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Ranking NBA Playoff Teams and Contenders
No matter where they’re seeded.
As the play-in games for the NBA Playoffs begin tonight (April 12, 2022) I am ranking every play-off team and play-in contender based on how good I think they are.
Beside each team name is the conference they are in, Eastern (E) or Western (W), and their seeding. For example, first-place (i.e., top seed) in the West is “(W1).”
As you will quickly see, my rankings don’t match the seeding order.
The number associated with each team is my personal power ranking index. And it’s a very simple index. It’s the winning percentage of the team when its leading scorer plays.
For this week’s play-in games, involving teams seeded 7–10, I predict the higher-ranked team on this list will win. For the playoffs, I predict the higher ranked team will always win any series matchup unless there are significant injuries. And on the topic of injuries, I’m assuming that Steph Curry of the Warriors and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks will be ready to play.
Here are the rankings:
- Phoenix Suns (W1) 82.3
- Golden State Warriors (W3) 70.3
- Dallas Mavericks (W4) 67.8
- Milwaukee Bucks (E2) 67.2
