The NBA playoffs may have just started last week but the first round is already near its completion.
Thanks to the rapid-fire nature of this bubble post-season and some dominant performances seen from teams thus far Round 2 looks to be just on the horizon.
Normally we’d look to rank how each NBA team looks by tiers, grouping squads together. However, due to the nature of the playoffs’ limited number of teams, moving forward over the next few weeks or so we’re going back to traditional power rankings structure.
Here’s the first edition of Sportsnet’s NBA Playoff Power Rankings.
1. Boston Celtics
No team has looked more impressive in the post-season so far than the Celtics.
Though the Sixers were without star forward Ben Simmons, they are still a roster that boasts plenty of talent highlighted by all-star centre Joel Embiid. While Embiid had a statistically good series, the Celtics all but erased everyone else as their stingy defence carried them to a statement-like four-game sweep of Philly that saw them win both a dominant game and make a dramatic comeback.
Their second-round matchup with the Raptors has all the makings of a true classic and they’ll be entering the series as, perhaps, the most fearsome-looking team in the NBA right now.
2. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors also managed to sweep their first-round playoff series but given the fact it was against a severely undermanned and overmatched Nets squad, it didn’t look quite as impressive as what the Celtics did to the 76ers.
Still, the Raptors took care of business and did so — with exception of the first three-quarters of Game 2 — with total ease like they should have. That’s a fact that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
3. Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell has gone volcanic in the Jazz’s first-round series with the Nuggets, averaging 39.5 points per game on a 56.3/52.4/95.5 shooting line. This includes a 57-point performance in Game 1 and a 51-spot in Game 4.
More important than that, however, is after a season that saw Denver essentially have Utah’s number, the Jazz are in total command right now, up 3-1 in their series.
4. Miami Heat
Either those special coffee beans Jimmy Butler got brought into the bubble are actually insane performance enhancers or the Heat star is just that good. Either way, Butler and the Heat have made a series with the Pacers that many believed would be a tight one into a complete non-contest.
The Heat will look to sweep on Monday.
5. Dallas Mavericks
Bow down to your new king, Luka Doncic has officially arrived.
The Mavericks’ do-everything guard had been talked about as a player with superstar potential, but after burying a step-back 27-foot three-pointer to win Game 4 for Dallas and tie up their first-round series with the Clippers 2-2 as part of a 43-point, 17-rebound, 13-assist triple-double (on a bum ankle) it became pretty clear that this 21-year-old wunderkind isn’t just a superstar, he’s looking like a player with the potential to be one of the all-time greats the game’s ever seen.
The Mavericks have become destination viewing just because of Doncic and with him leading the way — even without Kristaps Porzingis — anything seems possible for Dallas.
6. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have played the best defence so far in the playoffs, holding the Trail Blazers to just 98 points per 100 possessions in their first-round matchup.
This suffocating defence is the biggest reason why Los Angeles is up 2-1 in its series so far, but it can’t be feeling too good still as its offence has stagnated with the team only playing the 11th-ranked offence in the playoffs so far, and really struggling from three-point range, shooting just 33.7 per cent from deep.
7. Milwaukee Bucks
After a Game 1 scare against the Magic, the Bucks are back in control of their series.
It’s difficult to say if that Game 1 loss was just a blip or a sign of vulnerability on the Bucks’ part just yet but so far in the playoffs they’ve just been alright with only a net rating of plus-6.7, despite being clearly the more talented side.
8. Houston Rockets
It seems odd to ask, but can the Rockets muster enough offence to get through this first-round series?
Houston’s over-reliance on isolation came back to bite them in a Game 3 loss to the Thunder, opening up questions about whether the Rockets have enough support for James Harden?
Game 4 will be more indicative of what direction the Rockets are heading, but right now things look a little dicey for them, despite leading the Thunder 2-1 in their series.
Raptors Newsletter
9. Los Angeles Clippers
While Doncic has been the story of this series, of more pressing concern for the Clippers has been the play of Paul George.
The supposed perfect complement to Kawhi Leonard, George has been downright awful so far in the playoffs, averaging just 15.3 points per game while shooting an abysmal 29 per cent from the field and 22.2 per cent from three-point range.
That wouldn’t be good enough for even a regular rotation player, let alone a max-player star like George. So unless he can find his game again and give Leonard the support he needs, it’s looking like the Clippers could be in a whole lot of trouble.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder
O Canada! (Or should we be saying OKC Canada?)
Though Games 1 and 2 didn’t look promising, Game 3 showed why the Thunder looked to be a more evenly-matched opponent for the Rockets than just looking on paper might suggest and leading the way are a couple of Canadians in Luguentz Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Dort has been given primary defensive duty on Harden and has frustrated the former MVP to no end, holding him to just 3-for-21 shooting in 13:42 of total matchup time checking Harden.
As for Gilgeous-Alexander, he’s been OKC’s second-leading scorer so far as the Thunder have enjoyed a balanced assault with him, Danilo Gallinari and Chris Paul all averaging 20 or more points per game in the series.
11. Portland Trail Blazers
Stymied by the Lakers’ defence so far, outside of an emotional Game 1 victory, the Blazers haven’t been able to get the kind of shot-making early the game to allow Damian Lillard to take over down the stretch as he did in the seeding games to get Portland into the playoffs in the first place.
Still, it’s never wise to count a player like Lillard out, and with the way the Lakers are shooting the ball right now this is a series that could turn in Portland’s favour in a hurry.
12. Denver Nuggets
Big props go out to Canadian Jamal Murray for his remarkable 36-point performance in Game 1 (that saw him score 20 of that 34 in the fourth quarter and overtime) and dropping 50 in Game 4.
Unfortunately for Murray, however, his team is down 3-1 in its first-round series and it’s all because the Nuggets can’t guard anyone or anything right now. Through four games, the Nuggets own the worst defensive rating in the playoffs, giving up a putrid 131.1 points per 100 possessions.
13. Orlando Magic
The jury’s still out on this series, but much like last year, after a dramatic, surprise Game 1 victory over a heavily-favoured opponent it just seems as if the Magic are too vastly outgunned to make much more noise than they’ve already shown.
14. Indiana Pacers
So much for the Pacers showing up and playing above their heads in the playoffs like they did in seeding games.
Without Domantas Sabonis, Indiana looks lost against the Heat as Butler and Bam Adebayo have completely taken control of the series, once again relegating T.J. Warren to his mid-range roots and neutralizing his three-point threat.
Down 3-0 in their series, it’s looking like Monday will be curtain call for them.
Eliminated: Philadelphia 76ers/Brooklyn Nets
Both the Sixers and Nets ended up being shorthanded in the playoffs and the pieces they were missing proved to be too much as neither team could manage to win a single playoff game this year.
Both of these Atlantic Division teams’ futures look very interesting with the Sixers once again at a crossroad with head coach Brett Brown and their two key stars Simmons and Embiid, and the Nets poised to integrate Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving into their mix next season.
For now, though, they’re done and we won’t be hearing from them for a little while.
