dailyloe.com – The 2026 NBA playoffs are set to begin, prompting ESPN to project the full postseason bracket and champion. Writer Zach Kram used ESPN’s Basketball Power Index to fill out the bracket. The projection starts with the four teams advancing from the play-in tournament. The Eastern Conference’s seventh and eighth seeds are the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets.
The Western Conference’s seventh and eighth seeds are the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. The bracket then predicts outcomes to whittle sixteen teams down to one champion. The goal is to see which team will raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. This approach takes a page from the March Madness playbook for basketball fans.
One projected first-round matchup is the top-seeded Detroit Pistons versus the eighth-seeded Charlotte Hornets. Despite the seed gap, the teams have a similar profile since January 1. Charlotte ranks second in the league in net rating, while Detroit is third. The Hornets boast an elite offense, and the Pistons have a strong defense.
Both teams are led by a host of players who were lottery picks. Each also has a key contributor previously on a two-way contract. For Detroit, that player is Daniss Jenkins, and for Charlotte, it is Moussa Diabate. The two teams also engaged in a brawl in February. That incident led to suspensions for Diabate, Miles Bridges, Jalen Duren, and Isaiah Stewart.
These ingredients set the stage for a compelling one versus eight series. But ultimately, the Pistons are predicted to advance. Their superior size makes them a bad matchup for the Hornets. Detroit was 3-0 against Charlotte in the regular season. They outscored the Hornets 188-96 in the paint during those games.[]
Source: ESPN
