Who’s Playing in the NBA Playoffs Tonight?

The NBA playoffs are in full swing and there are some great matchups tonight. Who’s playing and what time do they tip off?

The Teams

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and there are some great match-ups tonight. The first game is between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors. The Rockets are the defending champions and the Warriors are the reigning champions. This should be a great game!

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Warriors have reached nine NBA Finals, winning five NBA championships in 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, and 2017.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association as a member team of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. The Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles. The team was established as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego, in 1967. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston due to lagging attendance and poor arena facilities in San Diego.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The Thunder plays their home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The franchise began play as the Seattle SuperSonics, an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1967–68 season. The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after a dispute with their former owner, and became the Thunder.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The franchise played its home games in Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995.

The Trail Blazers have been the most successful franchise in terms of winning percentage in the NBA since 1970, winning one championship and two conference titles. As of 2018–19, they hold the longest active playoff appearance streak in the NBA at 21 seasons. They are tied with the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs for second-most playoff appearances behind only the Boston Celtics since 1950. Bill Walton is the franchise’s most decorated player; he was the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) when he led Portland to their lone championship in 1977. Four Blazer rookies have won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Three players have earned one of basketball’s highest honors as members of the Trail Blazers: Clyde Drexler and Rasheed Wallace were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; Drexler was also named to 10 NBA All-Star teams and was voted one of top 50 players ever by NBA fans; Damian Lillard has been named an All-Star four times and voted one of top 100 current players by fellow NBA players; and Walton was named college basketball’s player of 20th century by ESPN and is one of only two players ever (the other being Wilt Chamberlain) to win an NCAA Championship, an NBA Championship, and an Olympic Gold Medal.

The Schedule

First Round

The First Round of the playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 15th. The schedule is as follows:

Eastern Conference
– Milwaukee bucks vs. Detroit pistons
– Boston celtics vs. Indiana pacers
– Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn nets
– Toronto raptors vs. Orlando magic

Western Conference
– Golden state warriors vs. Los Angeles clippers
– Denver nuggets vs. San Antonio spurs
– Portland trail blazers vs. Oklahoma city thunder
– Houston rockets vs. Utah jazz

Second Round

Eastern Conference
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (5) Miami Heat
The top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks are set to take on the fifth-seeded Miami Heat in the second round of the 2020 NBA playoffs. The Bucks swept the Orlando Magic in the first round, while the Heat needed six games to get past the Indiana Pacers.

This series is set to begin on Monday, August 24th, with Game 1 taking place at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The series will then continue every other day until a winner is crowned.

(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Boston Celtics
In the other second-round matchup in the Eastern Conference, the second-seeded Toronto Raptors are set to take on the third-seeded Boston Celtics. The Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets in seven games in their first-round matchup, while the Celtics needed just five games to get past the Philadelphia 76ers.

This series is set to begin on Thursday, August 27th, with Game 1 taking place at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The series will then continue every other day until a winner is crowned.

Western Conference
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
In the Western Conference, the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers are set to take on the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets. The Lakers swept their first-round opponent,the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Rockets needed seven games to get past Oklahoma City Thunder.

This series is set to begin on Friday, August 28th, with Game 1 taking place at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The series will then continue every other day until a winner is crowned.

(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs.. (3) Denver Nuggetsin Orlando

Conference Finals

The Conference Finals are the two best-of-seven series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s playoffs that conclude the league’s season. The Eastern and Western conference champions will play each other for a chance to compete in the NBA Finals.

NBA Finals

The 2017 NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors are playing against the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers for a fourth consecutive year. This Finals features a duel between the Warriors, who have home-court advantage as they own the league’s best record (67–15), and the Cavaliers, who are making their seventh straight Finals appearance. Golden State swept Cleveland in four games in 2015, while the Cavaliers won in seven games in 2016.

The 2017 NBA Finals began on June 1, 2017. It is televised by ABC in the United States. On June 7, following a Game 4 victory that gave them a 3–1 lead in the series, the Warriors became NBA champions for the third time in four seasons (and fifth time overall), defeating Cleveland 129–120 to complete a sweep of the Finals. Kevin Durant was named Finals MVP for averaging 35.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game during the series; this was his first career Finals MVP award.

The Players

The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament annually held after the NBA’s regular season to determine the league’s champion. This year, 16 teams will qualify for the playoffs. The playoffs will begin on April 15 and will end on June 20, with the NBA Finalsdevice happening from June 5 to June 20.

LeBron James

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. James has won four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to fourteen NBA All-Star teams, fifteen All-NBA teams, and sixteen NBA All-Defensive teams.

Steph Curry

In 2015, Steph Curry had one of the most impressive shooting seasons in NBA history. The point guard for the Golden State Warriors shattered his own record for 3-pointers made in a season, finishing with 402. He also became the first player in NBA history to be unanimously voted MVP, and led his team to an NBA championship.

Curry was born in Akron, Ohio, but grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. His father, Dell Curry, was a successful NBA player who spent 16 seasons in the league. Steph Curry played college basketball at Davidson College, where he became known for his incredible shooting ability. He was drafted by the Warriors in 2009 and has been with the team ever since.

Curry is now considered one of the best shooters in NBA history. He has won two NBA championships with the Warriors, and was named MVP of both finals series. He has also been named MVP of the regular season twice, and is a six-time All-Star.

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA All-Star, and earned the league’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2017. He is also an eight-time All-NBA Team selection and led the league in scoring in 2014–15 and 2016–17.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. He spent nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he won an NBA championship in 2012. Durant was a nine-time NBA All-Star and won two NBA Finals MVP Awards with Golden State.