Who’s In the NBA Playoffs 2021?

It’s that time of year again! The 2021 NBA Playoffs are just around the corner. Who’s in? Who’s out?

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference Playoffs are set and there are some interesting matchups. The Brooklyn Nets are the number one seed and they will take on the eighth-seeded Boston Celtics. The Milwaukee Bucks are the second seed and they will take on the seventh-seeded Miami Heat.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and play at the Fiserv Forum. former logos were the arrowhead and deer, while their current logo is a buck’s head. Their home arena from 1977 to 1988 was the MECCA Arena, and from 1988 to present day is the Fiserv Forum

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The team was established in 1967 as a charter franchise of the NBA’s rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans during their first season, before moving to Long Island, New York, and changing their name to the New York Nets in 1968. During this time, the Nets won two ABA championships (in 1974 and 1976). In 1976, after losing both American Conference Finals games by identical scores of 134–118, they chose to leave for two years rather than playing at Madison Square Garden or Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum until 1978, when they would return as part of a merger with the NBA.

The Nets were absorbed into the NBA in 1976 after three seasons and their resurgence began almost immediately when they drafted Julius Erving out of Massachusetts with their first overall pick in 1976. The young star led them to immediate success: he was named Rookie of the Year and led his team to an NBA Finals appearance against his former ABA squad, Indiana. However, they lost that series 4 games to 2. Nevertheless, they continued to build around Erving; they acquired several veteran players during subsequent seasons including World B. Free early in 1977–78, Bernard King later that same season (traded for cash considerations), Michael Ray Richardson prior to 1978–79 (in exchange for a second round draft pick), Randy Smith late in 1978–79 (traded for Jimmy Walker), Brian Taylor prior to 1979–80 (in exchange for cash considerations) and Reggie Theus early in 1979–80 (traded for cash considerations). In 1980–81 with Erving now serving as team captain after King’s departure during free agency that summer and now head coach Stan Albeck running Erving’s fast break style offense which stressed up-tempo play and transition offense along with denying easy baskets on defense;[9] Brooklyn managed 49 wins posting a .613 win percentage which was second only to Boston who went 63–19 (.768) that year en route to their 14th championship winning 61% of their games; nonetheless it was enough for Brooklyn to earn home court advantage throughout the playoffs where they advanced all the way to Eastern Conference Finals losing only 3 times while compiling a 12–3 record but ultimately losing that series 4 games to 2 against defending champion Boston who went on beat Houston 4 games to 2 effectively stopping them from winning back-to-back titles.[10][11]

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division and play at Wells Fargo Center. Founded in 1946 and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest teams in the NBA, and one of only eight (out of 23) to survive the league’s first decade.

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The current roster for the Wizards includes players such as Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook, Rui Hachimura, and Alex Len. The Wizards are coached by Scott Brooks.

Western Conference

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers are the top two teams in the Western Conference. They have both clinched a spot in the playoffs. The rest of the teams in the conference are fighting for the last few spots.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). The new team began playing in Minneapolis, calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers. Initially a member of the NBL, the Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joining the rival Basketball Association of America (BAA), where they would win five of their next six championships, including titles in 1950 and 1952.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Clippers play their home games at the Staples Center, an arena shared with fellow NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

The franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, one of three expansion teams to join the NBA that year. The Braves moved from Buffalo, New York to San Diego, California in 1978 and became known as the San Diego Clippers. In 1984, The Clippers moved to Los Angeles. Through much of its history, the franchise failed to see significant regular season or playoff success. Since the acquisition of core players Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul in 2009 and 2010, however, fortunes have changed. They won their first division title in 2013 and after a forgettable 2014 campaign returned to title contention in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019–qualifying for the playoffs each year. They also set franchise records for single-season wins (57) and §§ amount spent on payroll ($136 million)

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA), but changed its name to Rockets before the first season. It changed its name again to the Nuggets in 1974. After the name change to the Nuggets, they played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz clinched their spot in the 2021 NBA Playoffs with a win over the LA Clippers on August 13th. They will be the #1 seed in the Western Conference and will face the #8 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

The Jazz had a strong regular season, led by All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. They finished with the best record in the NBA at 52-20.