Pressure scale: How badly do prime NBA contenders need to win a title?

Winning a championship is every team's aspiration, but that doesn't mean every team faces the same pressure to get the job done. On a scale from 0 (no pressure) to 10 (intense pressure), here's how badly the 10 teams with the best records need to win an NBA title. 

(Records in parentheses are through Wednesday's games.)

Oklahoma City Thunder (37-17, second in Western Conference) | 0

Talk about playing with house money. Oklahoma City's sudden rise to elite status has hoisted a new set of expectations on this group, but those won't really take effect until next season and the seasons after that. We are witnessing the opening of OKC's window, and this postseason is more of a pre-test than the test itself. 

Denver Nuggets (36-19, fourth in Western Conference) | 1

No team plays "relaxed" in the playoffs, but if any team can play without pressure in this season's postseason, that team is the reigning champion Nuggets. Another ring will move this team closer to "dynasty" status, but its core will stay together a long time regardless, so winning a few playoff series this season is a fine result after last season's run. Denver is under virtually no pressure.

Minnesota Timberwolves (39-16, first in Western Conference) | 3

History plays a part in everything, and the Timberwolves playoff history — or lack thereof — helps take pressure off of this season's team. The franchise hasn't won a playoff series in 20 years, so T-Wolves fans would rejoice at simply busting that streak. A Western Conference Finals berth would cause delirium in Minneapolis. Every franchise has a different benchmark for expectations, and these Wolves benefit from a low bar.

Phoenix Suns (33-22, fifth in Western Conference) | 6

Though any team that concocts a Big Three is always under pressure, Phoenix doesn't need to make a run this season because all of its stars (Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal) are under contract for at least another two seasons. Of course, an uninspiring playoff exit will raise questions about whether this trio actually makes sense for playoff basketball, but not winning a ring this season will only cause a few seats to get warm, not scalding hot.

New York Knicks (33-22, fourth in Eastern Conference) | 6.5

Fifty-one years is a long time to go without a championship, and New York's aggressive moves this season — first acquiring OG Anunoby in December, then snagging Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks at the trade deadline — show the franchise is ready to end that streak. Whenever a team goes all in as these Knicks have, the pressure ratchets up.

Cleveland Cavaliers (36-17, second in Eastern Conference) | 7

Cleveland made the right decision by keeping its roster intact at the deadline, but now it needs to prove it can win with this roster. If it can't, and the team bows out in the first round again, changes might be made during the offseason. Breaking up the dual-center lineup is the first potential change that comes to mind. An Eastern Conference Finals run (and beyond), though, would transform the public perception of this group.

Milwaukee Bucks (35-21, third in Eastern Conference) | 8

The Bucks won a title three seasons ago, but a blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard and a rapidly aging roster puts them right back under the microscope. A midseason coaching change to Doc Rivers signals the franchise is feeling the pressure to earn another ring before its window closes. That closing could happen sooner than folks realize, too. Any team with Giannis Antetokounmpo will be competitive, but Milwaukee is a little barren of young talent to surround him with once Brook Lopez and Lillard enter the twilights of their careers.

Philadelphia 76ers (32-22, fifth in Eastern Conference) | 8.5

This must be the season Philly breaks through. Joel Embiid is in year eight and still has yet to reach an Eastern Conference Finals, let alone an NBA Finals and that story unfolding again might be the last straw of Embiid's 76ers career. The ascension of Tyrese Maxey makes a Sixers run more palpable — and the future a bit brighter, regardless of what happens this season — but Embiid (now out with a knee injury) must show he can deliver in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Clippers (36-17, third in Western Conference) | 9

The days of kicking the can down the road and imagining what this team could accomplish when healthy are over. No more imagining — this team must get the job done or it might be time to look toward the future and potentially break up the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George duo. This experiment hasn't been a failure — L.A. reached its first conference finals in 2021 — but it hasn't brought the sustained dominance many expected.

Boston Celtics (43-12, first in Eastern Conference) | 10

We know Boston can get there with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown spearheading the team, but can it finish the job? After adding two borderline stars in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last summer, this is the season to prove it can. Boston has been the best team in the NBA all season, so coming up short of a championship would be a failure.