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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.

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

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.

It has been 18 years since the Detroit Pistons have won a playoff series when they defeated the Orlando Magic in 2008.

It has been 23 years since the Detroit Pistons came back from a 3-1 series against the 8th seeded Orlando Magic in 2003.

This year’s Detroit Pistons team just accomplished both of those feats.

History tends to repeat itself, doesn’t it?

The Pistons got out to a 10-5 lead after a lob from Cade Cunningham to Jalen Duren, a rare sighting throughout this series. Paolo Banchero responded with back-to-back threes and all 11 of Orlando’s first points, mostly from jump shots. Duncan Robinson attempted six three-pointers that were all good looks, but only could connect on one of them. Orlando took a 22-20 lead after the first quarter with Detroit shooting 7-for-20 from the field.

Banchero was doing his best KD impression knocking down multiple tough jumpers. After Orlando went on an 8-0 run, Detroit responded with their own 7-0 run that forced a Jamahl Mosley timeout after Cunningham knocked down his third three of the day to give the Pistons a 38-35 lead. Daniss Jenkins and Desmond Bane would trade three-pointers to tie the game at 43.

That’s when it turned into the Tobias Harris show. Tobi helped Detroit close the quarter on a 20-6 run, including 11 straight coming from Harris. He knocked down a three-pointer, post jumpers, and got to the rim for some tough finishes to finish with 17 points in the quarter alone. The Pistons would take a 60-49 halftime lead over the Magic.

Detroit was led by Harris and Cunningham who combined for 34 first half points. Harris added four rebounds and Cunningham had nine assists. Duren look solid with nine points and eight rebounds while Ausar had two steals and two blocks. Orlando was led by Banchero who had 23 points while shooting 4-for-6 from three, but no other Magic player was in double-digits – Bane was second on the team in scoring with eight points.

It looked like the postseason hopes from Orlando was dwindling after three early turnovers. Cunningham got a dunk in transition that forced an Orlando timeout with Detroit up 66-51. They were able to respond with a 7-0 run that led to a JB Bickerstaff timeout, but he got Cade back in the game and another Cunningham three made it a 78-58 Detroit lead. After Daniss hit a three at the buzzer, the Pistons took a 83-64 lead heading into the final frame.

With only 12 minutes left to seal a Game 7 victory and the first Pistons playoff series win since 2008, Detroit looked to put Orlando out of their misery. A three from Javonte Green put Detroit up 22, a Daniss three put them up 23, and another Tobias three put them up 25 – each shot gave Detroit their largest lead of the game. Orlando put the full-court pressure on and forced some Detroit turnovers that led to a 15-4 run, but Tobias hit a corner three for his 30th point that would be the dagger that would officially end the Magic’s season.

Detroit would go on to win 116-94 behind two 30-bombs from Cunningham and Harris. Cade would finish with 32 points and 12 assists while shooting 10-for-18 from the field while Harris added 30 points and nine rebounds on 11-for-18 shooting. The two combined to make nine of their thirteen three-point attempts. As good as Cade has been this series, Tobias absolutely deserves his own shoutout stepping into the #2 scoring role this series. He scored 20+ points in the previous four games before dropping 30 tonight. If you ask me, Tobias deserves to wear a Pistons jersey for the rest of his career.

Jalen Duren had his best game of the series with 15 points and 15 rebounds along with three assists. Daniss Jenkins added 16 points and five assists off the bench. Duncan Robinson had 10 points despite shooting 2-for-10 from beyond the arc, all of which felt like good looks.

Tune in to Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 PM EST to see who Detroit will match up with in Round 2.

So, how does it feel, DBB? We’re glad we get to share this historical series win with you sickos.

Go Stones.

Josh Hart has bad news for Joel Embiid: Everyone has a price.

He doesn’t think the 76ers center’s plea to Philadelphia fans not to sell tickets to New Yorkers is going to work — it could be a repeat of the 2024 playoff series, when Knicks fans turned Xfinity Mobile Arena (then Wells Fargo Center) into Madison Square Garden Southwest.

There were “MVP” chants for Jalen Brunson that irked Embiid.

The 76ers big man said at the time, “It kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town.”

“I expect it to be similar, because Knicks fans travel. They’re probably the best fans in the NBA in terms of traveling and going to games. It might be cheaper to do that than go to the Garden,” Hart said Sunday after practice, as the Knicks prepared for Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the 76ers. “They love New York Knick basketball, they’re passionate about it, and we love it. We need them to come out and support.”

After the 76ers overcame a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Celtics on Saturday night, Embiid asked fans not to sell their tickets and avoid a rerun of 2024.

On the secondary market, prices for tickets are significantly more expensive at the Garden than at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

“Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philadelphia] was Madison Square Garden East. We’re going to need the support,” Embiid said. “Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.”

“Knicks fans travel — they buy tickets,” he later added. “There’s going to be people who will sell the tickets because they need the money. Don’t do it, we need you guys. We need the support, and we need them to be extremely loud. If you need money, I’ve got you.”

The 76ers are mimicking the Pistons ploy of a year ago — limiting tickets to Detroit-area fans — by limiting tickets to residents of the Philadelphia area.

A message on the team’s website reads: “Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside [of the] Greater Philadelphia area will be canceled without notice and refunds given.”

That won’t stop Knicks fans from purchasing tickets on the secondary market, however.

While it worked for Detroit a year ago, that was a much longer trip than the 90-minute drive to Philadelphia.

“Good thing about New Yorkers, man, they’re persistent. They don’t care, bro,” Hart said. “They’re going to do it, man. And for a lot of people, everything revolves around money. So, you know, if they get a good price for those tickets, they’re going to sell them, and New Yorkers are passionate about the Knicks and they’re going to come out and show love.”

They really did it. Game 7, in Boston, facing the final hurdle to overcome a 3-1 deficit against the No. 2 seed, and they did it. The Sixers became just the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit with their thrilling performance. It was a historic night, full of special performances from the Sixers and their stars.

The only brief scare that came during Game 7 was Tyrese Maxey tumbling into Embiid’s leg, as the Sixers’ guard was defending Jaylen Brown. Fortunately, after a little hobbling, Embiid was able to carry on and help close out the game alongside the unreal play of Maxey down the stretch.

And now, ahead of Game 1 for the Sixers’ second-round series against the Knicks, Embiid is listed as probable with a right hip contusion.

Obviously you’d rather not see him on the injury report at all, but given how unlucky Embiid’s been in the past with freak injury accidents, it’s good to see he’s likely going to play and that his knee isn’t listed as the reason he’s on the injury report.

Embiid returning from his emergency surgery for appendicitis and immediately dominating was remarkable. He put up 28.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists to only 2.0 turnovers per game for the series, delivering huge plays in every performance to put Philly in control and turn the series around. Considering some of the playoff shortcomings and criticism Embiid has faced in the past, it’s been special to see him dominate and deliver in a series like this, when the Sixers were such underdogs to come out on top.

Stay tuned here at Liberty Ballers, because we’ve got plenty of coverage to get you ready for the Knicks series coming up. There’s not long to bask in the excitement of beating Boston, with Game 1 in New York coming up at 8:00pm ET on Monday.