NBA 2022 Standings: Which Teams Made the Playoffs and Final Rankings

2025-11-12 13:00

I still remember sitting in my living room last April, watching the final regular season games unfold with that particular mix of anticipation and dread only true basketball fans understand. The 2022 NBA season was a whirlwind, a marathon that felt more like a sprint after the disruptions of previous years. As someone who's analyzed basketball for over a decade, I've learned that the standings don't just tell you who won and lost; they reveal character, resilience, and sometimes, pure basketball poetry. It reminds me of a principle I once heard from Philippine volleyball, where players acknowledged they wouldn't be among the sport's brightest stars without going through the eye of a needle under their mentor's watch. That same crucible-of-fire mentality defined the 2022 NBA playoff race, where teams had to squeeze through impossibly narrow opportunities to reach the postseason.

The Western Conference was an absolute bloodbath, and I'm not exaggerating when I say the play-in tournament created more drama than most actual playoff series. The Phoenix Suns, finishing with a staggering 64-18 record, weren't just good; they were historically efficient, with Chris Paul orchestrating the offense like a seasoned conductor. But here's my controversial take: I never fully bought into their dominance. There was a brittleness to them that worried me, a reliance on mid-range perfection that felt vulnerable to the more dynamic, chaotic styles emerging in the conference. Just behind them, the Memphis Grizzlies, with their 56-26 record, embodied that new chaos. Ja Morant wasn't just playing basketball; he was performing aerial artistry, and the team's "grit and grind" 2.0 philosophy was a joy to watch. They played with a fearlessness that can only be forged, much like those volleyball stars, by going through the needle's eye of intense, disciplined coaching and relentless regular-season pressure.

Then you had the Golden State Warriors, my personal dark horse, clawing their way to a 53-29 record and the third seed. Watching them was like seeing a phoenix rise, not from ashes, but from injury reports. The return of Klay Thompson was a narrative straight out of Hollywood, and Stephen Curry, even with his late-season hiccup, remained the gravitational center of the entire league's offensive schemes. Their path wasn't linear; it was messy and required a level of mental fortitude that separates contenders from participants. This is where the "eye of a needle" analogy truly hits home. Teams like the Dallas Mavericks, led by the sublime Luka Dončić, and the Utah Jazz, with their systematic approach, also made it through, but you could see the toll it took. The West was a gauntlet where merely qualifying for the playoffs was a monumental achievement.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the hierarchy felt more established, but the battles were just as fierce. The Miami Heat securing the top seed with a 53-29 record was a testament to Pat Riley's culture. Erik Spoelstra is, in my opinion, the best coach in the league, a modern-day "kuya Henry" who demands perfection and squeezes every ounce of talent from his roster. Jimmy Butler isn't always the most likable star, but his playoff intensity is undeniable, and Bam Adebayo's versatility is a nightmare for opposing coaches. The Boston Celtics, finishing second at 51-31, had the most remarkable in-season turnaround I've ever witnessed. From being under .500 in January to becoming a defensive juggernaut, their transformation was a masterclass in player development and systemic buy-in. Jayson Tatum elevated his game to MVP-candidate levels, and Marcus Smart winning Defensive Player of the Year felt like a validation of their entire identity.

The Milwaukee Bucks, the defending champions, landed the third seed with a 51-31 record, and frankly, they scared me more than any other team. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a force of nature, a player who seems to redefine physical possibility with every game. I believe that if Khris Middleton hadn't gotten injured in the first round, we would be talking about a very different NBA Finals outcome. The Philadelphia 76ers, buoyed by Joel Embiid's scoring title and James Harden's playmaking, and the Toronto Raptors, with their unique, positionless defense, rounded out the top contenders. But the real story was the fight at the bottom. The Brooklyn Nets, with all their superstar power, had to claw through the play-in, a humbling experience for a team many, including myself, had penciled into the Finals before the season even started. Their struggle was the ultimate proof that talent alone isn't enough; you need the discipline and unity forged in the regular-season fire.

When the dust settled, the playoff bracket was set, and the final rankings told a story of 16 teams that had survived the needle's eye. The journey from the 82-game grind to the postseason is a brutal filtering process, one that exposes every flaw and amplifies every strength. It's not just about having bright stars; it's about having a system, a "kuya Henry," a culture that can guide those stars through the tightest of spots. Looking back, the 2022 standings were a perfect snapshot of a league in transition, where old dynasties were fighting to reassert themselves and new powers were emerging from the crucible of competition. The data and records are frozen in time, but the lessons in resilience, teamwork, and the sheer will required to make it to the top are what truly define that season's legacy.