Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
Most NBA teams have about 15 games remaining this season. The playoffs are around the corner, and it’s a big mystery which two teams will be standing come June.
But with the season winding down, here are our best guesses of the most likely teams in each conference to reach the Finals.
In the East, it’s between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Celtics won the championship last year. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have proven that they have what it takes to go all the way and can set their egos aside when it counts most. The Celtics struggled in January but have since turned things around, winning 18 of their last 21 games. No team has repeated as NBA champions since Golden State in 2017 and 2018. It’s an incredibly tough thing to do, but it would be even tougher to bet against the Celtics at this point.
As for the Cavaliers, they’ve been soaring all season. Led by Donovan Mitchell on the court and new coach Kenny Atkinson at the helm, the Cavaliers have been atop the Eastern Conference all season and have hardly had any missteps. The team is in sync, they like each other and everyone is starring in their role, from their three All-Stars on down.
In the West, things are wide open. My three picks are the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
The Thunder have been the top team in the West all season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in a two-horse race with Nikola Jokic for the MVP Award. And they fortified themselves last offseason with some experience by adding Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. The Thunder are rearing for a deep playoff run, with Gilgeous-Alexander telling FOX Sports he’s defining this season by one metric. “Championship or bust,” he said. “If we don’t win, it’s a failure.”
As for the Lakers, they were a big question mark after shocking the world by trading for Luka Doncic in February. Sure, they were brimming with talent. But would LeBron and Luka play well together? Would their hole at the center position after losing Anthony Davis be insurmountable? Since the trade deadline, they’ve shined, climbing to second place in the West before James suffered a groin injury that will likely sideline him through this week. James is energized. Doncic has something to prove to the world after being embarrassed by the trade. And Austin Reaves might be the best third option in the league. Who would want to face this team in the playoffs?
The other team that has turned things around since the trade deadline is the Warriors. After acquiring Jimmy Butler, the Warriors look like contenders again and have won 14 of their last 17 contests. They’ve climbed from 10th place in the West to sixth. Butler has been the perfect complement to Steph Curry and Draymond Green, imbuing them with the belief that the dynasty could still be alive and well, following winning four championships from 2014-2022. This team knows how to win. And they’re hungry to do it again.
NBA POWER RANKINGS
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Boston Celtics
- Golden State Warriors
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Denver Nuggets
- New York Knicks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Houston Rockets
- Indiana Pacers
- LA Clippers
- Detroit Pistons
- Atlanta Hawks
- Sacramento Kings
- Chicago Bulls
- Orlando Magic
- Phoenix Suns
- Toronto Raptors
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Miami Heat
- Dallas Mavericks
- San Antonio Spurs
- Brooklyn Nets
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Charlotte Hornets
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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