has shown that it is not a one-man show that makes Portland dangerous. Jusuf Nurkic dominated the first half and had a 20/20 game, then hit CJ McCollum despite a fractured back too late on big tries. Portland has all the pieces to give the Lakers trouble, but how they defend LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be the real keys.
11. Sonnen (44-39, 8-0, LW 12). Everyone wanted to see the Bubble Treasures rewarded for their 8-0 run, but the first 65 games still made some difference. Credit to Monty Williams (officially the Coach of the Seed Games) and crew for getting buy-ins from players and improving during the restart when other teams in their position (Sacramento, New Orleans) sent it in the mail. Phoenix looks set to field a team for a playoff run next season, but the West will be deep next season with teams of playoff quality.
12. Nuggets (46-27, 3-5, LW 11). Michael Porter Jr. has been great to see – 22.2 points a game, 8.6 rebounds, and 42.2% shots from three – and he gives them another shot creator alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, which makes them dangerous. Denver also had the worst defense in the restart and if that continues, Utah has a real shot at beating the Nuggets.
13. 76ers (43-30, 4-4, LW 15). GM Elton Brand is betting that Philly could win games big before the season tips, and now that the playoffs are coming – and without Ben Simmons – it’s the direction Brett Brown might need to go. He will start with the Al Horford / Joel Embiid frontline, and Embiid will have to dominate the Boston frontline to have a chance. Tobias Harris will have to deal more damage, and some players will have to hit three for Philly to clear the gap.
14. Mavericks (43-32, 3-5, LW 13). How good is Luka Doncic? He averaged nearly a triple-double in the seeding games of 30 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists a game. He, along with great man Kristaps Porzingis, give the Mavs a chance to score their way to a win every night. However, how Dallas will lower the wing score of Paul’s and Kawhi Leonard of LA is by far the biggest challenge of the first round.
15. Jazz (44-28, 3-4, LW 16). No Bojan Bogdanovic (operation). No Mike Conley, at least for the first few games against Denver (son born). No Ed Davis (left knee). A shorthanded Utah team will need a monster series from Donovan Mitchell to move forward. Denver dominated the paint in regular season matchups with Utah, Rudy Gobert can not allow this to happen again in the offseason as Utah will be home early.
16. Nets (35-37, 5-5, LW 17). Gives Brooklyn credit – while other teams with nothing to play for roles in their finals games, Brooklyn was one shot away from defeating Portland in the final game and knocking the Trail Blazers out of the postseason. Coach Jacque Vaughn earned a lot of points around the league for this (if that means Durant and Irving want him to coach them next season is another question). Caris LeVert was strong in the rematch with an average of 25 points and 6.7 assists a game, while Joe Harris added 20 a night and shot 54.1% from three. They will not be a pushover for Toronto.
17. Grizzlies (34-39, 2-6, LW 19). Yes Morant reminded everyone why he is the soon-to-be Rookie of the Year with his performance in the play-in-game, but without that Jaren Jackson Jr. winning that game was a tough question. However, this is a Memphis team that will be a threat to make the playoffs next season. Note to Mark Jackson: It’s Taylor Jenkins.
18. Magic (33-40, 3-5, LW 18). Steve Clifford moves Markelle Fultz back to starting point guard for the playoffs, his matchup against Eric Bledsoe’s strong defense should be one of the more entertaining parts of that series. Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier are likely to play well against the Bucks, at least for regions that can only handle trade speculation.
19. Spurs (32-39, 5-3, LW 14). When asked if he would return next season as coach, Gregg Popovich’s answer was “why should I not?” Popovich found something that worked with the lineup of four guards he was forced to use again, now that he can make that mesh with LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs could perhaps start a new playoff streak in a year.
20. Kings (31-41, 3-5, LW 20). Vlade Divac is out as GM, and Joe Dumars is in (at least for next year). It was not only Marvin Bagley III to choose over Luka Doncic who got Divac fired, there have been five years of dubious actions, contract shifts, coaching changes and a lack of organizational culture. The Kings have some nice young players (coming up for contract extensions) like De’Aaron Fox, but the Kings need to figure out who they are first.
21. Pelicans (30-42, 2-6, LW 21). Alvin Gentry is out as coach after the Pelicans looked flat and not interested in the bubble (well, except for JJ Redick). Some big name coaches are on the list to replace Gentry, but will the pelicans in the small market pay Tyronn Lue money, or will they look for a less expensive emerging assistant?
22. Wizards (25-47, 1-7, LW 22). Well, they appeared in the bubble. They even won a game. That’s all we can say. Next season they get John Wall and Bradley Beal back on the court together and we can come back to debate if that pair really works.
