Where Warriors stand among title contenders as playoffs begin

After 82 games and a few play-in contests, the NBA playoffs finally arrive Saturday, kicking off a two-months grind to the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The Phoenix Suns enter as the title favorites, but the title race is as wide-open as it has been in quite some time. The Warriors are a complete unknown, the Memphis Grizzlies are talented but young, and the Dallas Mavericks have a giant calf-sized problem. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference sets up to be a seven-round slugfest with five teams having a legitimate shot to make it to the NBA Finals.

With the playoffs arriving, here are my unassailable championship contender rankings:

8. Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers draw a brutal matchup with the long, athletic and versatile Toronto Raptors in Round 1. I have no doubt Joel Embiid will dominate, but James Harden is the biggest playoff vanisher of this era and Matisse Thybulle won't be available for games in Toronto due to questionable homeopathic health decisions.

The 76ers could go on a run, but I can't trust them.

7. Memphis Grizzlies

Brash and unafraid, the Grizzlies enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference but with very little postseason experience. Will it matter? That's to be determined.

The Grizzlies' are loaded with talent and Ja Morant is a superstar, but this feels like one year too early for a title run in Grind City.

6. Miami Heat

A few weeks ago, Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler almost threw hands in the Heat huddle. Was the Heat Culture fracturing? Or was it the moment the East's top seed stabilized what was a sinking ship?

It appears the latter as the Heat won six of their final seven games and will play the Atlanta Hawks in Round 1.

Miami doesn't have a superstar but ending up on the opposite side of the Bucks, Celtics, and Nets in the East draw should give them a clear path to the Eastern Conference finals. Whether or not they can go further will depend on their health and whether or not one of their B-level stars takes it up a notch.

5. Boston Celtics

The Celtics have been abusing almost everyone since the turn of the calendar year. They are the NBA's best defensive team and Jayson Tatum is a full-blown superstar.

But the injury to Robert Williams worries me and I wonder how the Celtics' offense will operate when things slow down and teams elect to trap Tatum. Will Jaylen Brown step up and make the big shots? Can Marcus Smart be trusted?

I see the Celtics' path to the NBA Finals, but I can also see them falling in Round 1 to the next team on this list.

4. Brooklyn Nets

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are two of the most gifted scorers in NBA history. They very well could average 70 or more points combined in the playoffs.

However, the Nets don't defend. At all. The small-guard combination of Irving, Seth Curry, and Patty Mills is going to get pummeled in the playoffs. Ben Simmons would help, but is Brooklyn really going to bring him back for his first game in the playoff cauldron? That's a dicey proposition.

I'll never bet against KD and Kyrie, but the Nets' defense allergy is concerning.

3. Warriors

Like everyone else, I have no idea what to expect from these Warriors.

But I'm willing to bet that having Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green together on the court for the first time this season (aside from 11 minutes in March) is going to make Golden State an entirely different team than the one we've seen. Jordan Poole's ascension gives the Warriors another stone-cold shooter to place alongside Curry and Thompson, and rookie Jonathan Kuminga could be the ultimate X-factor.

The Warriors get a soft landing against a Nuggets team that lacks secondary and tertiary scoring alongside Nikola Jokic. Golden State should get past Denver, and then the real tests begin. But I'm confident the Warriors have what it takes to be a real player in the title chase.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

They are the champs until they ain't the champs no more, and Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to have no plans to relinquish his hold on the NBA.

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The Bucks should hammer the limping Chicago Bulls in short order. Their second-round matchup with the Celtics or Nets could be considered a default conference finals. As long as Milwaukee can survive or avoid the KD flamethrower, I think the Bucks will be the last team standing in the East.

1. Phoenix Suns

Steve Kerr said it was disrespectful to the Suns to say the title chase is wide-open. He might be right.

The Suns could have won 66 or 67 games if they wanted to, and teams that win at that clip almost always go on to win the title.

Phoenix is unbelievably poised in clutch moments as Chris Paul and Devin Booker always get the Suns the good shot they want.

The biggest obstacles to a championship party in the Valley of the Sun might be a fully-operational Warriors team and Paul's health.

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