Ranking the Best Possible 2023 NBA Playoff Matchups

Don't let the Madness of March distract you from remembering the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs will tip off less than one month from now on Apr. 15.

Naturally, this means we need to dig deep, muster up our inner rank-everything impulses and figure out the most compelling possible postseason matchups.

Putting together this list isn't supposed to be the least bit scientific. Everything from basketball quality and entertainment to persisting rivalries and storylines were considered during the selection process.

Little attention will be paid to when these matchups might take place. The playoff picture remains too wonderfully chaotic to venture down the Vortex of Exactitude. With that said, showdowns most likely to manifest during the play-in tournament were not considered.

Potential Finals matchups are also spared from the first part of this process. Burning valuable space on head-to-heads that can't go down until three rounds have played out doesn't sit right when we can focus on far more realistic options.

Worry not, though! Finals possibilities will get their own pecking order at the end.

Maybe a Memphis Grizzlies-Minnesota Timberwolves series should be higher up the ladder. Last year's showdown was a delightfully punchy affair.

But this matchup has lost some of its luster now. Minnesota turned over a bunch of its roster to acquire Rudy Gobert, and despite splitting the season series 2-2, this head-to-head has not advanced its previously contentious cause.

Karl-Anthony Towns' extensive time on the shelf doesn't help matters. The same goes for Memphis making the Golden State Warriors its arch nemesis. And there's something uniquely unsettling about knowing no game in this series can end with Patrick Beverley standing atop the scorer's table.

Sign me up for another meeting anyway. This series feels like it would be just the right amount of physical and ugly—assuming everyone is healthy and available (Towns, Steven Adams, Ja Morant). Anthony Edwards taking another leap adds a layer of intrigue to the affairs, as well.

The Denver Nuggets-L.A. Clippers inclusion is more about curiosity than anything else. It might even be slightly obligatory. The Clippers are not all that compelling for a could-be contender that decided to up and add Russell Westbrook during the middle of the season, right when they appeared to be hitting their stride. Yet, how do we exclude them altogether?

Injury caveats and all, though, Denver has owned L.A. in recent years. Since falling down 3-1 in the 2020 conference semifinals, the Nuggets are a combined 12-2 against the Clippers (9-2 during the regular season).

There will be tactical questions to answer. Do the Clippers downsize in response to Nikola Jokić's existence? Does the Nuggets' shoddy rim protection increase the value of Russell Westbrook? Can Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr. be a half-court equalizer? Will Denver's affinity for allowing mid-range looks rattle L.A. or play right into Kawhi's hands?

Honorable Mentions: Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns; Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans; Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat; Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat; New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks; Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers; L.A. Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

I have no way to concretely prove this, but it seems like the Los Angeles Lakers fanbase was the first to rally around the "What if we get into the playoffs as the No. 6 or No. 7 seed and get to face the Sacramento Kings?!" hypothetical. And make no mistake, I am all for any fanbase being rudely awakened by a Kings squad that, despite jockeying for a top-two spot in the West, remains underrated.

At the same time, this matchup doesn't necessarily profile as a blowout. The Lakers are better and more coherent than they were before. They have the league's second-best defense, along with a winning record, since the trade deadline. And that's with LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell missing a ton of time.

Facing the NBA's top offense will be a true test of mettle for a Lakers defense now headlined by Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt. The AD vs. Domantas Sabonis subplot is all sorts of compelling, too. Ditto for the "Will LeBron James be healthy enough to play?" and "How do the Kings defend him if he's available?" questions.

Exorcised demons are also a small part of this selection. Sure, De'Aaron Fox was four years old when Sacramento fell to L.A. in the 2022 Western Conference Finals, the mother of all what-if moments. But what better way for the Kings to cap off the end of a 16-year playoff drought than by getting the chance to exact revenge, more than two decades later, for one of the most controversial, conspiratorial postseason series in Association history?

A postseason Donovan Mitchell Bowl?

Yes, please.

The New York Knicks probably could have nabbed Mitchell. The Cleveland Cavaliers actually did. The latter is now a dark-hose contender, with a top-10 offense and defense. New York started ascending long before the Josh Hart trade but remains a cut below the toast of the East.

What Could Have Been vs. What Actually Is will take center stage. It is not the only wrinkle of interest.

Tantalizing individual matchups galore are peppered throughout this prospective series, which could reasonably take place during the first round in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 spot. Julius Randle vs. Evan Mobley. Jarrett Allen vs. Mitchell Robinson. Isaac Okoro vs. Jalen Brunson.

My personal favorite: The chess match that will be Cleveland's backcourt of Mitchell and Darius Garland vs. New York's cabal of pesky-yet-not-overwhelmingly-big perimeter defenders.

Knickis head coach Tom Thibodeau will no doubt lean on Hart, Quentin Grimes, Imannuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to varying degrees at the point of attack. Can they hold up against the equally shifty Garland and The One Who Got Away?

Failing an 11th-hour free fall from the Denver Nuggets or Sacramento Kings, this best-of-seven shindig cannot take place until the Western Conference Finals.

That makes it even sweeter.

Think of all the agendas that will die painful deaths if the Kings and Nuggets both make it this far. It would be the ultimate reality check and low blow for "Can't build a contender around Nikola Jokić" blowhards and "Sacramento is a papery turnstile poser" buzzkills.

Anyone who likes to crack jokes about television ratings emerges as a gigantic winner here. So, too, do fans of good basketball. And Nikola Jokić vs. Domantas Sabonis.

And buckets.

Sacramento and Denver rank first and second, respectively, in points scored per possession. They are also both built around defensively flawed big men and rank inside the bottom five of opponent shooting percentage allowed at the rim.

I'm not saying this will be seven games worth of 140-point explosions. Neither defense is hopeless. The Nuggets have their fair share of talented wing irritants and are 12th in points allowed per possessions since Dec. 1. The Kings do a great job crashing the defensive glass, limiting their fouls, contesting jumpers and forcing opposing offenses to operate deep into the shot clock.

I'm also not not saying this will be seven games worth of 140-point eruptions, either.

Look, I want to put this matchup higher. I really do.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns clashes have given us plenty to discuss—and meme. Who can forget this?

Or this?

Or this?

The Mavericks obliterated the Suns in Game 7 of the 2022 conference semifinals. They hunted Chris Paul more than any team in recent memory. Phoenix erased a 22-point deficit on opening night to beat Dallas. Three of the this season's four matchups have been decided by fewer than five points. Luka Dončić wants Devin Booker to trash talk on his own, preferred timeline.

Oh, the Mavs also traded for Kyrie Irving, who has a history with Kevin Durant, who is now on the Suns.

Another dose of this rivalry has a little bit of everything—except a clear path to victory for Dallas. Its defense is extremely unserious, and its head coach is incredibly salty and #tooonline. If the Suns have Booker, Durant, CP3 and Deandre Ayton all available, this won't be an ultra-competitive series, but it will be absurdly chippy.

This is the first matchup featuring two of the (projected) top-three squads in the East. It won't be the last.

A Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers collision course is riveting for all the right reasons. Yes, extracurriculars exist. P.J. Tucker meeting the team with which he won a championship, for starters. And then there's Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Joel Embiid in what will be the battle of an MVP Winner vs. Top-Three Runner-Up or a clash between two top-three runner-ups.

Mostly, though, this is purely about basketball and matchups.

Giannis and Brook Lopez vs. Embiid and Tucker is compelling as hell. James Harden and his spotty playoff track record going up against the point-of-attack gnattiness of Jrue Holiday and Jevon Carter will be a thrill.

Milwaukee likes to get out on the break. Philadelphia lives in the half-court. Tyrese Maxey is the ultimate x-factor across all Sixers playoff series. The Bucks have a healthy Khris Middleton and just added Jae Crowder.

Head coach Doc Rivers showed a willingness to stagger Philly's two stars during the team's Mar. 3 victory over Milwaukee. Does that become a staple? Will the Bucks use Crowder's arrival to downsize during non-Embiid minutes with Giannis in the middle? Or will Antetokounmpo's stints be inextricably linked to his fellow MVP hopeful?

Then, of course, there's the potential long-term implications for each franchise. Which organization looks more inward in the event of an early exit? Will Harden (player option) bolt Philadelphia for Houston? Does Milwaukee hesitate to re-up Crowder and Khris Middleton (player option)? Or does the prospective outcome simply not mandate intense self-reflection for either party, since this series may not take place before the conference finals?

I'm not sure how much the gripping conclusion to the Feb. 25 meeting between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers influenced this ranking. Let's just round up to "a lot."

Joel Embiid's career splits against Boston are largely...less than pretty. But he dominated the Celtics in their third clash of the season, going for 41 points on 12-of-21 shooting (17-of-18 at the foul line) while carving up their multitude of double-teams. Al Horford is no longer his kryptonite.

James Harden, by comparison, wasn't so hot. But he's posted a true shooting percentage north of 72 versus Boston through three appearances this year. And yet, you know, the whole "James Harden in the playoffs" thing. How does he fare against the Celtics' cast of rangy wings and guards? Can he buy Embiid actual breathers inside bench-heavy units?

Philadelphia's defense on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum continues to fascinate me. How much time can they steal with Tobias Harris on Brown? Do De'Anthony Melton and P.J. Tucker give them enough jet fuel against Jayson Tatum? It feels like this could be a Jalen McDaniels series.

There is also a high variability factor that should speak to us all. The Celtics remain reliant on jumpers, while the Sixers can bog down if they're not getting whistles and/or giving a crap about defending in transition.

And let us not discount the possible grift-off. Marcus Smart's defensive antics versus Embiid's and Harden's foul-hunting will be unwatchable at times, but it'll make for surface-of-the-sun debates.

Finally, the fans of each team just seem to get up for these games, both in-person and online. This series might have the most enthralling off-court atmosphere of any prospective matchups that crack the list.

Klay Thompson vs. Devin Booker has become a legitimate rivalry. What else do you call a recurring spat that incited Thompson's first-ever ejection?

We know Klay won't stop getting up for these meetings. He went kaboom in the first half of the Golden State Warriors' Monday night victory over the Phoenix Suns, tallying 33 points while splashing in eight three-pointers.

Stephen Curry vs. Chris Paul, meanwhile, has suddenly become more polarizing. Steph played the "It ain't 2014 anymore card" on CP3 in their most recent matchup. Paul, of course, feigned ignorance after the fact. Regardless, Steph has a history of treating CP3's limbs as his own personal chew toys.

Damion Lee vs. Jordan Poole and JaMychal Green is also now a thing. Kudos to Draymond Green for skirting the individual-scuffle spotlight in this one.

Except, er, never mind.

Phoenix has Kevin Durant. We know he has a history with Green. They "cleared the air" during a sit-down segment for Bleacher Report, but did they really? After all, KD apparently ghosted on an invite to Green's wedding.

More than anything, the world needs this matchup so we can all see Durant play in front of Warriors fans again. He hasn't faced their home crowd since leaving in 2019 free agency. That atmosphere should be kuh-iller. And yes, the basketball should be excellent, too—if everyone's available and relatively healthy.

The Suns and Warriors already didn't seem to like each other. KD's entry into the fold merely adds another can't-miss layer.

Draymond Green doesn't think the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies have forged a rivalry. His reasoning boils down to something along the lines of #CountTheRings or whatever.

Respectfully, yet pretty forcibly, I disagree.

It would be one thing if Dillon Brooks were talking smack about Green's play and likability without evoking any sort of response. But his comments to ESPN's Tim Keown prompted a thorough, line-by-line takedown on an episode of The Draymond Green Show:

It's also not like Green ignored Brooks when the Warriors and Grizzlies last squared off on Mar. 9:

There's no shame in admitting this is a rivalry. Because it is a rivalry. In fact, there's no stronger evidence of this being a rivalry than Green (and Stephen Curry) refusing to call it one.

This on- and off-court feud isn't simmering down anytime soon, either. After the Grizzlies beat the Dubs on Mar. 9, Brooks seized the opportunity to throw shade at Green for punching Jordan Poole in practice this past October. These two teams might a set a record for single-game technicals when they meet again on Mar. 18.

But please, oh please, don't let that be their final showdown of the season. The intensity of the playoffs coupled with legitimate, longstanding bad blood would make for one heck of a roller coaster.

And hey: Let's not forget the Grizzlies gave the Warriors their toughest Western Conference playoff series last year—all while missing Ja Morant for the final three games. This matchup oozes polarity, and we deserve to see it again.

This one's for all the basketball junkies, the hoopaholics who care less about rivalries and subplots and more about matchups and tactical nerdery in high-stakes settings.

Absence has only made the desire to see the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks go toe-to-toe grow herculean. They delivered a seven-game epic in the second round of the 2022 playoffs—without Khris Middleton and largely without Robert Williams III. They have since faced off twice this year, and neither team was at full strength.

Their most recent matchup was entertaining A.F. anyway. The Celtics' backups pushed the almost fully healthy Bucks to overtime on Feb. 14 before falling 131-125. Another meeting awaits on Mar. 30. Insofar as either cares about bagging the East's No. 1 seed, it will mean something.

Colliding in the conference finals would mean way more.

The Celtics have more bodies to throw at Giannis Antetokounmpo than any team in the league. The Bucks have perimeter pests and rim protection to bake more variability into Boston's already high-variability offense. The Celtics have perhaps the most recognizable top-eight rotation in the league. Milwaukee is suddenly much deeper after adding Jae Crowder and, much to Boston's dismay, Goran Dragić.

Just thinking about the different lineups and alterations each side will run out is enough to make you drool. What happens if the Celtics aren't hitting jump shots? Or if the Bucks' half-court offense slows down to a slog and they can't get out in transition? Will anybody downsize? How many two-big minutes will Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla favor, assuming RW3 isn't still dealing with a hamstring injury?

Star power. Depth. Defense. Combustible offenses with the potential to dominate. For most of the season, the Celtics and Bucks have been stashed in a tier all their own, head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Despite Boston's recent slide, both squads still belong there. It's only right we get to see them tussle, again, when it matters most.

5-T. Boston Celtics vs. Phoenix Suns; Philadelphia 76ers vs. Phoenix Suns

Is this very "We should want to see multi-superstar factions with depth face off against one another?" Absolutely. But subplots abound.

Boston treated Kevin Durant's Brooklyn Nets to a first-round sweep last year. This would be his chance to get even, albeit with a different team. I, personally, will geek out over how the Celtics attempt to defend the Suns' all-galaxy offense and the lineups they come to lean on. We might see a rekindling of the "Devin Booker or Jayson Tatum" discussions that sort of just dissipated into nothing.

Philly vs. Phoenix pits masters of the deliberate against each other. Their offenses traffic in methodical domination.

The Suns don't have a clear answer for James Harden on the perimeter anymore. The Sixers have even less ways to solve the "Phoenix has KD and Booker playing for the same team" conundrum. The Deandre Ayton-Joel Embiid matchup would be amazing. And I'm fairly certain there would be at least one game decided by a Tyrese Maxey vs. Chris Paul battle.

4. Denver Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Pitting the two best squads from each conference is never a bad idea and hardly a novel concept. This one has the benefit of compelling stylistic clashes.

Can the Nuggets offense hum loudly enough against the Bucks defense? Is Milwaukee's offense built to exploit Nikola Jokić outside of transition? Who helps Aaron Gordon chase around Giannis Antetokounmpo? Are both Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray closing games in this series? How will the MVP-voting outcome shape the Giannis vs. Jokić matchup?

Most important of all: I predicted a Bucks-Nuggets Finals during the preseason. And we are all, quite obviously, emotionally invested in my chance to be correct for once.

3. Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns

A rematch of the 2021 Finals? But with a heavy infusion of Kevin Durant? And a dab of Devin Booker hunting former teammate/stay-at-home NBA player Jae Crowder?

Hell yes.

2. Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors

Part of me wants to see a fresh matchup. Most of me appreciates the back-and-forth we watched through six games last year.

Boston is deeper this time around. Golden State's core is another year older yet relying more on Jonathan Kuminga and a worse version of Jordan Poole. It feels like the Celtics would be heavy favorites.

Then again, if the Warriors make it this far, they will presumably have remembered how to win away from home and, by extension, flipped the gives-a-crap switch that always seems to be turned on against Boston anyway.

1. Denver Nuggets vs. Philadelphia 76ers

The Nikola Jokić vs. Joel Embiid debates are incendiary now. Just imagine what they'll be like leading into, during and after a championship bout between the two of them.

I'm also not sure #TheDiscourse can handle a Finals matchup that ensures one of Harden or Jokić is crowned champion and potentially named the series MVP. I would purchase tickets to watch that implosion.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass and accurate entering Tuesday's games. Salary information via Spotrac.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.