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
Miami Heat (E1) 66.7
Philadelphia 76ers (E4) 66.2
Brooklyn Nets (E7) 65.4
Boston Celtics (E3) 64.4
Memphis Grizzlies (W2) 63.2
Utah Jazz (W5) 61.2
Minnesota Timberwolves (W7) 59.6
Toronto Raptors (E5) 58.8
Denver Nuggets (W6) 57.3
Chicago Bulls (E6) 56.8
Cleveland Cavaliers (E8) 54.4
Atlanta Hawks (E9) 52.6
Charlotte Hornets (E10) 51.3
Los Angeles Clippers (W8) 50.1
New Orleans Pelicans (W9) 45.9
San Antonio Spurs (W10) 44.1
I am predicting a Suns-Bucks Finals with the Suns NBA Champions. After the Finals are over, I'll look back and see how accurate my playoff predictions were.
James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase, Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, and JL Cells. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!