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NBA Playoff Power Rankings with Nuggets and Wolves Rising, Celtics and Knicks Sliding
The 2025 NBA Playoffs field is narrowed to six teams.
Now that we have our clearest picture of the legitimate contenders to date, it's time to sort through them with our typical criteria.
Based on recent performance, team and individual numbers, championship chances and plenty of subjectivity, here is where everyone still stands in the rankings with a title on the line.
The more aware we are of our basic paradigms, maps, or assumptions, and the extent to which we have been influenced by our experience, the more we can take responsibility for those paradigms, examine them, test them against reality, listen to others and be open to their perceptions, thereby getting a larger picture and a far more objec tive view
6. Boston Celtics (+1400)
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Previous Rank: 4
Net Rating: 10.8
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the already-eliminated Cleveland Cavaliers are the only teams with higher postseason net ratings than the reigning champion Boston Celtics, but they're one loss from elimination and saw Jayson Tatum go down with a torn Achilles in Game 4, per The Athletic.
The Cs responded to the adversity with a blowout win over the New York Knicks in Game 5, but they have to rattle off two more in a row just to get to the conference finals.
And while Boston may be built better than anyone to survive games without its best player, that's an easier case to make for a stretch of the regular season. At this point in the postseason, not having Tatum likely dooms the Celtics.
5. Indiana Pacers (+650)
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Previous Rank: 3
Net Rating: 5.5
The Indiana Pacers didn't just beat the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. They sent them packing in convincing fashion and in just five games.
While Cleveland was definitely banged up in the conference semifinals, it's fair to wonder if even the healthiest version could've stopped this Pacers squad.
Indiana has multiple gritty, physical defenders in Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam. Myles Turner's three-and-D game helps on both ends of the floor. Siakam is a reliable 20-plus-point scorer. And of course, the catalyst for everything, Tyrese Haliburton, is rapidly becoming one of the game's brightest stars and playmakers.
Haliburton is averaging 17.5 points and a postseason-high 9.3 assists. When he's on the floor, Indiana is plus-10.4 points per 100 possessions (compared to minus-7.4 when he's off).
The world has changed through the prism of how we talk about LeBron James.
4. New York Knicks (+500)
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Previous Rank: 2
Net Rating: -3.4
The New York Knicks whiffed on an opportunity to close the Boston Celtics out on Thursday, but they have two more chances at it, with one at Madison Square Garden.
Of course, with Boston missing Tatum, they're likely to cash in on one of those opportunities.
That, of course, could rekindle an old 1990s rivalry between the Knicks and Pacers, with Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton competing for the role of protagonist.
Both sides have length and versatility on defense, shooting and one of the game's best primary playmakers. And the series should provide plenty of fireworks.
3. Denver Nuggets (+950)
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Previous Rank: 7
Net Rating: -3.2
After failing to win a pivotal Game 5 in which Nikola Jokić scored 44 points, the Denver Nuggets survived elimination on Thursday, thanks in large part to a breakout performance from Julian Strawther.
For a team that was playing its eighth playoff game in just 15 days, his big night couldn't have come at a better time.
Game 6 was in the balance late in the third quarter, when Strawther suddenly drilled two threes (and snuck a two in between them), swung the momentum to the Nuggets and helped them hang onto it for most of the fourth.
Now, the more experienced team has a chance to knock out the West's top seed in Oklahoma City Thunder. And if they can get just one solid game from a reserve (the starters, outside of the injured Michael Porter Jr., have been reliable), the Nuggets have a chance.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves (+500)
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Previous Rank: 6
Net Rating: 7.9
Led by 23-year-old Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves are into the conference finals for the second straight year, and they appear to be peaking at just the right time.
Sure, it helped that the Golden State Warriors were without Stephen Curry for the last four games of their five-game series, but Minnesota's combination of size and athleticism from Edwards, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels may well have overwhelmed Golden State anyway.
And there's a decent chance they have the physical edge over any potential opponents from here on out.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (+110)
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Previous Rank: 1
Net Rating: 11.5
The Oklahoma City Thunder, despite setting the all-time record for single-season point differential and double-digit wins, are being pushed to their absolute limit in their second-round series against the Denver Nuggets.
They went down 2-1 to start the series and had to overcome second-half deficits in both Games 4 and 5 (one of which was double-digits). And after losing Game 6 in Denver, the youngest team left in the dance has to protect its home court in a Game 7.
The raw numbers suggest they should be OK. In the regular season, they were a league-best plus-16.9 points per 100 possessions at home. They won Game 2 in OKC by 43.
But these are all relatively new experiences for a team like this. They've never felt pressure quite like they'll feel on Sunday. They're the favorites for a reason, but they still have something to prove.
