What’s the NBA Playoff Picture Look Like?
The NBA Playoff Picture is looking very tight this year. There are a lot of teams that have a chance to win it all, and it should be a great race to the finish.
The NBA Playoff Picture
The NBA Playoff Picture is the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tournament is an elimination tournament that consists of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The top eight teams in each conference (Western and Eastern) qualified for the playoffs.
The teams that have clinched a playoff berth
With less than a month left in the regular season, the playoff picture is starting to come into focus. A total of eight teams have clinched a playoff berth so far, and there are a few more that are on the brink of doing so. Here’s a look at the teams that have already punched their ticket to the postseason, as well as those that are close to doing so.
Eastern Conference
x-Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks have been the best team in the NBA all season long and have already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They are currently on pace to finish with the best record in the league.
x-Toronto Raptors: The Raptors have also clinched a top-four seed in the East and are currently in second place. They are on pace for about 50 wins, which would be a slight improvement over last season’s total of 59.
x-Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season and have already clinched a playoff berth. They are currently in third place in the East and are on pace for 50+ wins.
x-Indiana Pacers: The Pacers occupy the fourth and final spot in the East that has been clinched so far. They are on pace for roughly 48 wins, which would be a slight decrease from last season’s total of 49.
Western Conference
x-Golden State Warriors: The Warriors have had some struggles this season, but they’ve still managed to clinch a top-four seed in the West. They are currently in second place behind only the Milwaukee Bucks.
x-Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets have also clinched a spot in the playoffs and are currently third in the West. They are on pace for about 54 wins, which would be an improvement over last season’s total of 46.
x-Portland Trail Blazers: The Trail Blazers occupy the fourth spot in the West that has been clinched so far. They are currently on pace for 50+ wins, which would be an improvement over last season’s total of 49.
x-Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder round out the list of teams that have clinch a playoff berth so far. They are currently fifth in the West and on pace for 50+ wins, which would be an improvement over last season’s total of 48.
The teams that are still in the running for a playoff berth
The NBA Playoff Picture is still very much up in the air heading into the final week of the regular season. There are a handful of teams still in the running for a playoff berth, and seedings could change vastly in just a few short days.
As it stands right now, the Boston Celtics are on the outside looking in. They are currently 10th in the Eastern Conference, but only 1.5 games back of the 8th spot. The Indiana Pacers occupy that final playoff spot, but they have been struggling as of late, losing 7 of their last 10 games.
In the Western Conference, it is a bit more clear cut. The Memphis Grizzlies sit in the 8th spot, 3.5 games ahead of the 9th place New Orleans Pelicans. The Grizzlies have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the past month, winning 9 of their last 10 games.
Heading into the final week of the season, there are still a lot of questions to be answered in regards to the NBA Playoff Picture. It should be an exciting finish to what has been a great regular season.
The NBA Playoff Bracket
As the NBA season winds down, teams are fighting for position in the standings. The top eight seeds in each conference make the playoffs, and the seeding determines the matchup. The team with the best record in each conference gets the top seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The next six seeds are based on record, regardless of conference.
The teams that have clinched a top seed in the playoffs
The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks have both clinched the top seed in their respective conferences and are guaranteed to have homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lakers will most likely face the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, while the Bucks could face either the Orlando Magic or Brooklyn Nets.
The Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets are both in a good position to clinch a top seed, but they will have to keep winning to make sure they don’t slip down the standings. The Philadelphia 76ers are currently in the third seed, but they could still end up anywhere from first to fifth in the conference.
In the Western Conference, there is a tight race for seeds two through six. The Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, and San Antonio Spurs are all within two games of each other.
The teams that are still in the running for a top seed in the playoffs
There are still a few teams vying for a top seed in the playoffs, and the matchups could be very interesting. The Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets have both clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they are still fighting for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Warriors have a slim lead over the Rockets, but both teams are looking strong.
In the East, the Boston Celtics have clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they are still fighting for the top spot with the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have a slight edge over the Celtics, but both teams are playing well.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs have also clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they are both fighting for better positioning. The Cavaliers are currently in fourth place in the East, while the Spurs are in seventh place in the West.
The Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder have also clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they are both fighting for better positioning. The Jazz are currently in fifth place in the West, while the Thunder are in sixth place in the West.
The NBA Playoff Schedule
The first round of the playoffs is already underway and we have some great matchups. In the East, we have the Milwaukee Bucks vs. the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors vs. the Orlando Magic. In the West, we have the Golden State Warriors vs. the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets vs. the Utah Jazz. These are just some of the great matchups that we have to look forward to.
The dates and times of the first round of the playoffs
The first round of the playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 13. The schedule for the first round is as follows:
Game 1: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers – 3:00 p.m. EDT on ABC
Game 2: Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic – 5:30 p.m. EDT on TNT
Game 3: Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN
Game 4: Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz – 10:30 p.m. EDT on TNT
Game 5 (if necessary): Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers – TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic – TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers – TBD
The dates and times of the second round of the playoffs
The NBA Playoff second round schedule is set. The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Houston Rockets, while the LA Clippers will face the Dallas Mavericks.
The games will begin on Sunday, with the Lakers and Rockets tipping off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, followed by the Clippers and Mavericks at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.
On Monday, the other two second-round series will begin, as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers versus the Denver Nuggets at 10 p.m. ET, both on TNT.
The complete schedule for the NBA Playoff second round is below:
Sunday, September 6th
3:30 p.m.: Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets (ABC)
6:00 p.m.: LA Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)
Monday, September 7th
7:30 p.m.: Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets (TNT)
10:00 p.m.: Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets (TNT)
Tuesday, September 8th 7:30 p.m.: Brooklyn Nets vs Milwaukee Bucks (TNT) 10:00 p.m.: Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers (TNT)
Wednesday, September 9th 3:30 p.m.: Dallas Mavericks vs LA Clippers (ABC) 6:00p.m.: Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers (ESPN)
Thursday, September 10th 7:30 p.m.: Brooklyn Nets vs Milwaukee Bucks (TNT) 10:00p
The dates and times of the conference finals
The NBA Conference Finals are set, with the Western Conference Finals featuring the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets, and the Eastern Conference Finals pitting the Milwaukee Bucks against the Toronto Raptors.
The first games of each series will be played on May 15th, with the Warriors and Rockets tipping off at 3:00 pm EST, followed by the Bucks and Raptors at 8:30 pm EST. The full schedule for the Conference Finals is below.
May 15th
3:00 pm – Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets (ABC)
8:30 pm – Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto Raptors (TNT)
May 17th
8:00 pm – Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors (TNT)
8:30 pm – Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks (ESPN)
May 20th
3:00 pm – Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets (ABC) 8:30 pm – Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto Raptors (ESPN)
May 22nd8:00 pm – Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors (TNT)8:30 pm – Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks (ESPN)
The date and time of the NBA Finals
The date and time of the NBA Finals have not been announced yet, but they are tentatively scheduled for June 7th at 9:00pm EST.
