NBA Power Rankings: Celtics an easy No. 1 as playoffs start, Lakers, Warriors never hit regular-season stride

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1

Celtics

Boston’s net rating was nearly twice that of the next closest team — as clear an indication as any of how dominant this team was from start to finish. Headlined by a host of top-end depth featuring Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, every single player who took the floor for the Celtics this season finished with a positive plus-minus. Simply remarkable.

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64-18

2

Thunder

It really can’t be overstated how tremendous this season was for the Thunder to earn the No. 1 seed in a brutal Western Conference despite being one of the youngest teams in the NBA. Landing in the top five in both offense and defense is no joke, so credit goes to MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, head coach Mark Daigneault and the front office for putting the whole thing together. The scariest part is they’re only going to get better.

2

57-25

3

Nuggets

The Nuggets had everything in place to finish as the No. 1 seed, but let it slip through their fingers with a loss to the Spurs in the penultimate game of the season. Denver certainly flipped the proverbial switch late in the season, finishing with the West’s best record after the All-Star break. Nikola Jokic is in line to win his third MVP award and most are picking the defending champs to make it back to the Finals in a couple months.

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57-25
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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-power-rankings-celtics-an-easy-no-1-as-playoffs-start-lakers-warriors-never-hit-regular-season-stride/

Author : Colin Ward-Henninger

Publish date : 2024-04-15 14:55:51

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