Ranking The Four Nba Second-round Playoff Matchups: Which Teams Are No. 1?

Ranking the four NBA second-round playoff matchups: Which teams are No. 1? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The NBA playoffs has reached its second stage.

After three Game 7s and a few upsets in between, the 2026 playoffs have definitely started off strong. It should keep improving as the margins tighten.

Now only eight teams remain. In the Western Conference, No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder will continue its repeat bid against the No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers. The No. 2 San Antonio Spurs will clash with the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves.

Out East, the No. 1 Detroit Pistons survived a Game 7 to face No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers, a fellow Game 7 victor. The No. 3 New York Knicks will battle against another Game 7 winner in the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers.

With all four series in place, let’s rank the matchups from least to most intriguing:

No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers

Orlando didn’t beat Detroit, but it exposed many flaws in the Pistons’ chances at a deep run. Detroit is heavily reliant on Cade Cunningham, while Jalen Duren has struggled to adapt his game to the postseason. Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson also aren’t quality enough to be a playoff team’s third and fourth scorers, so Cleveland will have a strong chance if it capitalizes on the opportunity.

The Magic likely would’ve held on to their 3-1 lead had Franz Wagner not been injured. Cleveland will have James Harden and Donovan Mitchell as their main scorers and initiators, with Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus being the key role players. Detroit might need seven games again to advance, but the lack of star quality here is the main reason it comes first.

No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves

There will not be a Victor Wembanyama vs. Nikola Jokic matchup this year. The Spurs did their part by completing a gentleman’s sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, but the Denver Nuggets failed to impose themselves against a Minnesota side without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo.

Minnesota’s placement here is highly dependent on Edwards returning as DiVincenzo will be out a lengthy period. Rudy Gobert will give everything defensively against Wembanyama, but they’ll need consistent juice offensively for another upset. Jaden McDaniels is trending upwards after a standout series, but San Antonio’s deeper team and quality will make for an interesting battle. Even without Edwards for a few games, Minnesota won’t go down easily.

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers

Oklahoma City has earned significant rest with a sweep of Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are a more balanced team than Phoenix, though Luka Doncic’s absence is a big blow on offense. LeBron James led L.A. past Houston in six games, but Kevin Durant did not play and the rest of the roster lacked offensive initiating prowess. The 41-year-old will need to pull off a miracle to repeat that against a more dominant Thunder side.

Still, the NBA’s past vs. the NBA’s present in James and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should make for elite viewing, even if the Thunder complete a probable gentleman’s sweep.

No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers

Could the Eastern Conference winner be from this matchup? The Knicks got past the Atlanta Hawks with more trouble than they would’ve liked, while Philadelphia rallied down 3-1 to stun the Boston Celtics. The Knicks are in a make-or-break year with this current core headlined by Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. A conference finals berth should be the minimum, but an NBA Finals appearance is what’ll move the needle.

The same applies for Philadelphia in a sense, but with much less pressure. Joel Embiid has struggled with another injury-riddled season, though he has an improved core of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe. Will that be enough legs and quality to reach the Finals as a 7-seed? It seems unlikely, but the series win over Boston should provide the momentum that’ll make the New York matchup the most enthralling. Both teams have the ability to upset No. 1 Detroit — No. 8 Orlando was a healthy Wagner away — if that’s the next matchup.