NBA Power Rankings

At the conclusion of Sunday’s NBA slate, only four teams remained in the NBA Playoffs. And so, the final four are upon us; the conference finals have finally arrived. Things will continue to heat up as upsets happen and more star players emerge from the bushes they had previously been hiding in.

Let’s take a look at where each of these final four teams stand, going from the bottom to the top.

4. Atlanta Hawks

It hurts to put Trae Young and the Hawks last, but somebody has to occupy the spot. Having been a #5 seed entering the playoffs, the Hawks were supposed to lose to New York. Well, they ended up crushing them in five games.

They were surely supposed to be trounced by the 76ers. They beat them in seven games. Oh? Yup, this is a team that plays hard and is four wins away from one of the most shocking NBA Finals trips in recent memory.

Trae is leading the way, with John Collins and Clint Capela both playing great. Kevin Huerter has emerged as a great hooper in big situations. They have a chance at beating Milwaukee. It’s slim, but it exists.

3. Los Angeles Clippers

The L.A. Clippers are a weird team. They are now 0-5 within the first two games of a series this postseason. They are 7-1 from game 3 onwards. And so, having dropped the first game against the Suns, we might have a déjà vu appearance for a third time.

With Kawhi Leonard out, they will have a hard time with the Suns, and nobody would dispute that claim. For all the perimeter ability they have, DeAndre Ayton is a bit of a matchup nightmare. They do not have the bigs that can hang with him, while Serge Ibaka is on the shelf.

Ending the conference finals curse was nice, but the Clippers need to want more.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

How cool is it that the Bucks overcame Brooklyn? They played hard, worked their tails off, and won a road game 7. In overtime. After Kevin Durant hit the wildest game-tying shot at the end of the fourth.

Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped up huge to lift his team to back-to-back wins to close the series. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday made big plays in the waning seconds. And now, they are four wins from the Finals.

Milwaukee is likely favored to beat Atlanta, as they should be. They play hard, work hard and compete as a unit so impressively.

1. Phoenix Suns

A team that has Chris Paul is now up 1-0 in the conference finals without C.P. himself. Devin Booker has been out-of-this-world good and is doing so much for his club. He put up a 40-point triple-double to get them a game 1 win.

The forwards both defend at a high level and can hit the three. They have the most impactful center of all the four remaining playoff teams. And then, Cameron Payne is rejuvenated and playing the best basketball of his wild NBA career.

As long as DBook is out there, the team can beat anybody, any night. They are the obvious best team here. Can they win the title, though? That remains to be seen.

Don't forget to check out our full NBA rankings list!