Who Made It To The Playoffs? NBA Edition
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It’s that time of year again! The time when the best teams in the NBA go head-to-head in the playoffs. So, who made it in this year?
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The Field is Set
The offseason is finally over and the NBA regular season is just around the corner. After weeks of anticipation, the playoff field is finally set. There are a few surprises and a few disappointments, but that’s how it always is. Let’s take a look at the field and see who has the best chance of winning it all.
Eastern Conference
The playoff picture is set in the East, with the Milwaukee Bucks (60-22) claiming the No. 1 overall seed, and the Toronto Raptors (58-24) coming in at No. 2. The Philadelphia 76ers (51-31), Boston Celtics (49-33), Indiana Pacers (48-34), Miami Heat (44-38), and Brooklyn Nets (42-40) round out the conference’s playoff teams.
Western Conference
The field is set for the NBA playoffs! In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors will face off against the Houston Rockets, the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Utah Jazz, and the San Antonio Spurs will battle the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors are the favorites to win it all, but with four solid teams in contention, anything can happen! Who do you think will come out on top?
How They Got There
The NBA season has come to an end and only 16 teams remain to fight for the title of NBA champions. These teams have fought hard all season long and have earned their spot in the playoffs. But how did they get there? Let’s take a look at how each team made it to the playoffs.
Eastern Conference
In the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks clinched the best record in the NBA, and they will be the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. The Toronto Raptors are the No. 2 seed, while the Philadelphia will be the No. 3 seed and the Boston Celtics will be the No. 4 seed. The Indiana Pacers clinched the fifth spot in the conference, while The Brooklyn Nets clinched the sixth spot. The Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic round out the playoff field as the seventh and eighth seeds, respectively.
Western Conference
The Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the association, the other being the Eastern Conference. Like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is made up of 15 teams organized into three divisions.
The divisional alignment was adopted at the start of the 2004–05 season, when the now Charlotte Hornets began playing as the NBA’s 30th franchise. Of the three divisions in each conference, a team’s division ranking is used to determine home court advantage playoff seeding if it qualifies for playoffs. The top three seeds receive a bye to round one, and home court advantage in all rounds.
The team with the best record in each division receives a playoff berth regardless of its conference usa Today. However, since 2006–07, if two or more teams from a conference finish with identical records, they are seeded solely by their record against teams within their conference.
What’s at Stake
The 2020 NBA Playoffs are just around the corner, and there are a lot of teams vying for a spot. With so much on the line, let’s take a look at what’s at stake for each team.
Eastern Conference
In the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat have clinched the top two playoff spots. The Philadelphia 76ers are in third place, followed by the Brooklyn Nets in fourth place. The Charlotte Hornets and the Boston Celtics are currently tied for fifth place, with the Hornets owning the tiebreaker. The Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards round out the conference standings.
The Indiana Pacers have clinched the first seed in the Eastern Conference and will have home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs. The Miami Heat have clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They will also have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers are currently in third place and will most likely have to face either the Brooklyn Nets or Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
The Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics are currently tied for fifth place. The Hornets own the tiebreaker, so they will be fifth seed if they remain tied with the Celtics. The Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards are currently fighting for eighth place and a chance to play in the NBA playoffs.
Western Conference
The Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Eastern Conference. Like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is made up of 15 teams, organized in three divisions.
The Western Conference has been home to some of the NBA’s most successful teams. The conference has produced 28 champions, including 17 of the last 20 (as of 2019). The Golden State Warriors, who have won five titles since 2010, are currently the dominant team in the conference.
The Western Conference is also home to some of the league’s most storied rivalries. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have met in the NBA Finals a record 12 times, with the Lakers winning nine times. The Lakers– Spurs rivalry is also considered one of the best in the NBA.
Match-Ups to Watch
This NBA season has been full of plenty of surprises, which means the playoffs should be even more interesting. There are a number of match-ups that fans should be excited to watch. Here are some of the most highly anticipated matchups in the first round of the playoffs.
Eastern Conference
The 2019-2020 NBA season has been one for the ages. With the number of postponed and rescheduled games, it has been hard to keep track of who is in and who is out of the playoffs. As of today, these are the teams that have clinched a spot in the playoffs:
-Milwaukee Bucks
-Toronto Raptors
-Boston Celtics
-Miami Heat
-Indiana Pacers
-Philadelphia 76ers
-Orlando Magic
That leaves us with two spots left in the Eastern Conference. The Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards are currently tied for seventh place, with the Charlotte Hornets only a half game behind them. It is going to be a close race to the finish line, but here are some match-ups to keep an eye on:
-The Nets have a tough road ahead, with games against the Celtics, Bucks, and Raptors. If they want to make it to the playoffs, they need to find a way to win against some of the best teams in the league.
-The Wizards have an easier road ahead, but they cannot afford to take any games for granted. They have winnable games against the Pistons, Cavaliers, and Knicks, but they will need to be at their best if they want to make it into the postseason.
-The Hornets are going to need some help from other teams if they want to make the playoffs. They have a few tough games coming up against teams like the Celtics and Sixers, but they also have some must-win games against bottom-dwellers like the Cavaliers and Knicks.
Western Conference
In the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets will take on the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Golden State Warriors face off against the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Rockets and Blazers split their season series 2-2. However, Houston holds the tiebreaker due to having a better record overall. The Warriors and Clippers also split their regular season match-ups, but Golden State has home court advantage.
The Rockets are led by MVP candidate James Harden, who averaged 36 points per game this season. They will need him to be at his best if they want to advance to the next round. The Blazers are led by Damian Lillard, who averaged 25 points per game this season.
The Warriors are looking to defend their title from last year and are led by Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, who both averaged over 25 points per game this season. The Clippers are led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who both averaged over 20 points per game this season.
Predictions
It’s that time of year again. The time when the best teams in the NBA face off against each other in the playoffs. The race to the championship has been heated this year, and there are a few teams that stand out as favorites. Who will make it to the playoffs? Here are our predictions.
Eastern Conference
In the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors are almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics are all fighting for a chance to take the third, fourth, and fifth seeds. The Southeast division is up for grabs between the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Charlotte Hornets. The Washington Wizards are currently in last place but could make a run for the playoffs if they can turn their season around.
In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets are leading the pack. The Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Clippers are all within striking distance of each other and could grab a playoff spot. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings are currently at the bottom of the conference but could make a run if they can improve their play.
Western Conference
The playoff race in the Western Conference is always tight and this season is no different.
The Warriors are currently in the lead, but they have been injury-prone this season and any team could take their spot. The Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Rockets, Jazz,Thunder, and Spurs are all within five games of the Warriors and any of them could easily make a push for the top spot.
In the fight for the final few playoff spots, the Clippers, Kings, Mavericks, and Timberwolves are all within three games of each other. It will be a close race to the finish and any of these teams could make a run for the playoffs.