The 2025-2026 NBA season only has ten days left, and the playoffs are on the horizon. Sixteen teams will be competing for the title of NBA champions starting on April 18, 2026 and the other 14 teams won’t be so happy. The NBA Playoffs are one of the most exciting and unpredictable events in sports and this season won’t be any different. With the play-in tournament (seeds 8 through 10 in each conference play in one game elimination tournaments to determine who will represent the 7th and 8th seed in each conference) being unpredictable, there can only be previews of seeds one through six in each conference.
The 6 seed in the Eastern Conference is the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta has gotten hot at the right time and has quickly climbed up the rankings. They could be a sneaky team in this year’s playoffs with a young core and breakout first year all-star, Jalen Johnson.
The 5 seed in the Eastern Conference is the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have been very good throughout the whole year and have stayed that way. They might not have what it takes to be a team that goes deep in the playoffs but with the 6th best ranked defense in the league and Brandon Ingram leading the way, they can’t be counted out.
The 4 seed in the Eastern Conference is the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have been a solid team all year and have heated up recently. Their biggest problem the past few seasons and into the playoffs in past years has been their struggle with beating great competition. This year they are 26 and 21 versus teams over the 500 percentage mark which could definitely be better and that’s why they most likely won’t be a team around come June. They have lots of talented players though, with one of their best being Donovan Mitchel, averaging exactly 28 PPG.
The 3 seed in the Eastern Conference is the New York Knicks. The Knicks have been great throughout this year and haven’t slowed down heading into the postseason. They are expected to go fairly far this year. They are going to need some great coaching from Mike Brown and clutch moments from the whole team. Knicks fans are hoping they can get their first ring in 53 years with Jalen Brunson who’s averaged 26.3 PPG.
The 2 seed in the Eastern Conference is the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are one of the most, if not the most storied franchise in league history and they are definitely in the mix of best teams this year. They’ve been amazing and haven’t slowed up. They are 4 games back from the 1 seed and are definitely trying to get there before the playoffs. They are one of the favorites to win it all with Jayson Tatum leading the way.
The 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is the Detroit Pistons. Detroit dominated with the 3rd best record in the NBA and with how young they are they might not be huge sluggers in the postseason but they are definitely more than capable of making a run into the final series. They are led by Cade Cunningham, one of the best young stars in the league.
The 6 seed in the Western Conference is the Houston Rockets. Houston made a big splash in the summer trading for Kevin Durant to boost their championship chances and it has worked. They’ve got the eighth ranked defense in the NBA. They might not go too far this year but they could make a surprise run with their best player being one of the best to ever play, Durant. He’s averaged 25.9 PPG.
The 5 seed in the Western Conference is the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves have been up and down and have been dependent on teams missing shots. They have an elite defense but a lesser offense that depends on Anthony Edwards. Because of that it will be harder for them versus top tier defenses to win games. Anthony Edwards is their player guy averaging 29.3 PPG.
The 4 seed in the Western Conference is the Denver Nuggets. Denver is very talented and as long as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are together they are contenders. They’ve caught fire heading into the playoffs and are led by Jokic who averages 27.9 PPG, as well as a triple double. Jokic is having one of the best seasons ever and he is the first player since Russell Westbrook to average a triple double in consecutive seasons.
The 3 seed in the Western Conference is the Los Angeles Lakers. LA is super hot going into the postseason. They most likely will have a hard time beating great teams because of their terrible defense, they are a team that depends solely on offense. Luka Doncic is their best player averaging a league leading 33.8 PPG.
The 2 seed in the Western Conference is the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio is one of the deepest teams in the league and are definitely in the mix to win it all. The Spurs are 2.5 games back from the 1 seed and they’ve also been hot going in the playoffs. They are led by Victor Wembanyama who is having a historic season. He is currently the front runner for MVP and he’s having one of the best statistical defensive seasons of all time.
The 1 seed in the Western Conference is the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma is the best team in the NBA and are favorites to win it all. They don’t have many holes but in today’s NBA it isn’t easy to win it all. They’ve been winning and winning all year and are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who averages 31.3 PPG and is also having a historic season. He has the highest shooting percentage stats ever by a guard averaging 30 plus points. He also recorded a 72 game streak of 20 plus points.
This year’s NBA playoffs are going to be very competitive. There is no clear cut favorite and we’ll see who is holding up the Larry O’Brien Trophy soon; it’s going to be a fun ride.
