Post Season Power Rankings
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 7:10 pm
Post Season Power Rankings
Welcome in to another Post Season Power Rankings! You know your boy had to do it again. Mainly because it's fun but also because I enjoy getting points anywhere I can. So hopefully you don't hate me too much yet but even if you did, too bad! As always, these mean nothing and will probably not play out at all how I predicted. But it was still another fun season and I always enjoy doing these rankings.
Before we get into it, let’s look back at where the last power rankings had everyone:
#10, Utah Jazz
#9. New Jersey Nets
#8. Washington Bullets
#7. Chicago Bulls
#6. Los Angeles Lakers
#5 Seattle Supersonics
#4 Kansas City Kings
#3 Golden State Warriors
#2. Portland Trailblazers
#1. Milwaukee Bucks
Now let’s get in to the nitty gritty of it all and see where everyone ended up and how far I think they will go in the playoffs
#12. Detroit Pistons (37-45) Previous Rank NA- Probably the only ranking that everyone will agree with. This is a team just does not look like it has what it takes to make any kind of playoff run. And it’s not even their fault that they are here. So many teams in the East decided to tank this season and the rules state that 6 teams make the playoffs so somebody has to be the 6 seed. So congrats to the Pistons on making the playoffs for the first time but this may be short lived. But they are still young and this could very well be the start of something special. Just probably not going to happen this season
#11. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-33) Previous Rank NA- While they did finish with 49 wins and had a good season, this team just doesn’t seem built to make a deep playoff run. They have the second worst point differential of all the playoff teams and that seems to be a product of their lack of depth. Only their starters have a positive O EFF to D EFF ratio. Their bench offers almost no production. And when it gets to the playoffs, you need all the help you can get. Maybe their starters stay healthy and are able to get big leads before they need to rest. But that lack of depth leads me to believe they won’t make it past the first round.
#10. New Jersey Nets (47-35) Previous Rank #9- I’m honestly probably a little low on this team but being 5 games under .500 on the road does hurt them a bit. This team has more than enough firepower to make a solid postseason run but they just need to figure out their road games first. I do think they got lucky by matching up against the Cavaliers in the first round because that might be the best matchup they get. But even if they didn’t, I would still pick them to win the 1st round.
#9. Seattle Supersonics (48-34) Previous Rank #5- Here’s a young team that looked like they were going to have an amazing season at one point. Then they made the trade to acquire Dennis Johnson and it looked like they were poised to make a deep playoff run. But DJ proved to not be the answer. They went 6-14 with DJ and looked like they might miss the playoffs, until he suffered the injury. Then they went on a 10-2 run to secure the 6 seed and have another date with Wig and the Trailblazers. They played well on the road so maybe they can steal one but they are actually the only team with a losing record within their own division. So unless they find some way to gameplan better for the Trailblazers, the Supersonics could be due for another early exit from the playoffs.
#8. Utah Jazz (49-33) Previous Rank #10- Another team with a not great road record. They also got the short end of the stick by having to go up against the Lakers and Magic Johnson. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Kiki and Magic play against each other. Should make for a lot of scoring in this series. If they can find a way to slow down Magic, they have a chance to win this series but that’s a tough task for almost any team.
#7. Washington Bullets (50-32) Previous Rank #8- 50 wins is nothing to scoff at but I can’t help but wonder if they were in any other division that they wouldn’t have won as many games. 19-4 in their division and 36-22 overall in their conference. That means they went 17-18 in the rest of their conference games. That’s not a recipe for making it to the finals. It’s very likely they match up with the Bulls next round and that will be a true test for them. They went 1-5 against the Bulls in the regular season so the second round might be as far as they get. Still, the playoffs are a different beast and anything can happen. Even if they didn’t get the bye, they still could have a good chance to win the first round and advance but that’s only because of the East not being that strong. Larry Nance and Buck Williams are really going to have to step up big time if they want to make it to the Finals this season.
#6. Kansas City Kings (54-28) Previous Rank #4- Last season’s champ is back in the playoffs again looking to defend their title. They didn’t have as good of a season as last season but this team is still not one to sleep on. Not that I think anybody would. We saw this team be down 3-1 to the Bucks in the Finals last season and then come back to win it all. So don’t ever count this team out. I would not be surprised at all if we see them in the conference finals again. King, Gminski, and Natt all look ready to lead this team to the promised land again.
#5 Portland Trailblazers (56-26) Previous Rank #2- This team started off very hot but they did kinda stumble a little bit at the end but not enough to make me worry that this team can’t make it to the Finals. I say it every season but this team just always has depth and knows how to get production out of everybody, as they have 7 players with double digit points. This team is always great during the regular season but they have yet to put it all together in the postseason. Maybe this is the season they finally get over the hump and bring the trophy to Portland
#4. Los Angeles Lakers (55-27) Previous Rank #6- Any time you have Magic Johnson on your team, you have a chance to win. Well maybe except for the Suns. Before the trade for magic, the Lakers were still having a really good season and sitting at 32-18. They then went on to finish 23-9 and now look to be a problem for almost any team in the playoffs. While they don’t have that much depth, they may not need it. All they need is to not set up a date with the injury bug. But should anything happen to a starter, let alone Magic, this team could be leaving the playoffs earlier than they would like. But should they stay healthy, one could make the argument that this team is a favorite to come out of the Western side of the playoffs
#3. Chicago Bulls (58-24) Previous Rank #7- Who would have thought that a GM could basically trade for a team that made the playoffs last season and make the playoffs this season. Well that’s exactly what the Bulls did. I have very much enjoyed watching this team this season. They finished with the #2 defense while being top 4 in rebounds, assists, and blocks. Outside of the top seeds in each conference, this team looks ready to ruin some people’s championship hopes. Depending on how they approach free agency though, this could be their best chance to win it all. I think only the Bucks could stop this team and even then, that’s not going to be a gimme of a series. Don’t tell anyone but I’m secretly rooting for the Bulls to win it all.
#2. Golden State Warriors (63-19) Previous Rank #2- Another 60+ win season for this team and I’m sure they are still angry about last season. Let me know if you’ve heard this before but Robert Parish and Moses Malone are two great players to have to make a deep playoff run. Even then, this is yet another team that finds a way to get production out of multiple people. Thompson and Ransey on the outside could be what the Warriors need this postseason. Obviously, malone and parish can handle everything down low but if they can get the extra help on the perimeter then I’m not sure how you go about stopping this team. #1 offense scoring 130+ per game is not something I would want to deal with. Good luck to anybody going up against them this playoffs.
#1. Milwaukee Bucks (64-18) Previous Rank #1- Best record in the league to go with the #1 defense in the league as well as the best road record and the best point differential, the Bucks are probably the clear favorite to win it all. This team decided to focus on defense and it clearly shows. But, even though they have the best defense, they also have a top 10 offense which means every team is going to have issues with trying to stop this team while also trying to find a way to score on them. Looks like all those “bad” contracts they gave out a couple of seasons ago worked out. Even though the East is the weaker conference, they still will have to go through the Bulls if they want to get a chance to blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals again (gotta get my shots in somewhere). But seriously, don’t be surprised if they come back these playoffs with a vengeance and just steam roll through everyone.
Playoff predictions:
Round 1
West:
Trailblazers over Supersonics
Lakers over Jazz
East:
Nets over Cavaliers
Bulls over Pistons
Round 2
West:
Trailblazers over Kings
Warriors over Lakers
East:
Bulls over Bullets
Bucks over Nets
Conference Finals
West:
Warriors over Trailblazers
East:
Bulls over Bucks
Finals:
Bulls over Warriors
Hope you enjoyed these rankings and predictions. Can’t wait to see how the playoffs play out and prove me so incredibly wrong.
Welcome in to another Post Season Power Rankings! You know your boy had to do it again. Mainly because it's fun but also because I enjoy getting points anywhere I can. So hopefully you don't hate me too much yet but even if you did, too bad! As always, these mean nothing and will probably not play out at all how I predicted. But it was still another fun season and I always enjoy doing these rankings.
Before we get into it, let’s look back at where the last power rankings had everyone:
#10, Utah Jazz
#9. New Jersey Nets
#8. Washington Bullets
#7. Chicago Bulls
#6. Los Angeles Lakers
#5 Seattle Supersonics
#4 Kansas City Kings
#3 Golden State Warriors
#2. Portland Trailblazers
#1. Milwaukee Bucks
Now let’s get in to the nitty gritty of it all and see where everyone ended up and how far I think they will go in the playoffs
#12. Detroit Pistons (37-45) Previous Rank NA- Probably the only ranking that everyone will agree with. This is a team just does not look like it has what it takes to make any kind of playoff run. And it’s not even their fault that they are here. So many teams in the East decided to tank this season and the rules state that 6 teams make the playoffs so somebody has to be the 6 seed. So congrats to the Pistons on making the playoffs for the first time but this may be short lived. But they are still young and this could very well be the start of something special. Just probably not going to happen this season
#11. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-33) Previous Rank NA- While they did finish with 49 wins and had a good season, this team just doesn’t seem built to make a deep playoff run. They have the second worst point differential of all the playoff teams and that seems to be a product of their lack of depth. Only their starters have a positive O EFF to D EFF ratio. Their bench offers almost no production. And when it gets to the playoffs, you need all the help you can get. Maybe their starters stay healthy and are able to get big leads before they need to rest. But that lack of depth leads me to believe they won’t make it past the first round.
#10. New Jersey Nets (47-35) Previous Rank #9- I’m honestly probably a little low on this team but being 5 games under .500 on the road does hurt them a bit. This team has more than enough firepower to make a solid postseason run but they just need to figure out their road games first. I do think they got lucky by matching up against the Cavaliers in the first round because that might be the best matchup they get. But even if they didn’t, I would still pick them to win the 1st round.
#9. Seattle Supersonics (48-34) Previous Rank #5- Here’s a young team that looked like they were going to have an amazing season at one point. Then they made the trade to acquire Dennis Johnson and it looked like they were poised to make a deep playoff run. But DJ proved to not be the answer. They went 6-14 with DJ and looked like they might miss the playoffs, until he suffered the injury. Then they went on a 10-2 run to secure the 6 seed and have another date with Wig and the Trailblazers. They played well on the road so maybe they can steal one but they are actually the only team with a losing record within their own division. So unless they find some way to gameplan better for the Trailblazers, the Supersonics could be due for another early exit from the playoffs.
#8. Utah Jazz (49-33) Previous Rank #10- Another team with a not great road record. They also got the short end of the stick by having to go up against the Lakers and Magic Johnson. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Kiki and Magic play against each other. Should make for a lot of scoring in this series. If they can find a way to slow down Magic, they have a chance to win this series but that’s a tough task for almost any team.
#7. Washington Bullets (50-32) Previous Rank #8- 50 wins is nothing to scoff at but I can’t help but wonder if they were in any other division that they wouldn’t have won as many games. 19-4 in their division and 36-22 overall in their conference. That means they went 17-18 in the rest of their conference games. That’s not a recipe for making it to the finals. It’s very likely they match up with the Bulls next round and that will be a true test for them. They went 1-5 against the Bulls in the regular season so the second round might be as far as they get. Still, the playoffs are a different beast and anything can happen. Even if they didn’t get the bye, they still could have a good chance to win the first round and advance but that’s only because of the East not being that strong. Larry Nance and Buck Williams are really going to have to step up big time if they want to make it to the Finals this season.
#6. Kansas City Kings (54-28) Previous Rank #4- Last season’s champ is back in the playoffs again looking to defend their title. They didn’t have as good of a season as last season but this team is still not one to sleep on. Not that I think anybody would. We saw this team be down 3-1 to the Bucks in the Finals last season and then come back to win it all. So don’t ever count this team out. I would not be surprised at all if we see them in the conference finals again. King, Gminski, and Natt all look ready to lead this team to the promised land again.
#5 Portland Trailblazers (56-26) Previous Rank #2- This team started off very hot but they did kinda stumble a little bit at the end but not enough to make me worry that this team can’t make it to the Finals. I say it every season but this team just always has depth and knows how to get production out of everybody, as they have 7 players with double digit points. This team is always great during the regular season but they have yet to put it all together in the postseason. Maybe this is the season they finally get over the hump and bring the trophy to Portland
#4. Los Angeles Lakers (55-27) Previous Rank #6- Any time you have Magic Johnson on your team, you have a chance to win. Well maybe except for the Suns. Before the trade for magic, the Lakers were still having a really good season and sitting at 32-18. They then went on to finish 23-9 and now look to be a problem for almost any team in the playoffs. While they don’t have that much depth, they may not need it. All they need is to not set up a date with the injury bug. But should anything happen to a starter, let alone Magic, this team could be leaving the playoffs earlier than they would like. But should they stay healthy, one could make the argument that this team is a favorite to come out of the Western side of the playoffs
#3. Chicago Bulls (58-24) Previous Rank #7- Who would have thought that a GM could basically trade for a team that made the playoffs last season and make the playoffs this season. Well that’s exactly what the Bulls did. I have very much enjoyed watching this team this season. They finished with the #2 defense while being top 4 in rebounds, assists, and blocks. Outside of the top seeds in each conference, this team looks ready to ruin some people’s championship hopes. Depending on how they approach free agency though, this could be their best chance to win it all. I think only the Bucks could stop this team and even then, that’s not going to be a gimme of a series. Don’t tell anyone but I’m secretly rooting for the Bulls to win it all.
#2. Golden State Warriors (63-19) Previous Rank #2- Another 60+ win season for this team and I’m sure they are still angry about last season. Let me know if you’ve heard this before but Robert Parish and Moses Malone are two great players to have to make a deep playoff run. Even then, this is yet another team that finds a way to get production out of multiple people. Thompson and Ransey on the outside could be what the Warriors need this postseason. Obviously, malone and parish can handle everything down low but if they can get the extra help on the perimeter then I’m not sure how you go about stopping this team. #1 offense scoring 130+ per game is not something I would want to deal with. Good luck to anybody going up against them this playoffs.
#1. Milwaukee Bucks (64-18) Previous Rank #1- Best record in the league to go with the #1 defense in the league as well as the best road record and the best point differential, the Bucks are probably the clear favorite to win it all. This team decided to focus on defense and it clearly shows. But, even though they have the best defense, they also have a top 10 offense which means every team is going to have issues with trying to stop this team while also trying to find a way to score on them. Looks like all those “bad” contracts they gave out a couple of seasons ago worked out. Even though the East is the weaker conference, they still will have to go through the Bulls if they want to get a chance to blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals again (gotta get my shots in somewhere). But seriously, don’t be surprised if they come back these playoffs with a vengeance and just steam roll through everyone.
Playoff predictions:
Round 1
West:
Trailblazers over Supersonics
Lakers over Jazz
East:
Nets over Cavaliers
Bulls over Pistons
Round 2
West:
Trailblazers over Kings
Warriors over Lakers
East:
Bulls over Bullets
Bucks over Nets
Conference Finals
West:
Warriors over Trailblazers
East:
Bulls over Bucks
Finals:
Bulls over Warriors
Hope you enjoyed these rankings and predictions. Can’t wait to see how the playoffs play out and prove me so incredibly wrong.