Which Teams Remain in the NBA Playoffs?

The NBA playoffs are in full swing and there are only a few teams remaining. Who will make it to the Finals?

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference features some of the best teams in the NBA. The conference is led by the Milwaukee Bucks, who have the best record in the league. The Toronto Raptors are also a force to be reckoned with, as they are the defending champions. Other teams in the conference include the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics, and the Miami Heat.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a 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 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 promised $100 million for a complete rebuild of the team’s arena infrastructure, Fiserv Forum.

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. They were established in 1995 as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada. When the Raptors joined the league, they became only the second Canadian-based franchise in NBA history, after the Vancouver Grizzlies.

The Raptors finished as runners-up for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in their first three seasons, losing to the New York Knicks in 1999 and 2000, and then to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in 2001. Led by Vince Carter and Damon Stoudamire, they reached The Finals for a fourth time in 2002, winning their first NBA championship that same year behind a dominant performance from power forward Chris Bosh.

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 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 the most successful teams in NBA history; they have won the most championships of any NBA franchise with 17, accounting for 24.6 percent of all NBA championships since the league’s founding in 1947.

Western Conference

The Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets are the two teams remaining in the Western Conference. The Warriors have the home court advantage. Rockets have won all three of their meetings this season.

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. The Warriors have won six NBA championships, and are the defending NBA champions.

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. The Rockets have won four Western Conference titles and two NBA championships.

In 2012, the franchise was having difficulties with low attendance and profitability. On July 18, 2012, the team was purchased by billionaire businessman Tilman Fertitta. The following year, the Rockets won their first division title in 18 years behind season MVP James Harden, and led by newly acquired head coach Mike D’Antoni they became a greater offensive threat than ever before. They repeated as division champions in 2019 behind Harden’s second MVP season.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The Trail Blazers play their home games at the Moda Center, and are currently coached by Terry Stotts.

The franchise began play as an expansion team in 1970, and has enjoyed a strong following: from 1977 through 1995, the team sold out 814 consecutive home games, the longest such streak in American major professional sports at the time, and only since surpassed by the Boston Red Sox. The Trail Blazers have been the only NBA team based in Oregon for their entire existence. They started playing their home games at the Memorial Coliseum before moving to several arenas over the years: to non-NBA facilities such as the Rose Garden (currently known as “Moda Center”).

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are one of the teams remaining in the NBA Playoffs for the Western Conference. They finished the regular season with a 54-28 record, which was good for second place in the conference. In the playoffs, they have beaten the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers. They will now face the Los Angeles Clippers in the conference semifinals.