NBA Power Rankings: Spurs Open at No. 1, Knicks Lead East

The San Antonio Spurs begin the 2026–27 NBA season as the league’s top team in the opening power rankings from CBS Sports and TheScore. The New York Knicks lead the Eastern Conference, while the Oklahoma City Thunder remain part of the early championship conversation.

The rankings show broad agreement about the league’s top tier, although the exact order varies by publication. San Antonio has the clearest No. 1 case in the available coverage. New York holds the strongest position in the East, and Oklahoma City gives the Western Conference another elite contender.

These are projections, not standings. They reflect expected team quality based on roster strength, player development, championship potential and overall outlook before the season produces meaningful results. Injuries, trades, chemistry and head-to-head games can quickly change the order.

How the Opening Power Rankings Compare

San Antonio Emerges as the No. 1 Candidate

CBS Sports ranks the Spurs first overall entering the season, while TheScore identifies San Antonio as the team to beat. That agreement gives the Spurs the strongest No. 1 narrative in the available preseason coverage. Source 1 Source 5

San Antonio is being evaluated as more than a promising young team or rising playoff participant. The Spurs are being treated as the projected league standard at the start of the season.

That No. 1 position creates an immediate benchmark. Every early result will be measured against the expectation that San Antonio should perform like the NBA’s strongest team. Wins over other contenders will strengthen that position, while inconsistent performances could allow challengers to close the gap.

The Knicks and Thunder Join the Top Tier

New York and Oklahoma City join San Antonio at the top of the early championship discussion. ClutchPoints’ opening-week power rankings place the Thunder, Knicks and Spurs in the league’s leading group without establishing a definitive order for all three teams. Source 7

The three teams represent distinct cases:

• San Antonio has the strongest overall No. 1 support.
• New York holds the leading Eastern Conference position.
• Oklahoma City remains a serious threat to the Western Conference hierarchy.

The early title race is therefore broader than a Spurs-versus-Knicks debate. The Thunder’s presence makes the Western Conference less predictable.

Power Rankings Are Projections, Not Standings

Power rankings differ from official standings, playoff seeding and awards. They represent an analyst’s evaluation of projected strength at a specific moment.

Preseason rankings typically consider roster quality, player development, coaching, continuity, championship upside, depth, lineup flexibility and offseason changes. The first weeks of the season can quickly challenge those assumptions. A team with strong chemistry may rise, while a highly rated roster dealing with injuries or poor execution may fall.

Why the Spurs Start at No. 1

The clearest source-supported conclusion is that San Antonio begins as the leading team. CBS Sports places the Spurs at No. 1, and TheScore also calls them the team to beat. That cross-publication agreement gives San Antonio the most secure opening position among the teams discussed. Source 1 Source 5

This does not mean San Antonio has already proved its superiority on the court. No regular-season record exists at the opening tip, and preseason expectations cannot replace game results. The ranking reflects confidence in the Spurs’ projected overall strength.

San Antonio’s position also places pressure on every Western Conference contender, particularly Oklahoma City. The Spurs must demonstrate that their projected quality can withstand a full schedule, injuries, schedule congestion and opponents with different styles.

Key questions include:

1. Can San Antonio sustain its projected level throughout the regular season?
2. Can the team perform consistently against the West’s strongest opponents?
3. Will its depth hold up through injuries and a demanding schedule?
4. Can the Spurs turn regular-season strength into playoff success?

A few impressive games will not answer those questions. A top power ranking requires consistency, reliable execution and the ability to adjust when opponents identify weaknesses. Player availability, projected lineups and injury information should be verified before later ranking updates.

Why the Knicks Lead a Reloaded Eastern Conference

CBS Sports identifies the Knicks as the leading team in the Eastern Conference. That makes New York the conference’s early pace-setter, even though San Antonio ranks first overall in the available CBS Sports and TheScore assessments. Source 1

Leading the East does not automatically mean ranking No. 1 across the NBA. San Antonio has the strongest overall endorsement, while New York has the strongest conference-specific position.

The description of a “reloaded” East suggests a competitive group near the top. The Knicks may therefore face a difficult path to the conference’s best record and home-court advantage, even as the early favorite.

The Athletic’s supplied summary identifies New York as its championship pick but does not describe the Knicks as the league’s top-ranked team. Source 9

That difference illustrates the gap between a power ranking and a championship prediction. A power ranking asks which team appears strongest now. A championship prediction asks which team is most likely to win the postseason. Analysts can rank San Antonio first for projected regular-season strength while selecting New York as the champion because of playoff fit, conference position or matchup advantages.

Oklahoma City’s Position in the Title Race

ClutchPoints places Oklahoma City alongside New York and San Antonio in its opening-week top group. The Thunder are therefore more than a secondary challenger; they are part of the same early championship tier. Source 7

The available summary does not establish Oklahoma City’s exact position in that ranking. The accurate conclusion is that the Thunder occupy the top group, not that they hold a specific numbered spot.

The Western Conference order could change according to consistency, injury management, performance against elite opponents, defensive reliability and late-game execution. Head-to-head games between the Spurs and Thunder will provide important measuring points, although they will not determine the entire season.

What Could Change the Rankings?

Head-to-Head Results

Games between top-ranked teams will offer the clearest tests. Spurs-Thunder, Spurs-Knicks and Knicks-Thunder matchups could help analysts determine whether the early hierarchy reflects actual on-court strength. Performance quality matters as much as the result; a narrow loss to an elite opponent may reveal more than a comfortable win over a weaker team.

Health and Rotation Stability

Injuries can change power rankings immediately. Continuity affects lineup chemistry, defensive communication, late-game execution and bench reliability. A deeper roster may rise if it maintains its performance despite absences.

Trade Deadline Decisions

Midseason trades can reshape the league’s hierarchy. A contender may improve its playoff versatility, address a weakness or sacrifice depth for star power. Power rankings evaluate the roster that exists at the time, not only the team that opened the season.

Playoff Performance

Regular-season strength does not guarantee postseason success. The playoffs place greater emphasis on half-court offense, defensive adjustments, rebounding, late-game decisions, series-by-series adaptation and execution against targeted weaknesses.

Final Takeaway

San Antonio begins the 2026–27 season as the strongest overall team in the supplied CBS Sports and TheScore assessments. New York leads the reloaded Eastern Conference, and Oklahoma City joins both teams in the early championship conversation.

The main disagreement concerns how analysts measure the teams. San Antonio receives the strongest No. 1 support, while New York can still be projected as the eventual champion. The Knicks’ Eastern Conference leadership does not require them to rank first across the entire league.

The season will test all three favorites. San Antonio must defend its consensus No. 1 status, New York must navigate a deeper East, and Oklahoma City must challenge the established Western Conference order. The next meaningful update should come after the first month of games, when head-to-head results, injuries and rotation patterns provide evidence beyond preseason projections.

FAQ

Who is ranked No. 1 in the opening NBA power rankings?

The San Antonio Spurs rank No. 1 in the opening assessments from CBS Sports and TheScore. Both sources present San Antonio as the early team to beat.

Which team leads the Eastern Conference power rankings?

The New York Knicks lead the Eastern Conference in the CBS Sports assessment. They rank first in the East even though San Antonio ranks first overall.

Are the Knicks projected to win the NBA championship?

The Athletic’s supplied summary identifies the Knicks as its championship pick, but it does not describe them as the league’s top-ranked team. A championship prediction and a power-ranking position measure different expectations.

Which teams join the Spurs and Knicks at the top?

The Oklahoma City Thunder join the Spurs and Knicks in ClutchPoints’ opening-week top group. The supplied summary does not provide the exact order of all three teams.

How reliable are preseason NBA power rankings?

Preseason power rankings are useful projections, not official standings. Injuries, chemistry, early results, trades and playoff performance can change the order throughout the season.

Where can readers find the complete 30-team ranking?

NBA.com provides a preseason ranking of all 30 teams entering the 2026–27 season. The complete team-by-team order should be verified directly because the supplied source summary does not list every position. Source 3