2024-25 Vendetta NBA Postseason Power Rankings

2024-25 Vendetta NBA Postseason Power Rankings

The 2024-25 NBA Postseason has arrived! Instead of doing our normal monthly power rankings, Trey and I ranked each of the 16 postseason squads heading into the best time in the NBA calendar, when the real season begins. Who do we think has the best chance at winning an NBA Title? Let’s dive into it!!

(Note: Any tiebreakers go to the team with the best W-L record.)

16. Miami Heat

(Matt Hanifan 16, Trey Daubert 16)

Of course Erik Spoelstra’s Miami Heat are the first No. 10 seed in NBA History to win two play-in games on the road and clinch a playoff spot. The play-in has only existed for five years, but the point stands! Including the play-in, they’ve had the NBA’s sixth-best offense with a plus-12.5 NET Rating over the last calendar month. However, they do run into a buzzsaw in the Cleveland Cavaliers. We will see how Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins jell together over a seven-game series. I think they can keep it competitive, but I think their run ends sooner rather than later. 

15. Memphis Grizzlies

(Matt 13, Trey 15)

Memphis clinched the No. 8 seed in the West Friday after crushing Dallas in their second play-in game. I would feel so much better about them if they didn’t have to play the Thunder in the first round–and if Ja Morant was healthy, which he isn’t. Morant is a playoff riser, but I don’t know if the Grizzlies have enough juice to win more than a couple games in their first series, which is ultimately they are where they are here.

14. Orlando Magic

(Matt 15, Trey 12)

The Magic were abhorrent offensively this season, yet they still had one of their best offensive games of the regular season to clinch the No. 7 seed in the East. Orlando’s length and defensive versatility allow them to have a puncher’s chance against anyone in the East, but their dysfunctional offense limits their ceiling significantly.

13. Detroit Pistons

(Matt 14, Trey 13)

The Pistons’ improving 30 wins and making the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19 is one of the best stories in the NBA. Over that five-year drought, they didn’t eclipse 23 wins. This year, they reached 44 behind first-time All-Star Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris, among several others. They don’t draw an ideal first-round matchup with the New York Knicks, which will almost certainly be a rock fight for 6-7 wins. I also don’t love this team’s playoff (in)experience, but it’s awesome they’re finally getting a taste of what postseason basketball will be like, which will help them in the future.

12. Los Angeles Clippers

(Matt 9, Trey 14)

I am admittedly higher on the Clippers than Trey. However, I completely understand the concerns with Kawhi Leonard’s health and James Harden’s history of flaming out in the postseason. That said, Los Angeles has one of the league’s best defenses, plus a respectable supporting cast outside of those two with Ivica Zubac, Norman Powell, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr. and Bogdan Bogdanovic. They also won 18 of their last 21 games, including eight straight to close the regular season. This is a fun and feisty group that can make noise, even though they must overcome the Joker, which is far easier said than done. 

11. Minnesota Timberwolves

(Matt 11, Trey 11)

The Timberwolves were one of four teams to finish with a top-8 offense and defense in the regular season. The others? Oklahoma City, Boston and Cleveland, the three best teams in the NBA. That’s not bad company. However, I do think they’re slightly too reliant on Anthony Edwards. They have plenty of size and two-way prowess to win at least one series, however. Maybe this ranking will look foolish in a few weeks.

10. Indiana Pacers

(Matt 10, Trey 10)

The Pacers were another team to end the season on a torrid pace, going 15-4 with a 6.5 NET over that span. Shockingly enough, they have the NBA’s No. 9 defense (and 12th-best offense) since March 11. I’m a believer that the unit has improved as a whole–especially on the glass–though I still want to see it put into practice over a seven-game series. Their offense carried them to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Do they have another unexpected run in them?

9. Milwaukee Bucks

(Matt 12, Trey 7)

While I mentioned that I was much higher on the Clippers than our Don, he’s much higher on the Bucks. I … had a difficult time trying to find a proper placement for this team. On one hand, Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players on earth and he draws a dream first matchup against a thin Pacers frontcourt that he’s dominated. On the other, while he was deemed healthy, I still have no idea about Damian Lillard’s health and what to expect from him. This team’s ceiling is high. But their floor is also low if this bottoms out, because I can’t say I love the collective depth behind those two.

8. Houston Rockets

(Matt 7, Trey 8)

The Rockets improved from 22 wins to 51 in Ime Udoka’s first two seasons with Houston. Their halfcourt offense makes it difficult for me to trust them to make a deep run, but they will wear you down physically and they have a budding star in Amen Thompson. Houston draws a blistering hot and experienced Golden State squad in the first round, which may not bode well for them. However, Houston’s not going to go down swinging.

7. Denver Nuggets

(Matt 5, Trey 9)

It’s weird for the No. 7 team in any sort of power rankings (unless it’s related to tanking, which this one obviously isn’t) to clean house one week before the season ends. Alas, the Nuggets did exactly that. They won each of their first three under interim head coach David Adelman; I’m not sure what to make of that–if anything. The Nuggets are still a very good team with one of the smartest and most gifted offensive players ever in Nikola Jokic. I am very concerned about their defense. But they always have a chance.

6. New York Knicks

(Matt 8, Trey 5)

The Knicks were widely expected to go toe-to-toe with the Boston Celtics last year, but got bounced by the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the East semis. They added both Karl-Anthony Towns, who was very good this season, and Mikal Bridges, who kept his games played streak alive despite playing Thibs minutes. Their defense is a little flimsier than it was last year, but they still have plenty of ammo within their top-7. Will this year be the year they compete for an East title?

5. Golden State Warriors

(Matt 6, Trey 6)

To give you an idea of how deep the West is: The Golden State Warriors went 24-8 (including play-in) since Jimmy Butler’s debut with the team, yet they only moved up two spots in the standings. Golden State still has as good of a chance as anyone to make a run in the Western Conference if Butler, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are all healthy, among others. Don’t be fooled by their seeding. It’s going to be a dogfight, but Golden State will be a very hard out.

4. Los Angeles Lakers

(Matt 4, Trey 4)

Luka Doncic falling into Rob Pelinka’s lap saved the future of this franchise … and it changed the calculus this year. JJ Redick’s done a phenomenal job with this team. My biggest worry is I don’t know how this defense carries over–they were a middle-of-the-pack unit post-ASB–but they have several quality offensive engines with Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. That’s enough to win at least one series.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

(Matt 3, Trey 3)

The Cavaliers were the best team in the East all season with the NBA’s top offense and one of the league’s top quartets in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Around this time last year, there were plenty of conversations about breaking this team up. Now look at them. When healthy, they are one of the most formidable foes leaguewide, but they need to capitalize on the two-year window they have limited themselves to.

2. Boston Celtics

(Matt 2, Trey 1)

Boston may not have finished as the No. 1 seed in the East, but the reigning champs are still the favorites to take the East crown–and for good reason. They started playing their best basketball as the months waned closer to April, finishing with the league’s second-best record and NET Rating after the All-Star break. They went on a 16-3 run in the playoffs last year and retained everyone from their top-10–led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

(Matt 1, Trey 2)

The Thunder were a historically great team this season and have the likely MVP winner in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. There’s so much positive redundancy with this roster. They were suffocating at every level defensively and were one of the NBA’s most potent offenses. We are waiting for them to put it into practice in the postseason, but Oklahoma City is so much more well equipped to make a deep playoff run this year than they were last year–even though I still wished they tried to make a big swing ahead of this year’s trade deadline to solidify those chances. 

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