2025 NBA Playoffs Preview: Teams, Storylines, and Predictions

The 2025 NBA playoffs are here, and it's shaping up to be one of the most exciting postseasons in recent memory. With 20 teams fighting for the championship, there are plenty of storylines to follow and predictions to make. In this article, we'll break down each team's season, best-case scenarios, and X factors to watch for in the playoffs.

Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs had a dominant regular season, finishing with the best record in the East. They're built on depth and teamwide shooting, with All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland leading the way. The Cavs also have elite, defensive-minded bigs in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, which helps them cover for their lack of perimeter size. However, they finished the season going 8-8 over their final 16 games, which is a bit concerning heading into the postseason.

2. Boston Celtics

The defending champions cruised through the season with relative ease, despite dealing with a series of extended injury absences. Boston has a strong chance to become the first repeat champion of the 2020s, but they'll need to stay healthy in the postseason. If the Celtics can have a healthy playoff run from all eight of their key rotation players, they will be the clear favorites to defend their title.

3. New York Knicks

The Knicks are in the midst of their best campaign in more than a decade, but they've looked one, sometimes two, steps behind Boston and Cleveland all season long. Against the two best teams in the East, the Knicks have gone 0-8, with a number of those losses coming in huge routs. The Knicks should advance to the second round, but once there, it would be a massive surprise if they managed to push the Celtics into a long series, let alone upset the defending champs.

4. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are one of the hottest teams in the league since the beginning of January, thanks in large part to the return of Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana will take home court in the first round against the Bucks, a rematch of last season's first-round series. The Pacers enter this year's matchup as the higher seed but have not had as much success against Milwaukee this season, dropping three of four regular-season meetings.

5. Milwaukee Bucks

Year 2 for the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard era in Milwaukee has been as inconsistent as the first season. The Bucks recovered from a disastrous 2-8 start to win the NBA Cup in December, then changed their team by sending Khris Middleton to the Wizards for Kyle Kuzma at the trade deadline. Injuries have depleted the Bucks roster down the stretch, putting Lillard's playoff status in jeopardy while leaving Antetokounmpo, who is still playing at an MVP level, to carry the team.

6. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons put together one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NBA history, going from 14-68 last season to the No. 6 seed in the East. Under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit surpassed that win total by New Year's Day. The veterans Detroit added last summer (Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris) bring plenty of playoff experience, but this will be the postseason debut for All-Star Cade Cunningham and fellow starters Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, all recent lottery picks.

7. Orlando Magic

What was once a promising season for the Magic turned as the injury bug hit hard in Orlando. Two months into the season, the Magic were in third place in the East, trailing only the Cavs and Celtics Then, they lost their three best players for extended periods -- Paolo Banchero (for 34 games), Franz Wagner (20) and Jalen Suggs (out for season after playing in only 31 games). They've secured the No. 7 seed, and there should be an abundance of hope for 2025-26. But this season never fully got back on track after injuries derailed things.

8. Atlanta Hawks

After drafting Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick, trading for Dyson Daniels and extending the contract of Jalen Johnson, this season felt like the beginning of a new age for the Hawks. Trae Young remains a wizard with the ball in his hands and made his fourth All-Star team, but Johnson's season-ending shoulder injury in January limited this group's upside. That said, the No. 8 seed Hawks will have two shots to reach the playoffs via the play-in tournament.

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder improved significantly after becoming the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history a year ago. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has positioned himself as the MVP favorite by efficiently leading the league in scoring while consistently stuffing the box score. Luguentz Dort leads the league's stingiest defense. Summer additions Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, a couple of unselfish veteran role players, fit in as seamlessly as anticipated. OKC broke the NBA record for point differential despite Chet Holmgren, arguably the Thunder's second-best player, missing the majority of the season.

2. Houston Rockets

Houston coach Ime Udoka turned heads before this season when he stated the postseason was the goal for a team coming off a 41-win campaign. When Houston reached 50 wins on April 2, Udoka called the mark "a good barometer of where you should be on a yearly basis at minimum." The Rockets finished with 52 wins and accomplished that as a team built in Udoka's image: gritty and tough with an emphasis on hustle, physicality and lockdown defense. Star guard Jalen Green credited Udoka with "bringing the dog out of us." After a three-game skid to start March, the Rockets won nine in a row and 15 of the next 17 while leaning heavily into their identity in preparation for the postseason. Houston ranked near the middle of the pack offensively most of the season, finishing 12th in offensive rating. Defensively, the Rockets have ranked consistently in the top five.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Laker. No matter what happens this postseason, the 2024-25 campaign will be remembered as a smashing success for the franchise. Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka looked outside the box to hire a young coach in JJ Redick and then landed Doncic in one of the most shocking trades in league history.As with any Lakers season, there was a fair share of drama -- from LeBron James taking time away from the team to heal physically (and mentally) after a brutal shooting slump in early December, to parting with standout rookie Dalton Knecht in a trade for Hornets big man Mark Williams only for the trade to be rescinded -- but there were far more successes than failures. Austin Reaves emerged as a borderline All-Star, and Dorian Finney-Smith fit in almost immediately as a switchable 3-and-D wing and popular locker room figure. Both Knecht and Bronny James showed flashes of promise, too, further validating the team's scouting department as a strength.And LeBron and Doncic showed signs of chemistry that will allow them both to lead.

4. Denver Nuggets

Sputtering since a 37-19 start, the Nuggets made seismic changes, parting ways with coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth with only three games to go in the regular season. With David Adelman taking over as interim coach, the Nuggets responded to the shakeup by winning their final three games to secure the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. Adelman is emphasizing that players speak up more, and Nikola Jokic and other players could be seen being more vocal on the sideline. Ownership made the Malone and Booth moves to end the "cold war" that had been going on between the men and unite the franchise while giving Jokic the best chance for a deep playoff run. Ownership felt the players were not responding before the changes, particularly on defense. The Nuggets understand they have the best player in the world playing his best basketball, averaging a triple-double for the first time in his career. Denver ownership knows it needs to maximize these Jokic prime years. The move to Adelman, the architect of the offense, also gives the Nuggets a chance to get an early look at the longtime assistant before other coach openings pop up around the league.

5. LA Clippers

After Paul George walked in free agency without anything in return, the Clippers entered the season without title expectations for the first time in the Kawhi Leonard era. Still, they defied lowered expectations despite Leonard missing the first two-plus months due to inflammation in his knee. James Harden has looked like his vintage self with the ball in his hands. Harden has become a leader on the team, even pleasantly exceeding the Clippers' expectations when they acquired him early last season. Norman Powell had a legit case to be an All-Star next season and Ivica Zubac has been a force in the paint on both ends. Plus, new assistant Jeff Van Gundy helped Ty Lue transform the Clippers into an elite defense. L.A. made key trades before the deadline for Bogdan Bogdanovic and Ben Simmons which strengthened it's bench for the playoffs. But most importantly, Leonard is working his way back to his superstar form after a shaky start to the season.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves

After their most successful season in two decades and a trip to the Western Conference finals, the Timberwolves made a shocking, financially motivated trade in September, sending Karl-Anthony Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Early returns weren't favorable; both new players struggled to fit in, and Minnesota started 22-21. But a second-half surge -- featuring better all-around play from Randle (18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game post-All-Star; 38% from 3) and hot shooting from DiVincenzo (45% from 3 post-All-Star) -- has the Timberwolves looking like a contender again, even if they'll have to maneuver from the bottom of the playoff bracket this year instead of the top.

7. Golden State Warriors

In their first season without Klay Thompson, the Warriors jumped out to a 12-3 start and looked like they would be serious contenders in the West. But they stumbled, going 13-21 before pulling the trigger on a trade for Jimmy Butler. The move has completely altered their season, rejuvenating Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr while making role players like Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody better. Jonathan Kuminga missed two months due to a severe ankle injury but has shown flashes of giving the Warriors a different element with his athleticism. Golden State has been one of the hottest teams in the league since Butler made his Warriors' debut in Chicago on Feb. 8, and the Warriors are now a threat to make a deep run.

8. Memphis Grizzlies

With a new staff of assistant coaches and an innovative equal-opportunity offense that virtually eliminated ball screens and dribble handoffs, Memphis worked through all the potential kinks to rack up a record of 36-18 going into All-Star break. The Grizzlies accomplished that feat despite star guard Ja Morant missing 21 games due to injury. By the time March rolled around Memphis was starting to slide, losing its first three games to start the month and eventually dropping 10 of 16 games. That led to the firing on Mar. 28 of Taylor Jenkins, the winningest coach in franchise history, and the promotion of new staffer Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach. The move was made to optimize Morant, who thrives with the ball in his hands. Memphis lost its first three games under the new regime. But the team appears lately to be adjusting to Iisalo and his vision of the offense.

9. Sacramento Kings

Since the end of last season, the Kings have traded De'Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes, Kevin Hurter and Davion Mitchell -- four of their top eight players in minutes in 2023-24 -- and replaced them with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Jonas Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia. Yet despite all that movement, Sacramento is right back where it started: in the 9 vs. 10 play-in game, a fringe contender just hoping to make the playoffs in a competitive West.

10. Dallas Mavericks

Neither of the stars from last season's Finals run will step onto the floor for the Mavs this postseason. Luka Doncic now plays for the Lakers after Mavs GM Nico Harrison made the shocking decision to trade a perennial MVP candidate as he approaches his prime. Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL on March 3, the most significant of a series of injuries that left the Mavs struggling to have the league minimum of eight available players for a stretch as Dallas fell below.500.