Four Teams Will Hit Their Ceiling if They Don’t Make the NBA Finals

Mar 9, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball as center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) provides coverage against Los Angeles Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. (5) during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit:

The playoffs are just about underway, and four teams in the playoff field will need to close shop if they fail to make the NBA Finals.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Veterans’ Playoff Failures

Despite making the playoffs every year of his career, Donovan Mitchell has yet to make a conference finals.

He’s led multiple teams to the one seed, including one season of over 60 wins. Should Cleveland get out of the first round, they will most likely play a young Detroit Pistons team. 

In the last two years, Cleveland has been eliminated by the team that would go on to represent the East in the NBA Finals.

For James Harden, the story has been the same the last few years — make the playoffs and lose in the second round.

Harden will now make his 17th straight postseason appearance. 

This year, Cleveland will not need to deal with Tyrese Haliburton. And they won’t see Jayson Tatum and the Celtics until the East Finals, should both teams reach that stage. 

If Mitchell and Harden cannot make it to the NBA Finals, it will end in heartbreak, again. 

Denver Nuggets Wasting History

Denver has been eliminated in the second round in game seven in back-to-back seasons.

In the Nikola Jokic–Jamal Murray era, they have been eliminated on their home floor in game seven twice (2019 and 2024).

Jokic finished the season leading the league in both rebounds per game and assists per game. Anything less than a conference finals appearance will be a wasted historical season. 

In the first round, they will get their long-awaited rematch with the Minnesota Timberwolves. If they manage to get their revenge in the first, they will face the unicorn in Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, who’s on the best team of his career.

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Aging Cast

If Minnesota does not make another deep playoff run, the supporting cast around Anthony Edwards will have hit its ceiling.

The long-time veteran Mike Conley was moved to the bench, and Minnesota has been operating without a reliable starting point guard all season.

The starting front court of Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle is 33 and 31 years old, respectively — a combination that doesn’t align with Edwards’ timeline.

Conley, Randle, and Gobert were all starters in last year’s playoffs. Changes will need to be made if Minnesota does not reach the NBA Finals and wants to maximize Edwards’ prime. 

New York Knicks Defensive Questions

The Indiana Pacers have eliminated New York in back-to-back years. This year, Indiana does not stand in their way.

One of the biggest questions around the Knicks has been: Can they win a title with an undersized guard, Jalen Brunson, as their lead guard?

The other question is: How effective will Karl-Anthony Towns be in pick-and-roll defense in the playoffs?

Now combine these two, and opposing offenses have an answer: put Brunson and Towns in pick-and-roll action. 

The great thing for these two is that they have terrific wings in Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart that can support them. But that puts them in rotation defensively, and that’s one of the last things they want to do. 

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