Our supercomputer simulations have spoken, providing NBA playoff predictions with each team’s chances of advancing from each round and winning the Finals.
The Florida Panthers sure liked going back-to-back a year ago.
The Los Angeles Dodgers as well.
Rory McIlroy agreed at the Masters this past weekend.
The next to claim a repeat championship? It could very well be the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Coming off last year’s first NBA title in franchise history, OKC has held the best record at the end of every day of this season, winning the first game of opening night, starting 8-0 and then 24-1, and finishing 64-18.
It’s not surprising, of course, given the Thunder had their own tier in our TRACR (Team Rating Adjusted for Conference and Roster) preseason rankings. Using the TRACR numbers, win-loss records and matchups ahead, the same supercomputer has run playoff simulations to produce probabilities for teams reaching each round and winning the NBA championship.
OKC, which is the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, is favored for a title repeat, with a 26.4% championship probability. Only three other teams are even at 7.0%: the West No. 2 seed San Antonio (16.4%), then the Eastern Conference No. 2 seed Boston Celtics (13.4%) slightly over the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons (12.8%).
Six playoff spots are set in each conference, with this week’s Play-In Tournament to decide the final two spots. The regular playoffs tip off on Saturday.
Dates to Know
April 14-17: Play-In Tournament April 18-19: First-round series begin May 2-4: Second-round series begin May 19: Eastern Conference finals begin May 20: Western Conference finals begin June 3: NBA Finals beginThe probabilities will update throughout the playoffs and can be found on our NBA predictions page.
Western Conference
The Thunder have the highest win probability in every round, starting with an 88.2% chance in the first round against a play-in opponent to be determined. Coach Mark Daigneault mailed in the final two games with a lineup of reserves, but before those losses to the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, the Thunder geared up for the NBA playoffs with 19 wins over a 20-game stretch.
There’s good reason the Spurs are the most formidable competition for OKC: Victor Wembanyama & Co. went 4-1 head-to-head in the regular season – twice as many wins as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix, the only other teams to reach double figures against the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won the NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP awards last season, was sidelined for one of the losses against the Spurs.
The Denver Nuggets surged to the No. 3 seed in the West by winning their final 12 games of the regular season (the next-best streak in the entire league is just three). Yes, Nikola Jokic is ready for a shot at the Spurs and Thunder.
The fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers seek to avoid a first-round ouster for a third straight postseason: LeBron James is healthy, but Luka Donic is not. While the Lakers have home-court advantage, the Houston Rockets are favored (64.5%) to win their first-round series.
Eastern Conference
The East probabilities don’t the order of the seeds less than the West. If you are wondering why the Celtics (30.5% to reach the NBA Finals) are a slight favorite over the Pistons (28.6%) to advance out of the East, consider this tidbit:
The Pistons haven’t won a playoff series in 18 years; the Celtics were NBA champions two years ago.
However, Detroit, behind guard Cade Cunningham won the season series 3-1 over Boston (which had Jaylen Brown, but not Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined at that point), but, hey, first things first – the other competition. The top seeds are both lined up opposite division foes should the top four reach the conference semifinals – the New York Knicks eliminated the Celtics in last year’s NBA playoffs and could form an all-Atlantic Division matchup, while the Cleveland Cavaliers went further than the Pistons as the No. 1 seed a year ago and split the four games of their Central Division series this season.
The Toronto Raptors (Atlantic Division) are fifth-seeded, meaning the seedings drop all the way to the No. 6 Atlanta Hawks for a Southeast Division representative. Interestingly, TRACR has been fond of the Charlotte Hornets since they turned around their season (they started 16-28, then closed with a 28-10 run). With recent play a factor, the No. 9 seed is seventh in TRACR despite being in the Play-In Tournament, and they have the East’s fifth-best probability (7.1%) of reaching the NBA Finals.
For more coverage, follow on social media at Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.
2026 NBA Playoffs: Which Teams Have the Best Chances for Preventing an OKC Repeat? Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about 2026 nba playoffs which teams have the best chances for preventing an okc repeat was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 2026 NBA Playoffs: Which Teams Have the Best Chances for Preventing an OKC Repeat? )
Also on site :
- FBI announces takedown of phishing operation that targeted thousands of victims
- Tear gas fired at India workers demanding higher wages as living costs rise
- sombr Announces Dates For 2026 North American You Are the Reason Fall Arena Tour