NBA Power Rankings: Potential first-round playoff series ranked

TORONTO, ON – DECEMBER 28: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers is triple teamed by Svi Mykhailiuk #14, D.J. Wilson #9, and Chris Boucher #25 of the Toronto Raptors during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on December 28, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, NBA Power Rankings: Potential first-round playoff series ranked. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

The NBA playoffs are right around the corner, and the standings are beginning to take shape. Well, kind of. There’s still a ton of room for movement in both conferences.

However, the teams that will be competing are beginning to get set. There’s very little chance that any teams in the playoff picture right now end up falling out.

NBA Power Rankings: Potential first-round playoff series ranked

That being said, the play-in tournament is a different story. A few teams could sneak in, and if some teams continue on the (not so good) path that they’re on, they could end up falling out.

One of the most intriguing parts of the season down the stretch is the anticipation of what matchups we could see in the first round of the playoffs.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen some incredible first-round series. Denver Nuggets vs. San Antonio Spurs in 2019. Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz in 2020. LA Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks in 2020 and 2021.

And now that the Eastern Conference has caught up to (and maybe even passed) the West in terms of talent, there should be some amazing first-round matchups on that side of the bracket as well.

So, if the playoffs started today, what would the most intriguing playoff matchups be? Which one would be the best, and which one would be the worst? We’ll check in every couple of weeks (or weekly if the standings change a ton) to see where things stand.

Let’s run through all eight potential matchups and rank them all.

(P.S. Instead of actually counting the play-in, whatever teams are currently occupying the seventh and eighth spots in the playoffs. Sorry, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers fans – both are ninth.)

(P.P.S. These standings are as of noon on March 7, 2022.)

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