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Jokic, Edwards, ???: We ranked the 20 best players from the first round of the NBA playoffs

Is Anthony Edwards No. 1? How about LeBron James? Let's dive into the most important players, as ranked by the numbers.

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TOP HEADLINES

WHO HAS THE EDGE?

Eight NBA playoffs teams left! Each has a massive strength -- and a potentially fatal flaw

Here's each team's biggest strength -- and a weakness that could end their season.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Playoff tiers: How do the eight remaining teams stack up?

ESPN NBA Insider Kevin Pelton puts the remaining eight playoff teams into five tiers. How many land in Tier 1?

STEPHEN A. SOUNDS OFF

Stephen A.: LeBron's carousel of coaches affects GOAT case

2:57

Why Stephen A. has a sour taste in his mouth over Darvin Ham firing

2:33

NBA PLAYOFFS

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

FORECASTING THE PLAYOFFS

Predicting Pacers-Knicks and Wolves-Nuggets conference semifinal matchups

Which teams will reach the conference finals? Our experts make their picks for each second-round matchup.

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Why Stephen A. is worried about Knicks' series vs. Pacers

1:20

STAR POWER

Are Anthony Edwards comparisons to Michael Jordan legit?

2:05

Is Wembanyama the best player to build a team around?

0:56

LAKERS SEEKING A NEW COACH

The Phil Jackson-sized hole plaguing the Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers will hire their seventh coach since 2011 as yet another summer of upheaval and searching begins. The question now is: Why does this keep happening?

Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Who should the Lakers target to be their new head coach?

1:58

'HE'S EARNED THE RIGHT TO SAY IT'

Why Stephen A. doesn't have a problem with Jimmy Butler's health comment

1:16

MAVERICKS-THUNDER

GAME 1 ON TUESDAY

Youth in revolt? Why the young Oklahoma City core could buck history's trend

With a young roster, draft flexibility and cap space, the Thunder's championship window might be wide open for the foreseeable future.

Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images

Key numbers behind the Mavericks-Thunder matchup

1:19

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