Playoff Power Rankings: How the 4 conference finalists stack up

Playoffs: 8-3

OffRtg: 115.1 (4) DefRtg: 101.6 (1) NetRtg: +13.5 (1) Pace: 101.2 (2)

First round: Beat Memphis in four games.
Conf. semis: Beat Denver in seven games.
Conf. finals: vs. Minnesota.

The Thunder were pushed to the limit by the Nuggets, but they’re the lone 60-win team that’s still standing. Statistically, they’ve been the best of the four teams remaining by a healthy margin. They outscored Denver by 64 points, the third-biggest point differential in the 154 seven-game series in NBA history.

Three takeaways

• In the first round, the Thunder defense held the Grizzlies to 19.7 fewer points per 100 possessions than they scored in the regular season. In the conference semis, it held the Nuggets to 15.0 fewer than they scored in the regular season. Those are the two biggest such differentials, by a wide margin, in the playoffs thus far.

• There were some struggles on the other end of the floor. Games 3-6 of the conference semis were the Thunder’s worst stretch of offense (103.0 points scored per 100 possessions) all season. The four Thunder players with at least 50 3-point attempts have shot no better than 32.1%, and Lu Dort has seen a huge drop in effective field goal percentage from the regular season (57.8%) to the playoffs (44.9%).

• Though their overall point differential in the Denver series was historically good, the Thunder’s starting lineup was outscored by 10 points in its 84 minutes over the seven games. Bench minutes were huge and they’ve outscored their opponents by 25.8 points per 100 possessions with Cason Wallace on the floor. That’s the best mark among 134 players that have averaged at least 10 minutes per game. Alex Caruso not only has been a defensive force, but has also been their best 3-point shooter … and has still been limited to less than 30 minutes per game.

The Thunder saw a bunch of zone in Denver series, like they did in their last two regular season meetings against the Wolves, including when they blew a 24-point, fourth-quarter lead on Feb. 24. Both Caruso and Chet Holmgren played only two of the four meetings.

Next game: Tue. vs. MIN, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Playoffs: 8-2

OffRtg: 117.3 (2) DefRtg: 111.9 (8) NetRtg: +5.5 (5) Pace: 99.3 (3)

First round: Beat Milwaukee in five games.
Conf. semis: Beat Cleveland in five games.
Conf. finals: vs. New York.

The Pacers are in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year, and needed three fewer games to get there this time. This is the franchise’s 10th trip to the conference finals since it came to the NBA, though it has made the NBA Finals just once (in 2000).

Three takeaways

• The Pacers’ effective field goal percentage of 58.3% would be the highest playoff mark in NBA history. But per Second Spectrum tracking, they’ve outperformed the quality of their shots by more than double the amount of any other team. So they could be in store for some regression to the mean in the conference finals. Andrew Nembhard has seen the biggest jump in effective field goal percentage from the regular season (50.6%) to the playoffs (60.6%) among the 38 players with at least 100 playoff field goal attempts.

• The defense has been solid, though it benefited from the Cavs shooting 18-for-70 (25.7%) on wide-open 3-point attempts in the conference semis. The defense remains at its best with Pascal Siakam on the floor. The Pacers have allowed 15.1 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (104.4) than they have with him on the bench (119.5). That’s the biggest on-off differential on defense among players who’ve logged at least 100 minutes on the four teams remaining.

• The Pacers went 10-deep with their rotation, but only the Nuggets had a lower-ranked bench in the conference semis. Indiana was outscored by 19.9 points per 100 possessions with Tyrese Haliburton off the floor.

The last time the Pacers played a playoff game at Madison Square Garden (Game 7 last year), they scored 39 points on their first 19 possessions and set an all-time playoff record by shooting 67.1% from the field. The two teams haven’t faced each other since before the All-Star break and the Pacers got limited minutes from Nembhard (51) and Aaron Nesmith (31) over the three-game season series.

Next game: Wed. @ NYK, 8 p.m. ET, TNT

Playoffs: 8-2

OffRtg: 114.6 (5) DefRtg: 106.8 (2) NetRtg: +7.9 (3) Pace: 94.6 (10)

First round: Beat L.A. Lakers in five games.
Conf. semis: Beat Golden State in five games.
Conf. finals: vs. Oklahoma City.

The Wolves are in the Western Conference Finals again, having won twice as many playoff series in the last two years (four) as they had won in the first 34 years of the franchise. After going 20-26 in clutch games (and underachieving regarding their point differential) in the regular season, they’re 4-0 in the clutch in the playoffs, scoring 45 points on just 29 possessions with the score within five in the last five minutes.

Three takeaways

• Their defense wasn’t quite as good as the Thunder’s, but the Wolves held the Lakers and Warriors to 5.9 and 9.7 fewer points per 100 possessions than they scored in the regular season, respectively. Minnesota has seen the biggest jump in opponent turnover rate from the regular season (14.9 per 100 possessions, 11th) to the playoffs (16.8, second). Donte DiVincenzo hasn’t shot well, but he ranks third (behind two Thunder players) in deflections per 36 minutes (4.9) among 117 players who’ve logged at least 100 playoff minutes.

• The Wolves won the fourth quarter in their first eight playoff games, losing it for the first two times in Games 4 and 5 against Golden State, when they entered both of those final periods with leads of at least 20 points. Overall, they’ve been 15.6 points per 100 possessions better after halftime (plus-11.8) than they’ve been before (minus-3.8), with the much bigger difference on offense.

• Julius Randle is more of a first-half guy and has a true shooting percentage of 60.8%, the best mark among the four players remaining who’ve averaged at least 20 points per game. Improvement from the regular season has come inside the arc (58.8% vs. 55.5% on two-point shots) and at the free throw line (88.9% vs. 80.6%).

The Wolves had the third-best offense (114.7 points scored per 100 possessions) vs. Oklahoma City this season. The West finals could be a series determined at the rim, with the Thunder (+8.7) and Wolves (+7.4) ranking first and second in restricted-area differential through the first two rounds.

Next game: Tue. @ OKC, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Playoffs: 8-4

OffRtg: 110.7 (9) DefRtg: 110.6 (5) NetRtg: +0.1 (7) Pace: 95.3 (8)

First round: Beat Detroit in six games.
Conf. semis: Beat Boston in six games.
Conf. finals: vs. Indiana.

The Knicks are in the conference finals for the first time in 25 years, having stunned the Celtics with three big comebacks in the conference semis. Before getting their first comfortable win (a 38-point blowout) in Game 6 on Friday, the Knicks had been outscored by 27 points in the playoffs.

Three takeaways

• The Knicks’ defense ranked in the bottom 10 in late February, but finished the regular season a little better than average and has improved in the playoffs. New York has seen the biggest drop in opponent effective field goal percentage from the regular season (54.9%, 22nd) to the postseason (51.3%, seventh), with the drop in the paint (-3.3%) almost as big as the drop from 3-point range (-4.0%). Opponents have shot just 32-for-58 (55.2%) at the rim when Karl-Anthony Towns has been there, down from 69.7% in the regular season.

• By the end of the conference finals, Mitchell Robinson will probably have played more playoff minutes (223 so far) than regular-season minutes (290). He was a huge difference-maker in the conference semis, when the Knicks outscored the Celtics by 18.1 points per 100 possessions in his 124 minutes. A lot of that is rebounding, but the Knicks have also allowed just 0.86 points per chance (126/146) when Robinson has been the screener’s defender on a ball-screen in the playoffs.

• While the starting lineup hasn’t been great overall, the Knicks have scored 24.8 more points per 100 possessions with Jalen Brunson on the floor (114.4) than they have with him off the floor (89.6). That’s the biggest on-off differential on offense among players who’ve logged at least 100 minutes on the four teams remaining.

Towns could be freed up in the conference finals, with the Pacers much more likely to defend him with a big man than the Pistons or Celtics were. He averaged 30.3 points (on an effective field goal percentage of 63%) against Indiana in the regular season, his second-highest mark against any opponent he played more than once.

Next game: Wed. vs. IND, 8 p.m. ET, TNT