In our final edition of NBA Power Rankings for Week 26 of the 2017-18 NBA season, the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz lead the pack.
On the final day of the NBA’s 2017-18 regular season, the seeding for 11 of the possible 16 playoff spots has yet to be determined. In fact, two Western Conference teams will battle head-to-head for a postseason berth in their season finale, with the winner going to the playoffs and the loser going home.
Amidst all this turmoil as teams jockey for playoff positioning, it’s time for our final NBA Power Rankings of the season. Though 24 teams still have one game left, at this point in the season, we have a pretty good idea of where everyone stands.
The Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz enter the 2018 NBA Playoffs as perhaps the two most dangerous teams in the league, with the streaking Philadelphia 76ers not far behind. The top seeds in the East — the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics — can’t be overlooked, and though there’s reason to worry about the Golden State Warriors, a healthy Dubs team is still one to be feared.
The Cleveland Cavaliers might be the favorites to win the East, but the Indiana Pacers are somehow being overlooked. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans are putting together late season surges of their own…and all this is without even mentioning all the tankers jostling for position at the bottom of the standings.
In the final week of NBA Power Rankings before the start of the playoffs, where does everyone wind up? For one last time this season, we sort out the worst from the best.