Does the NBA Playoffs Start Tonight?

The 2020 NBA playoffs are set to begin on August 17th. While the schedule has not yet been released, we know that the first round will be a best-of-seven series. So, does the NBA playoffs start tonight?

The Playoffs

The NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams in the Eastern and Western Conference, which follows the NBA regular season. The playoffs start tonight with the Eastern Conference playing at 7:00 pm.

What is the NBA Playoffs?

The NBA Playoffs are a postseason tournament held annually to crown the champion of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The playoffs began in 1947, one year after the NBA was founded. The tournament is a single-elimination event that features best-of-seven series in each round. The winners of each series advance to the next round until a final champion is crowned.

How do teams qualify for the playoffs?

In order to qualify for the playoffs, a team must have one of the best records in their conference. There are two ways to secure a playoff berth: winning a division title or earning one of the conference’s best records.

A team’s record is determined by the number of games won and lost. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. If two teams are still tied, the next tiebreaker is division record. If the teams are still tied, the next tiebreaker is conference record. The final tiebreaker is winning percentage against playoff teams in their own conference.

The playoffs always start on the weekend — either Saturday or Sunday — after the regular season ends. The specific day and time of each game is announced about a week in advance. The NBA Finals always start in June.

What is the playoff format?

The playoff format has changed slightly this year as the NBA expands from 30 to 32 teams. The four extra teams will be added to the play-in tournament, which means there will be a first round and then a second round before the conference finals.

The new playoff format is as follows:
-The three lowest seeds in each conference will compete in the first round of the play-in tournament. The winner of each game will earn the seventh seed in their respective conference.
-The fourth and fifth seeds will also compete in the first round of the play-in tournament. The loser of each game will face the winner of the seventh seed game for the eighth and final spot in each conference.
-The first round of the playoffs will be a best-of-seven series between the second and third seeds, and between the fourth and fifth seeds. The winners of those matchups will advance to the second round, where they’ll be joined by the top two seeds in each conference.
-The second round is also a best-of=seven series, with all four remaining teams reseeded so that 1) plays 4) and 2) plays 3). The winners of those two series move on to their respective conference finals.

From there, it’s a best-of=seven series to determine who goes to the NBA Finals.

Tonight’s Games

The first game of the night is the Boston Celtics at the Milwaukee Bucks. This is a matchup of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are led by Kyrie Irving, while the Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The second game of the night is the Houston Rockets at the Golden State Warriors. This is a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. The Rockets are led by James Harden, while the Warriors are led by Kevin Durant.

Who is playing tonight?

The NBA Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), held after the NBA’s regular season.

In past years, the playoffs began on the last Saturday of April, but will now start a week earlier, on April 14, 2018. The first round will end on April 28 or 29 (if there is a Game 7 in any series). The conference semifinals will be played between May 1 and May 9 (or May 10, if necessary) and the conference finals will be played between May 12 and May 20 (or May 21 or 22, if necessary).

For tonight’s games, the Boston Celtics are playing the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00 PM EST and the Houston Rockets are playing the Minnesota Timberwolves at 9:30 PM EST.

What time do the games start?

The games tonight will start at 7:00 p.m., 8:30 p.m., and 10:00 p.m.

What channel are the games on?

The 2020 NBA Playoffs will air on a variety of channels, including ESPN, TNT, and ABC. The full schedule has not been released yet, so be sure to check back closer to the start of the playoffs for more information.