Can Anyone Stop the Thunder? Ranking the Final 4 NBA Teams

We are finally down to the final four in the NBA playoffs, and we’re left with one of the more intriguing quartets that we’ve had in recent memory: defending champion the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the challengers of the San Antonio Spurs, the New York Knicks, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

How do they stack up racing to the finish line?

Here’s my official ranking of the teams left standing in the playoffs before the Thunder and Spurs tip off in a battle for the West later tonight.

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1. Oklahoma City Thunder

It has to be them, right? They haven’t dropped a game yet in the playoffs, and have done it for most of it without their second scoring option, Jalen Williams.

Oklahoma City is so deep that back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be playing his “C” game throughout the postseason so far, and someone like Ajay Mitchell can take over as the main character. Until someone can knock off the champs, they’ll be the No. 1 team in the rankings.

2. San Antonio Spurs

Is the final battle in the West actually the NBA Finals? While that might be a debate in itself, it’ll be up to the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama if they can topple the budding dynasty out in Oklahoma.

For the Spurs, the big reason why they’re this high is because of the growth of their two young gunners, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, who are both taking a leap this postseason.

3. New York Knicks

This might be an unfair ranking for the Knicks, who have an argument to be the hottest team in basketball today. They absolutely whooped on the Atlanta Hawks and blew them out by 50 to end their first-round series, and then New York followed it up with a clean sweep over the Philadelphia 76ers.

When it comes to pure offense, the Knicks are the best team in the NBA right now.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

While three of the four teams got here impressively in Goliath-like fashion, the Cavs have had to bob and weave their way through the first two rounds to make it here. After winning back-to-back Game 7s against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons, Cleveland is now running into the buzzsaw that is New York.

If they continue their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde form of flip-flopping from good to bad every other game, then they’ll be in Cancun long before Game 7 this round.

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 6:36 PM.