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Denver Nuggets Championship

The 2022-2023 National Basketball Association Season has come to an end with the Denver Nuggets securing their first NBA Championship. As the Nuggets begin to celebrate what looks to be an exciting NBA off-season after a magical run, they are just one of the many teams around the league that put together strong seasons.

With the season now in the rear-view mirror the time to look back at which NBA teams are deserving of a spot among the Top 10 NBA Teams 2023 Rankings list has arrived.

Landing at the top of the list among the top teams in the NBA during the 2022-2023 NBA Season are the 2023 NBA Champions the Denver Nuggets after a dominating regular season followed up by a magical run to a spectacular 2023 NBA Finals performance.

As only one team can hoist the NBA Championship Trophy, other teams are well deserving of consideration as top teams around the league including the Boston Celtics who nearly pulled off a magical comeback during the NBA Finals.

Some of the other top NBA teams landing among the best five NBA teams are the Milwaukee Bucks who posted the best record in the NBA, the Miami Heat who made another run at an NBA Championship and the Philadelphia 76ers. Here is a look at the Top 10 NBA Teams 2023 Rankings list.

Honorable Mention

New York Knicks

Record: 47-35

Previous Ranking: #9

One team falling just short of the top 10 teams in the NBA is the New York Knicks who finished the season with a 47-35 overall record while securing the 5^th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks were strong all season along both at Madison Square Garden where the team posted an 23-18 record and, on the road, posting a 24-17 record.

The addition of Jalen Brunson to a solid young core helped the team make a trip to the NBA postseason while opening up with a series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers before losing in game six to the Miami Heat. The future is bright in New York as the team will look to build on their success from this past season.

Los Angeles Clippers

Record: 44-38

Previous Ranking: #10

A second team that lands out of the Top 10 while looking in is the Los Angeles Clippers who have struggled to stay healthy at times over the season.

The inconstancy and health of their top stars limited their run in the NBA Playoffs. However, when healthy, the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are as solid as any team in the NBA.

The team is coming off another 40 plus win season including posting a 44-38 record on the season however the team struggled at various times scoring while averaging just 113.6 points per game.

Top 10 Best NBA Teams Right Now

10. Sacramento Kings

Record: 48-34

Previous Ranking: #7

Coming in at number 10 on the Top 10 NBA Teams 2023 Rankings list is the Sacramento Kings who put together one of the more impressive storylines from the 2022-23 NBA Season.

One of those storylines was the team’s ability to snap the longest NBA playoff drought in the NBA while returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 NBA Season.

The Kings are loaded with young talent including point guard De’Aaron Fox who is just 25 years old and power forward Domantas Sabonis who is just 27 years old.

The two combined to average 44 points a game while four additional players averaged at least 12.2 points per game. All and all the Kings are as well rounded as any team while also coming off leading the NBA in scoring averaging 120.7 points per game.

9. Cleveland Cavaliers

Record: 51-31

Previous Ranking: #6

Another young talented NBA team on the rise is the Cleveland Cavaliers who are coming off an impressive 2022-23 NBA season. The Cavaliers posted the 4^th best record in the NBA while finishing 4^th in the Eastern Conference after winning 51 of their 82 games on the 2022-23 NBA schedule.

The Cavaliers took a different approach to their success this past season while leading the NBA in scoring defense while allowing just 106.9 points per game relying on their young core to shut down opposing teams.

This success on defense and solid offense allowed them to finish with the 2^nd highest points differential in the NBA at 5.4 points. Despite their strong NBA season, the Cavaliers failed to move past the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

8. Memphis Grizzlies 

Record: 51-31

Previous Ranking: #5

All eyes were on the Memphis Grizzlies for a better half of the NBA season following an in-season suspension to All-Star Ja Morant. While the off the court drama and issues surrounding Morant took him out of the Grizzlies lineup, it also impacted the locker room more importantly while taking away from how good of a team they are.

In the end the Grizzlies wound up in 2^nd in the Western Conference after winning 51 games during the regular season. Despite the strong regular season, the off the court issues of Morant along with Dillon Brooks led to struggles against the Los Angeles Lakers during the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

Big question marks are left for the Grizzlies entering the upcoming NBA season but for now they finished this season as one of the best in the NBA.

7. Phoenix Suns

Record: 45-37

Previous Ranking: #8

After posting one of the more impressive performances of all time during the 2021-22 NBA Season, the Phoenix Suns battled injuries all season long including to veteran All-Star Point Guard Chris Paul.

In addition, the mid-season trade to land Kevin Durant impacted the depth of the Suns while also not having Paul in the lineup for the NBA Playoffs. The Suns would finish the season going 45-37 on the year including winning 28 of their 41 home games.

In the playoffs the Suns with Durant and Devin Booker showcased their potential knocking off a talented Los Angeles Clippers team before losing to the eventual NBA Champions the Denver Nuggets in six games.

6. Los Angeles Lakers

Record: 43-39

Previous Ranking: Unranked

No matter his age LeBron James continues to showcase to the entire world his ability to lead his team to the NBA Playoffs. James who battled some injuries at times along with Anthony Davis were healthy at the right time including winning their final two games to secure the 7^th seed in the Western Conference and as a play in team.

The Lakers wouldn’t disappoint, knocking off the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In Tournament before back-to-back series wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. Ultimately the success would come to an end against a Denver Nuggets team that was nearly unbeatable during the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

5. Philadelphia 76ers

Record: 54-28

Previous Ranking: #4

Another disappointing end to an NBA Season with such high expectations for the Philadelphia 76ers. A season in which All-Star big man Joel Embiid secured his first NBA MVP award and teammate James Harden returned to his old All-Star position.

The 76ers would go on to post the 3^rd best record in the NBA after winning 54 games during the regular season. The tandem continued that success through the opening round of the four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets before falling to the Boston Celtics in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

A game that saw both Harden and Embiid struggle to perform while allowing the Celtics to move on to the Conference Finals. All in all, though, the 76ers featured three players who averaged at least 20 points per game while two other players added at least 10 points per game.

4. Milwaukee Bucks

Record: 58-24

Previous Ranking: #1

If it wasn’t for an injury to All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo down the stretch in the NBA Playoffs the Milwaukee Bucks may have made another run to the NBA Finals and another NBA Championship.

One thing is for certain and that is the Bucks are the team to beat when the Greek Freak is on the floor and is healthy. The Bucks finished the NBA regular season with the best record in the league after winning 58 of 82 games including going 32-9 at home.

Despite the regular season success, the Bucks would fail to move on from the opening round after falling to the Miami Heat. A series in which Antetokounmpo missed two games due to a bank injury but returned with the team down 3-1 within the series.

3. Miami Heat

Record: 44-38

Previous Ranking: Unranked

In some cases, you just have to look past how good a team is no matter the league and no matter the record they post during the regular season. That is the case with the Miami Heat while requiring to play in the play-in tournament of the NBA Playoffs to reach the playoffs.

However, a team led by Jimmy Butler turned it into high gear for another postseason run ultimately reaching the NBA Finals after knocking the Boston Celtics out in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The magical run would come to an end against an even more impressive team the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. Playing without Tyler Herro the Heat were strong down the stretch winning six of their final 10 games during the regular season.

2. Boston Celtics

Record: 57-25

Previous Ranking: #2

Despite being knocked off by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals it is hard to not look past the Boston Celtics being the second-best team in the NBA.

The Celtics struggled to find consistency opening up the series against the Heat but showcased their talent led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown while forcing a Game 7 matchup.

In the end the Celtics have one of the best two tandems in the NBA built around Tatum and Brown while lacking the other top notch proven talent that many of the other top teams in the NBA currently have on their NBA rosters.

1. Denver Nuggets

Record: 53-29

Previous Ranking: #3

In at number one on the Top 10 NBA Teams 2023 Rankings list is the 2023 NBA Champions the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets who were healthy all season around Nikola Jokic including both Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Murray who both battled injuries last season.

The healthy additions to one of the best players in the NBA if not the overall best player Jokic allowed the team to flip from a 6^th seed in the Western Conference to the best record in the conference after winning 53 games during the regular season.

In addition to those three the Nuggets deep roster that also included Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made it difficult for opposing defenses to slow down the team all seasons including during the NBA Playoffs.

How would you rank these NBA teams going into the 2022-23 NBA Playoffs? Rank below to be added in the NBA Power Rankings.

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