NBA Rankings

The postseason has arrived! The two play-in games for Tuesday and two for Wednesday are set, and then we will see a single game both Thursday and Friday! Then - it's down to the Final 16 for the 2021 NBA Playoffs. We expect this to be a wide-open postseason full of exciting basketball. Let's take a look at the final Dunkel Index NBA Rankings for the 2021 regular season.

Eastern Conference Playoff Picture

Let's take a look at the Eastern Conference first. Who is actually the favorite out of the East? Is it Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers? Is it the Greek Freak and his Bucks? Or is it who many are expecting- the Brooklyn Nets? Don't count out the defending Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat!

Play-in Game 1: The 10th seeded Charlotte Hornets are taking on the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are known for the high pace of game. It will be interesting to see if the Hornets can keep up with that. The winner of this game will move on to Thursday and take on the loser of the second game. Charlotte is 20th in the rankings, while Indiana settled at 17.

Play-in Game 2: The winner of this game will move on to the postseason. This will be the 7th seed, and they will get Brooklyn. It's the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics. The good news is - the loser gets another chance. The Wizards have been a pleasant surprise and are 19th in the rankings, while Boston is 16th.

Two games set: The 3rd seeded Milwaukee Bucks will take on the 6th seeded Miami Heat. And also, the 4th seeded New York Knicks will take on the Atlanta Hawks. The two teams waiting for their opponents - Philadelphia and Brooklyn are 3rd and 6th in the rankings. Milwaukee settled in at 6th, while the Knicks, Hawks, and Heat were 11-13th.

Western Conference Playoff Picture

The first play-in game in the West will feature the San Antonio Spurs against the Memphis Grizzlies. This winner will play Friday, and the loser will go home. Both teams have struggled all season but got into the postseason. Memphis finished the season at 14th in the rankings, while the Spurs are at 18th.

The second game is going to be a great one. The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. These two teams are fighting for the 7th seed in the West. Steph Curry against LeBron James. What a battle. The good news - the loser will get a second chance on Friday. The Lakers, looking to defend their title, are 8th in the rankings, while the Warriors finished the regular season at 15th.

The two games that are set out of the Western Conference are the Denver Nuggets against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 3/6 game, while the Clippers and Dallas mix it up in the 4/5 game. The Nuggets are 5th in the most recent rankings, while the Clippers are 4th and Mavericks 9th. The Portland Trail Blazers also finished in the Top 10, at #10.

The two teams at the top of the Western Conference standings - both surprises - the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns finished at 1/2 in the rankings and in the standings.

Get yourself all hyped for the postseason. Buckle up - if you remember the NBA bubble, it was certainly entertaining. Now, fans are starting to come back, and players are ready to rock and roll. Before the playoffs start, make sure you check out the final rankings of the season here.