NBA playoffs 2025: Best first-round playoff matchups

The NBA playoffs have arrived, featuring numerous matchups that promise to be both competitive and thrilling to watch. Each conference has several playoff series that could yield intriguing results. However, two specific matchups stand out above the rest.

Starting in the East, the Knicks and Pistons began the season with vastly different expectations. The Knicks were anticipated to be a championship-contending team, while the Pistons were expected to struggle, as they have in previous years. Fast forward to the first round of the playoffs, and the Pistons have emerged as a legitimate playoff team, with a solid chance of pulling off an upset. While New York remains a strong team, they are not quite the championship contender that many Knicks fans had hoped for.

In the four regular-season matchups between the Knicks and the Pistons, Detroit won three times. I expect Cade Cunningham to continue playing at a high level, which could give the Pistons a chance to pull off an upset. In the Pistons' three victories over the Knicks, Cunningham scored 29 points or more. For the Knicks to win, they need to find a way to contain Cunningham offensively while also getting strong performances from their All-NBA point guard, Jalen Brunson. I wouldn't be surprised if this series goes to seven games, but I expect the Knicks to ultimately prevail in a hard-fought contest.

The West has long been the NBA conference with more overall depth in talent, and this year is no exception. Multiple playoff matchups will be highly compelling, but one that stands out the most is the Nuggets-Clippers series. Both teams enter the playoffs with high expectations. The Nuggets are just two years removed from their first championship and have the reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic. As for the Clippers, they are peaking at the right time, winning 17 of their last 20 games and are entering the playoffs healthy, which they had not recently done.

In the regular season series between the Clippers and Nuggets, each team won two games against the other. A challenge for the Nuggets will be learning to game-plan for a fully healthy Clippers team, as Kawhi Leonard did not play in their matchups during the regular season. Additionally, Denver will need to find a way to contain James Harden's ability to create opportunities for himself and his teammates.

In the Clippers' two regular-season victories over the Nuggets, Harden delivered impressive double-double performances. In their first matchup, he scored 23 points and recorded 16 assists. He later followed that up with an almost triple-double, posting 39 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds in a 126-122 win.

However, the biggest matchup concern will be Nikola Jokic, who has delivered remarkable performances all season. Although the Clippers have an elite big man of their own in Ivica Zubac, who is playing the best basketball of his career this season, the Nuggets hold the advantage of having the best player in the series and the benefit of home-court advantage.

Nonetheless, the Nuggets' defensive struggles(25th-ranked defense) could be exploited by the Clippers' dynamic offense. For this reason, I am picking the Clippers to win this series in six games.