Contents
The NBA playoffs are in full swing, and there are plenty of great matchups to watch. But who are the teams that are still in the running? Here’s a look at the teams that are still in the hunt for the NBA championship.
Checkout this video:
Who is in the NBA playoffs?
The NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the NBA regular season. The tournament concludes with the winning team receiving the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Eight teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs.
How did they get there?
As the regular season comes to an end, 16 teams head to the NBA playoffs. The playoffs begin on April 13 and will last until June, when the NBA Finals take place.
Eight teams from each conference make the playoffs. The conference seeds are based on each team’s record. The team with the best record in each conference gets seeded first, and the team with the worst record gets seeded eighth.
From there, playoff matchups are determined by a set of rules. The four division winners in each conference are seeded first through fourth based on their records. The four remaining teams in each conference are then seeded fifth through eighth based on their records.
The first two rounds of the playoffs are played within each conference. In the first round, which is also known as the “play-in” round, the seventh seed plays the eighth seed, and the winner becomes the seventh seed in the conference. Then, the second seed plays the third seed, and the winner becomes the second seed in the conference. Finally, the fourth seed plays the fifth seed, and the winner becomes fourth in conference. These three playoffs matchups are all best-of-seven series; meaning that whoever wins four games first advances to Round 2 of their respective conference’s playoffs.
In Round 2 of Conference Playoffs (the semifinals),the matchup is as follows: First Seed vs Fourth Seed & Second Seed vs Third Seed . Like in Round 1 , these are Best -Of -Seven Series . Winners from Conference Semifinals advance to Conference Finals .
In Conference Finals , it is simply First Seed vs Second Seed in a Best – Of – Seven Series . Winner from Conference Finals goes to NBA Finals .
In NBA Finals , it is First Seed vs First Seed OR Second Seed vs Second Seed . Whichever Conference’s Champion has a better Overall Record than its opponent , that team will have Home Court Advantage for entire NBA Finals series (Best Of Seven) . If both teams have identical Overall Records heading into finals then whichever team had a better Head To Head Record between those same two opponents during Regular Season will be given Home Court Advantage for entire series .
What are the matchups?
The first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs is set. The playoffs will begin on Monday, August 17. The NBA Finals will start on Thursday, September 30.
Here are the matchups:
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (8) Orlando Magic
(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Brooklyn Nets
(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
(4) Miami Heat vs. (5) Indiana Pacers
Who are the favorites?
Published May 9, 2019
Who are the favorites?
The Milwaukee Bucks are the top overall seed in the playoffs and are the favorite to win the NBA Finals according to oddsmakers. The Golden State Warriors, who have won three of the last four NBA titles, are second. The Toronto Raptors, who lost to the Warriors in last year’s Finals, are third.
Who are the underdogs?
The NBA Playoffs are upon us, and there are a few clear underdogs this year. The Portland Trail Blazers will have their work cut out for them as they take on the Golden State Warriors, while the Boston Celtics will need to be at the top of their game to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks. Who do you think will come out on top?
What are the key storylines?
Entering the final weeks of the NBA’s regular season, there are still plenty of key storylines to keep an eye on as we head into the playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors are still the favorites to win it all, but they’ve looked vulnerable at times this season. Can they put it all together and make a run at a three-peat?
The Milwaukee Bucks have been the best team in the league all season long. But can they win when it matters most?
The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors have both been great this season. Which team will come out of the East?
In the West, the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets have been two of the best teams. Who will come out on top?
And finally, will any team be able to dethrone the Warriors? We’ll find out soon enough.
What are the must-see games?
Although the fan bases of many teams will be disappointed that their squad didn’t make the playoffs, there are still plenty of great match-ups to look forward to. In the Western Conference, the #1 seed Los Angeles Lakers will take on the #8 Portland Trail Blazers. The young upstarts from Portland have been impressive all season, but they will have their hands full with LeBron James and company. In the Eastern Conference, the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks will take on the #7 Orlando Magic. The Magic have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season, led by their superstar center, Nikola Vucevic.
What are the potential upsets?
The Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs are the top four seeds in the Western Conference. In the East, it is the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Clippers, Thunder, and Spurs are all fair favorites to make the NBA Finals out of the West. The Heat and Celtics should be locks to come out of the East. That said, every team has at least one weakness that could be their undoing.
In the West, the Clippers have a suspect bench and no real inside presence. The Thunder tend to rely too much on Russell Westbrook and Paul George to create offense. The Spurs are an old team that could run out of steam in a long series.
In the East, the Heat do not have a lot of size to match up with some of the other teams. The Celtics do not have a go-to scorer when things get tight in the fourth quarter. The Pacers have been very inconsistent all season long.
Upsets happen all the time in sports. If any of these top seeds falter in the playoffs, it would not be a surprise.
What are the x-factors?
As the regular season comes to a close, the focus now shifts to the NBA playoffs.
The playoff picture is essentially set, but there are still a few x-factors that could play a role in how far each team advances.
For the Eastern Conference, the biggest question mark surrounds the Boston Celtics.
They have been inconsistent all season long and will be without their two best players, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, come playoff time.
Can they flip the switch and put together a deep run? Or will they disappoint once again?
In the Western Conference, all eyes will be on the Houston Rockets as they try to prove that they are legitimate title contenders.
They had the best record in the league this season and just added another All-Star in Chris Paul.
But questions remain about their ability to close out big games and get past Golden State in a potential conference finals matchup.
It should be an exciting playoffs with plenty of storylines to follow.
Who will win it all?
Now that the regular season is over, it’s time to take a look at who’s in the playoffs and make some predictions. The NBA playoff format is a bit complicated, but here’s a quick rundown. There are four rounds of playoffs. The first three rounds are best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win four games advances to the next round. The Finals are best-of-seven as well, but the teams that make it to that round have already gone through three rounds of playoffs, so they’re the cream of the crop.
There are eight teams in each conference—the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The top seed in each conference gets a bye in the first round, meaning they don’t have to play until round two. The seeds 2-7 in each conference play each other in the first round, with the winners advancing to take on the 1 seeds in round two. It’s then down to four teams in each conference—the two each from rounds one and two—who play each other in round three, with those winners moving on to the Finals. So who’s got a shot at taking home the title this year? Let’s take a look at some of the contenders.
