What Teams Are Playing In The Nba Playoffs?
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The NBA playoffs are in full swing and there are some great match-ups to watch. Here’s a look at what teams are playing in the playoffs.
Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference Playoffs are set to begin on Saturday, August 15th. The first round will be a best-of-seven series. The 1-seed Milwaukee Bucks will take on the 8-seed Orlando Magic, the 2-seed Toronto Raptors will take on the 7-seed Brooklyn Nets, the 3-seed Philadelphia 76ers will take on the 6-seed Boston Celtics, and the 4-seed Indiana Pacers will take on the 5-seed Miami Heat.
Boston Celtics
Led by Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics are one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals this year. The Celtics finished the regular season with a record of 49-23, good for second place in the Eastern Conference. They will face the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association, as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada. When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian-based team in the NBA. They originally played their home games at the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre), before moving eastward along Bremner Boulevard to the Air Canada Centre (ACC) in 1999.
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 the 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.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year and will look to make a deep run after being ousted in the first round last year. The Bucks are led by superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is fresh off of winning his second straight MVP award. The Bucks will be a force to be reckoned with in the East and will look to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974.
Western Conference
The Golden State Warriors are the top seed in the Western Conference and are playing the Houston Rockets in the first round. The Warriors are coming off a dominant season in which they won 67 games. The Rockets are led by MVP candidate James Harden and are looking to dethrone the Warriors.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. 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 Oracle Arena in Oakland.
The Warriors have reached eight NBA Finals, winning four NBA championships in 1947, 1956, 1975, and most recently in 2015 when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers. Golden State’s four NBA championships are tied for fourth-most all-time with the Chicago Bulls; no team has won more than two championships since 1983 when the Los Angeles Lakers won their ninth title. The Warriors are known for their storied rivalry with the Lakers, whom they faced eight times in NBA Finals history: four times meeting when both teams resided in Minneapolis–Saint Paul (1947, 1948, 1949, 1950), and another four times after moving to California (1972, 1973, 1974–75 [when they won their lone championship as Golden State], 1987).
According to two published reports by Forbes magazine,[9][10] the Warriors are the seventh most valuable NBA franchise with an estimated value of $3 billion. As of 2018[update], Forbes ranked the Warriorsfourth among teams with average player salary at $7 million per year
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are a 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 their history, 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 strong financial pressure from San Antonio Spurs owner roadside Mermis and subsequently became known as the Houston Rockets.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers qualified for the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a 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 team plays its home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder were formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, an NBA franchise that was established in 1967. The SuperSonics won the NBA championship in 1979. In July 2008, the team was sold to professional boxer and businessman Clay Bennett with the intention of moving the franchise to Oklahoma City as part of a realignment in the NBA’s conference structure.
