How Many Teams Are Left in the NBA Playoffs?
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As the NBA regular season comes to a close, we take a look at how many teams are still in the running for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference Finals are set with the Boston Celtics taking on the Miami Heat. The Celtics are coming off a dominant win in Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors, while the Heat had to grind out a Game 6 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams, the team play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history; they have won the most championships of any NBA franchise with 17 , and currently hold the record for the most recorded wins of any NBA team with 3,563.
Cleveland Cavaliers
As of May 23, 2017, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team remaining in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They were established in 1995 as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada.
The Raptors play their home games at the Scotiabank Arena, which they share with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was founded in 1995 as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Since their debut, the Raptors have been consistent playoff qualifiers but have yet to win a division title or conference championship.
Washington Wizards
As of the 2019 NBA playoffs, the Washington Wizards are the only team left in the Eastern Conference.
Western Conference
There are four teams left in the Western Conference of the NBA Playoffs. The Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets are all vying for a spot in the Finals. The Warriors and Rockets are the top two seeds in the conference, so they have a bit of an advantage.
Houston Rockets
As of May 12, 2019, the Houston Rockets have been eliminated from the NBA Playoffs.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco, California. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The team plays its home games at the Chase Center.
Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city’s name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. They won the 1967 NBA Finals, and reached the Finals again in 1975, losing to the BOXING – (What Is It?) then-defending champion Boston Celtics. The Warriors made history again in 2015 when they became the first team to win an NBA championship after starting the playoffs with a record of 73–9 (.890), eclipsing Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls’ 1995–96 record of 72–10 (.878). They captured their second trophy following a 4–2 defeat of Cleveland in the 2017 NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays its home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder’s NBA G League affiliate is the Oklahoma City Blue, which it owns. The Thunder are the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues based in the state of Oklahoma.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference, Northwest Division. Since 1991, the team has played its home games at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The franchise began play as an expansion team in 1974 as the New Orleans Jazz, led by player-coach Pete Maravich and featuring two future Hall of Fame members: forward Karl Malone and guard John Stockton. The Jazz moved from New Orleans to Salt Lake City in 1979.
The Jazz were one of the least successful teams in the NBA during their early years. In 1985, they traded Malone to the Houston Rockets for veteran center Mark Eaton, who became their defensive anchor for years to come; they also drafted point guard Darrell Griffith, who would become their franchise player for years to come. They had their first period of sustained success after acquiring point guard John Stockton in 1987 along with young forward Karl Malone; both players would eventually join the Basketball Hall of Fame. After missing the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons following a first-round defeat to the Seattle SuperSonics in 1983, they qualified for 19 straight playoffs and won five Conference titles between 1988 and 1998 with Stockton and Malone, culminating in two NBA Finals appearances during that span; they lost both championship series – to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls on both occasions – despite holding 2–0 leads at one point in each series.
