2026 NBA playoff preview: Series breakdowns, X-factors, predictions and rankings
The 2026 NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, and we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know for the first round. Complete schedule • How to watch • Betting odds Series previews and predictions The first round will give us LeBron vs. KD in the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 Finals.
(Troy Taormina-Imagn Images) IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS Dan Devine and Ben Rohrbach are breaking down every first-round series, from the key matchups to the big questions. East: Hawks-Knicks • Raptors-Cavaliers West: Wolves-Nuggets • Rockets-Lakers Playoff X-factors (Dillon Marshall/Yahoo Sports Illustration) For every team, there is one player who can swing the series, for better or worse. Let’s look at one X-factor for every team.
Kevin O'Connor Weitzman: Behind Deni Avdija’s explosive rise Power Rankings (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports Illustration) We power ranked every team based on where they finished the regular season in the hunt for a championship. Ben Rohrbach Playoff experience … is it overrated? (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports Illustration) Many point to the San Antonio’s inexperience as the thing that will lead to its eventual downfall.
But is its youth a bug … or a feature? Tom Haberstroh Iko: Postseason storylines to watch Podcast previews