8. New York Knicks

Led by superstar guard Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games and will be facing the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brunson averaged 24.0 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds in those five games against the Cavaliers. Alongside Brunson, RJ Barrett averaged 17.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists helping Brunson and the Knicks cruise by the Cavaliers. The Heat took game one of the series in a very close game; the Knicks need to make some major adjustments on the offensive glass and hope for Julius Randle to return to action as soon as possible.

7. Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers started off the season with an atrocious 2-10 start and have just beaten the two seed, Memphis Grizzlies, in just six games. LeBron James , the 19-time All Star,  averaged 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the six games played. Alongside Anthony Davis who averaged 20.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks against the Grizzlies. The Lakers’ depth increased exponentially since the trade deadline with the addition of players such as D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and Jared Vanderbilt, who have all been key pieces during the Lakers’ postseason run. They will now be facing the Golden State Warriors in round two.

6. Denver Nuggets

Led by back-to-back MVP, Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets took a measly five games to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and advance to the Western Conference semifinals. After finishing with the number one overall seed in the Western Conference, the Nuggets are looking intimidating. Jokic averaged 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the five games played against Minnesota. Alongside Jokic, Jamal Murray has been putting up a masterclass this postseason, averaging 27.2 points, 6.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds in round one. The Nuggets had a commanding game one victory against the Phoenix Suns, and are showing no signs of slowing down.

5. Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid, a frontrunner in the MVP race, has been on an absolute tear this season. Averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists, Embiid also was crowned the scoring leader for the 2022-2023 season. After sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in four games, the 76ers is set to play Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals. With Embiid possibly being out for the first two games, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey are going to need to show up for them to have a chance at this series.

4. Miami Heat

The Heat have been on a historic run so far with their victory over the first seed Milwaukee Bucks. Coming in as a play-in team, no one expected them to beat the Giannis-led Bucks. This can be attributed to one man only, Jimmy Butler III. He had back-to-back amazing games, with 56 points in the 4th game of the series and 42 in the fifth, including a clutch layup to tie the game with .5 seconds left on the clock. This is with a 20 point-per-game scorer in Tyler Herro, who is injured for 4-6 weeks on a broken hand. The Heat took game one in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, being the dark horse team of this postseason, the Heat are in a tremendous spot to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

3. Phoenix Suns

Led by All-Star guard, Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns are on their way to the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Booker put up a masterclass in round one against the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 37.2 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the five game series. The Suns are looking unstoppable in the West with the backcourt of Booker and Chris Paul alongside Kevin Durant at the small forward position. The Suns’ main obstacle is making it past the first seed Nuggets in the second round, but if they make it past round two they are in an amazing position to win it all.

2. Golden State Warriors

The defending champions are in an unusual spot this season. After beating the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals, they found themselves in a win-or-go-home game seven against Sacramento. Golden State had one of the worst away game records in the NBA during the regular season, winning just 11 out of their 41 away games. However, nine-time NBA All-Star, Stephen Curry, has been putting the Warriors on his back, averaging 33.7 points, 4.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds in the seven game series against Sacramento. The Warriors are set to play against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals which gives the fans another opportunity to watch Curry and James go at it.

1. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have been through many trials and tribulations after losing to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, including losing their previous head coach, Ime Udoka, dealing with injuries throughout the entire season and having a rocky round one start to the 2023 postseason. However, they made it out of round one in six games with the leading force of Jayson Tatum. He averaged 27.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in six games. The Celtics are set to play the 76ers in round two, with the possibility of Embiid not being there for the first two games. Their path to the NBA Finals has never been easier, but anything can happen in the NBA playoffs.