With the 2025-26 NBA playoffs set to kick off, theScore's basketball editors - Joseph Casciaro, Michael J. Chandler, Chicco Nacion, Sam Oshtry, and Jonathan Soveta - make their picks for the first round, conference finals, NBA Finals, and Finals MVP.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's pursuit of becoming the first repeat champions in eight years starts with a best-of-seven clash with the Phoenix Suns, and it's difficult to envision a scenario where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. won't make light work of a flawed opponent. Regardless, this Suns team isn't short on self-belief, and Dillon Brooks should make things entertaining.
The Portland Trail Blazers orchestrated a thrilling come-from-behind play-in victory over the Suns, sparked by Deni Avdija's 41-point display and Jerami Grant's return from injury. But the San Antonio Spurs are the presumed favorites for obvious reasons. The Spurs won the season series 2-1, though their loss came without Victor Wembanyama in the lineup.
Just as concerns surfaced that the Denver Nuggets' window had slammed shut, they piled up a dozen consecutive wins to finish the season. The Nuggets went 3-1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the season series, and that one loss was marred by uncharacteristic 27% shooting from deep. Nikola Jokic averaged 35.8 points, 15 rebounds, and 11.3 assists in those four matchups.
The Houston Rockets are arguably the least clutch team in the NBA, having gone 5-9 in games decided by three or fewer points and 1-7 in outings that went to overtime. Untimely injuries to Los Angeles Lakers duo Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are a major factor in this series, putting the burden of never passing the ball to Deandre Ayton entirely on LeBron James.
The Orlando Magic finished the regular season with seven wins in 10 games, and rebounded from a defeat in the play-in opener to dismantle the Charlotte Hornets. They play a suffocating brand of basketball that in theory, could pose a challenge to the Detroit Pistons. At their core, the Magic are a mercurial team. The Pistons can match their muscle and more.
Maybe a healthy 76ers squad could've challenged the Boston Celtics if Jaylen Brown's Achilles tendinitis became particularly worrisome. However, those slim chances were essentially dashed when Joel Embiid assumed a familiar role on the bench due to an untimely bout with appendicitis. Plus, Boston has won six straight playoff series versus Philly.
The New York Knicks went 2-1 against the Atlanta Hawks this year, but those two victories were each by a three-point margin, hinting that this matchup could be a tight one. The Knicks should command the rebounding edge with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson hovering around the rim, which could amount to the deciding factor. Sadly, this series won't feature Madison Square Garden nemesis Trae Young.
The Toronto Raptors avoided the Knicks, whom they've lost 13 in a row to, and will instead face a Cleveland Cavaliers team that they beat 3-0 in the season series. Those wins came against the pre-James Harden Cavs, though. Considering the Raptors went 2-22 versus the league's other top nine teams, you can expect their inferiority to be on display here.
There's a sense that San Antonio's ascension is ahead of schedule and Wembanyama and Co. may not be ready to snatch top billing in the West. Denver's red-hot finish to the regular season and return to health following an injury-blighted campaign appears to make the Nuggets the biggest hurdle between the Thunder and a second consecutive Finals appearance.
The Celtics and Knicks got two votes each ahead of what could be an enthralling conference semifinal between the iconic franchises. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers went 22-9 after acquiring Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers and should make light work of the Raptors before presumably meeting a Pistons side that's short on postseason experience.
The four NBA champions (Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Nuggets, Celtics) prior to the Thunder all suffered defeat in the conference semifinals the year after winning the title. Is this an ominous portent for Oklahoma City? An indicator of how hard it is to repeat as champs? The answer could be both, which explains the diversity among our picks.
There's a lot of variance here, with reigning regular-season and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receiving two nods as the offensive fulcrum of a talented Thunder side. Voter fatigue (or contrarianism) might explain the prediction of Donovan Mitchell, who enters the postseason with the seventh-best scoring average (28.3 points) in playoff history.
