Which Teams Are Left in the NBA Playoffs?

The NBA playoffs are down to just four teams: the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets, and the Boston Celtics. Who will make it to the Finals?

The Western Conference

There are only four teams left in the Western Conference playoffs. The Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz. All four teams are fighting for a chance to go to the NBA Finals. The Warriors are the defending champions and are looking to make it back to the Finals for the fourth straight year. The Rockets are the top seed in the conference and are led by MVP candidate James Harden. The Trail Blazers are led by superstar Damian Lillard. The Jazz are led by rookie Donovan Mitchell. All four teams are evenly matched and it should be a great conference finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Western Conference in the Pacific Division. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and theLos Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, winning 16 NBA championships, their last being in 2010.

The Los Angeles Clippers

With a record of 48-34, the Los Angeles Clippers finished the regular season as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They will face off against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers are led by head coach Doc Rivers and stars such as guard Lou Williams and forward Tobias Harris.

The 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 season. It changed its name again to the Nuggets in 1974. After twice failing to reach the playoffs in its early years,Denver had constant playoff success after 332-162 (.673) with ten divisional titles, six conference championships, and one NBA championship , winning their only NBA title in 2009.

The Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are an American 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. The Jazz were one of the least successful teams in the league in their early years. In 1985, they relocated to Salt Lake City.

The Jazz struggled financially early on; however, they qualified for the playoffs in each of their first 10 seasons in Utah (from 1984 to 1993).[4] They failed to make an impact on the postseason, however; never advancing past the second round of playoffs during that time-frame. They did have some regular season success; making the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, but losing both times to the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan.

The Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference playoffs are down to the final four teams. The Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics are the last teams standing in the East. Let’s take a look at each team’s chances of making it to the NBA Finals.

The Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They are one of the league’s most successful teams, having won seventeen NBA championships, which is tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for second-most in NBA history behind only the San Antonio Spurs’ five championships.

The 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. The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada.

The Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The Heat play their home games at American Airlines Arena, and have won three NBA championships.

The 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 hedge fund billionaires Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry agreed to purchase a majority interest in the team from Kohl, a sale which was approved by the NBA Board of Governors on May 15. The new owners changed the team’s name to “Milwaukee Bucks”, reflecting Wisconsin’s status as a leading producer of dairy products.

The Bucks have won one league title (1971), two conference titles (1971 and 1974), and 13 division titles (1971–74, 1976, 1980–86, 2001). They have featured such notable players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andre Risenweightenweightenweithenthwaighteand Ray Allen. The Bucks began play in 1968 as an expansion team after George Karl led an ownership group that purchased land for a new arena; this also led tos Basketball Association awarding them an NBA franchise on January 22, 1968.