The pretenders, at least most of them, have been kicked to the curb, not to be seen or heard from until May 14, when Zion Williamson discovers he’s going to the Knicks.
What’s left are 16 teams that can prove they are trying to win, with some better at it than others.
Which teams are just thrilled to be here? Who could win in the first round, and scare in the second? Which squads are good enough to sneak into the Conference Finals? And ultimately, can anyone dethrone the Warriors?
Here is our 2019 version of the Postseason Power Rankings.