Eight Teams Left Standing and the Thunder Are Built Different: OKC Sweeps the Suns and Now Comes for LA

The second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is here, and the field just got real. Eight teams remain. Eight shots at the championship. And the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder just sent a message to the entire league: they're not done yet.

OKC swept the Phoenix Suns in four games. Four. No drama, no Game 5, no second chances. That's the kind of dominance that makes everyone else nervous. Now they're opening their conference semifinals series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, and the experts are already weighing in on what happens next.

The East: Detroit's Comeback Is Real, and Cleveland Is Not Going Away Quietly

In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 Detroit Pistons just pulled off something nobody expected. Down 3-1 to the Orlando Magic, they won three straight to advance. That's the kind of resilience that makes a team dangerous in May. Their reward? A matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who survived their own Game 7 thriller against the Toronto Raptors.

The experts are mostly backing Detroit. Six of eight picked the Pistons to move on, with four saying it goes to seven games. But don't sleep on Cleveland. Two experts picked the Cavs to pull off the upset, and with a Game 7 win already in their back pocket this postseason, nobody should count them out.

The third matchup in the East pits the New York Knicks against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks are favored here, with seven experts picking them to advance. Most expect it to be a grind, though, with four of those seven picks going seven games.

The West: San Antonio's Wembanyama Moment Against a Timberwolves Team Hurting

Out west, the San Antonio Spurs are making noise. Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs knocked off the Portland Trail Blazers in five games, punching their ticket to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. There's just one problem for Minnesota: they've been without star Anthony Edwards since Game 4 of their first-round series. That's the kind of injury that changes everything in May.

The Thunder, though, are the story. Defending champs. Undefeated in the first round. Now stepping into the biggest spotlight of the postseason against the Lakers. Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena is going to be the game everyone's watching.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.