What NBA Teams Are In The Playoffs?
Contents
It’s that time of year again! The NBA playoffs are just around the corner, and we want to make sure you’re prepared. Here’s a quick rundown of which teams are in and what you can expect from the first round.
Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference Playoff race is really tight this season. The Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat are currently tied for the first spot with the Pacers holding the tiebreaker. The Philadelphia 76ers are only half a game behind them and the Boston Celtics are only 1.5 games behind the Pacers. All four of these teams have a chance to win the conference.
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 U.S. Senator Herb Kohl was the long-time owner of the team, but on April 16, 2014, a group led by billionaire hedge fund managers Wes Edens and Marc Lasry agreed to purchase a majority interest in the team from Kohl, a sale which was approved by the owners of the NBA and its Board of Governors one month later on May 16. The new owners appointed Peter Feigin as the franchise’s fifth president.
The Bucks have won one league title (1971), two conference titles (1971 and 1974), and 13 division titles (1971–74, 1976, 1980–86, 2001, 2019). They have featured such notable players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Bob Lanier, Sam Cassell,glenn Robinson , Ray Allen Michael Redd , Terry Cummings , Andrew Bogut , Giannis Antetokounmpo .
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The team was founded in 1995 as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers (often referred to as the Sixers) 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 franchises in the NBA, and one of only eight (out of 23) to survive the league’s first decade.
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 only two NBA teams with a perfect record against every other team in NBA history.
The Celtics have a rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, whom they faced in the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first established in 1967 as a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a proud member of the NBA after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are a professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team is one of two NBA franchises in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The franchise was established in 1967 as a charter member 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, in 1968 and changing their name to the New York Nets. During this time, the Nets won two ABA championships (in 1974 and 1976). In 1976, with then-ABA Most Valuable Player Julius Erving leading an aging roster to victory over an up-and-coming Indiana Pacers team left many yawning. After never having a losing record prior to 1975–76, they suffered their first major setback when they finished last that year; this led directly to a franchise-worst record for 1977–78. It put them out of business for good—the resultant dispersal draft took place on May 18 that year—and sent them into freefall for half a decade.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was established in 1989 as an expansion team, and such notable NBA stars as Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, and Dwight Howard have played for the club throughout its young history. As of 2020, the franchise has played in the NBA playoffs ten times. Their most recent appearance was in 2019.
Western Conference
There are eight teams remaining in the race for the NBA Finals. In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers have clinched the top two spots in the conference. The Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Portland Trail Blazers are all fighting for the remaining six playoff spots.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. 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 play their home games at the Chase Center.
The Warriors won the NBA Finals in 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, and 2017, becoming one of only five teams to win the championship more than twice, and the first to do so since 1977. With Stephen Curry leading a streak of four straight Finals appearances since 2015 , winning three championships in that span , they became known as a dynasty . The team had already appeared three times beforehand (1947, 1956 and 1975), winning one championship each time.
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 game. It played in the ABA until 1974. The Rockets shared the Pepsi Center with the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer untilalt=2018, when they moved to Pepsi Center full-time.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. Throughout its history, Houston has won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles. It was established in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston due to strong economic and population growth in the city. The Rockets won only 15 games in their debut season as a franchise in 1967. In the 1968 NBA draft, they selected power forward Elvin Hayes first overall, who would lead the team to their first playoff appearance in his rookie year. The Rockets did not finish a season with a winning record until the 1976–77 season when they traded for center Moses Malone. Malone went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award twice and led Houston to nine playoff appearances during his tenure with the team. He also led them to their only NBA Championship in franchise history that same year
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 was founded in 1970, and played its home games in Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995 (called the Rose Garden until 2013). The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977. Their other NBA Finals appearances were in 1990 and 1992.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder is an American 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 Thunder plays its home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The franchise began play in 1967 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 settlement was reached between the ownership group led by Clay Bennett and lawmakers in Seattle following a rancorous legal battle. In Seattle, the SuperSonics qualified for the NBA playoffs 22 times, won their division six times, advanced to three NBA Finals, and won the 1979 NBA Championship. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder qualified for their first playoff berth during the 2009–10 season. They captured their first division title as well as their first Western Conference championship in 2011.
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 in New Orleans in 1974 as the New Orleans Jazz, a charter member of the NBA. The Jazz were one of the least successful teams in the league in their early years. In 1985, the franchise was relocated to Salt Lake City. The team took its name from its state’s nickname, “The Beehive State”, which is prominently featured on the team’s jerseys.
The Jazz qualified for their first playoff berth during the 1984–85 season. Led by Peterson and Malone, they reached the conference semifinals before losing to the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. Malone and Stockton continued to lead Utah to playoff appearances every year until 2003, when Jerry Sloan became head coach. Following Stockton’s retirement after 19 seasons with Utah (a period during which he also became an NBA All-Star), head coach Sloan stepping down from his post after 23 seasons with 1,221 wins (the most by any coach with a single NBA franchise), and several disappointing playoff exits throughout the 2000s and 2010s, O’Connor decided that it was time to rebuild; he subsequently fired head coach Tyrone Corbin on April 21, 2014 after four seasons and hired Quin Snyder as his replacement later that month. On June 7,2017, Snyder was promoted to Head Coach/President of Basketball Operations after one season as GM/Head Coach following O’Connor stepping down as GM.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association (ABA) teams to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA–NBA merger and are the only former ABA team to have won an NBA championship. The franchise has won five NBA championships, four conference titles, and one division title. As of 2020, the Spurs have the fourth-highest winning percentage among active NBA franchises during their time playing in each respective league.
