The NBA Playoffs began weeks ago with 16 teams, all of them with a shot at going all the way to the NBA Finals. Now, with two rounds of the playoffs down, only four teams remain.
This week, the Eastern and Western Conference Finals arrive, two best-of-seven series to determine who makes it to the NBA Finals, for a shot at the 2026 NBA Championship. So, which teams are in, and how did they get here? Let’s take a closer look.
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Which teams are still in the 2026 NBA Playoffs?
Since the Western Conference Finals will air exclusively on NBC and Peacock beginning tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET, let’s take a look at the West first.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The defending NBA Champs are gunning for back-to-back titles, and their performance so far means they’re the favorites heading into the Conference Finals. After finishing the regular season with the league’s best record, the Thunder are undefeated in the 2026 Playoffs so far, sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the First Round and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Semifinals. They’ve been a dominant force all season long, led by back-to-back MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their roster is packed with young talent, and they’re primed for dynasty mode if they can just get past their Western Conference Finals opponent… but that hasn’t been easy this year.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs finished the regular season with the second-best record in the league, just a couple of games behind the Thunder, a team they were able to beat four out of five times during the 2025-2026 season. Led by Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama at center, they’ve been almost as dominant as the Thunder, but they’ve had a slightly harder road in the playoffs so far. They handled the Trail Blazers in five games in the First Round, but ran into a little more resistance against the Timberwolves in the Conference Semifinals; thanks to an injury and an ejection for Wembanyama, the Spurs took six games to get out of that series. That means they’re less rested than the Thunder, but they’re no less capable of winning.
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Now, on to the Eastern Conference
New York Knicks
The Knicks entered the NBA Playoffs as the 3-Seed in the East, behind the Pistons and the Celtics, and quickly set out to prove they can take it all the way this season, especially after a couple of hard playoff fights in the last two years. Thanks to a stronger defensive effort and a high-powered offense led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks took care of the Atlanta Hawks in six games to start their 2026 NBA Playoffs run. The Conference Semifinals, against a Philadelphia 76ers squad that already upset the Celtics, looked a little more challenging, but the Knicks dominated that series, sweeping Philly and capping things off with a 30-point Game 4 victory. They’re rested and ready, but they’ll face a team that just never quits.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Of the four remaining teams in the 2026 NBA Playoffs this season, the Cavs have had the hardest road. They entered the playoffs right in the middle of the pack as a 4-Seed, and ran into stiff resistance in the form of the 5-Seed Raptors, who took the series all the way to Game 7 before the Cavs finished them off. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, things got even tougher as they faced the top-seeded Pistons, but thanks to some great performances by Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and the rest of the Cavs squad, they held on, dominating the Pistons in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now they’ll face a Knicks squad with plenty of time to prepare, and it’ll all come down to who wants it more.
Where can you watch the Western Conference Finals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs?
The NBA on NBC is bringing you every game of the 2026 Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Game 1 begins Monday at 8:30 p.m. only on NBC and Peacock.
