Who Is Going To The Nba Playoffs 2021?
Contents
The 2021 NBA playoffs are finally here! Who do you think is going to take home the championship this year?
The Teams
There are many teams in the NBA, but only a handful make it to the playoffs each year. The playoff teams are usually the cream of the crop, the best of the best. But who will make it to the playoffs in 2021?
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, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, having won 17 NBA championships, their last being in 2010.
The Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Clippers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena they share with cross-town rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, one of three expansion teams to join the NBA that year. The Braves moved from Buffalo, New York to San Diego, California in 1978 and became known as the San Diego Clippers. In 1984, The Clippers relocated to Los Angeles. through much of its history, the franchise failed to see significant regular season or playoff success; despite posting wining records in several seasons, they never made it to an NBA Finals series until 2021.
Since late 2011, the Clippers have been owned by Microsoft co-founder Steve Ballmer and managed by former head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers. They finished with 48 wins during the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season and were drawing significant interest from other teams looking to relocate due to their attendance figures at Staples Center being dwarfed by those of their co-tenants, the Lakers. As a result of strong fan support since arriving in LA and efforts by Ballmer and Rivers to make them a contender, they acquired All-Star point guard Chris Paul from New Orleans that same year. They then went on to land perennial NBA All-Star power forward Blake Griffin in a trade with the rival Oklahoma City Thunder two years later, winning 57 games during each of those first two seasons behind this new core group before being eliminated from playoff contention by Memphis Grizzlies on both occasions despite holding a 3–1 lead each time in their first round matchup since moving to L.A..
The Milwaukee Bucks
As the 2021 NBA season comes to a close, the question on everyone’s mind is who is going to make it to the playoffs? There are a few teams that seem to be locks for the playoffs, but there are also a few teams that are on the bubble.
The Milwaukee Bucks seem to be a lock for the playoffs. They have been one of the best teams in the NBA all season and they don’t seem to be slowing down. The Bucks have a record of 46-14 and they are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference.
The Brooklyn Nets are also looking like they will make the playoffs. They have been one of the most improved teams in the NBA this season and they currently have a record of 43-19. The Nets are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers are another team that looks like they will make the playoffs. The Lakers have been one of the best teams in the NBA all season and they currently have a record of 42-20. The Lakers are currently in third place in the Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Clippers are also looking like they will make the playoffs. The Clippers have been one of the best teams in the NBA all season and they currently have a record of 41-21. The Clippers are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.
The Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center. They are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA, and have won five NBA championships: four ABA championships between 1967 and 1976, and one NBA championship in 2002.
Kyrie Irving was acquired by the Nets via trade in 2019. On July 16, 2020, Kevin Durant announced that he would sign with the Nets, giving them two superstar caliber players to go along with their young core. The Nets made headlines again on January 13, 2021, when they acquired former MVP James Harden from the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster trade.
The Players
There are many talented players in the NBA, but only a few of them are going to the playoffs. These are the players that have worked hard throughout the regular season and have earned their spot in the playoffs. They are the best of the best and they will be sure to put on a great show for the fans.
LeBron James
King James, aka LeBron Raymone James Sr., is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. James has led the league in scoring six times and won four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to 14 All-Star teams, 12 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams.
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Anthony Leonard (/kəˈwaɪ/; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played two seasons of college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs, and was named a consensus second-team All-American as a sophomore. He was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, but was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on draft night.
Leonard became one of the best players in the league while playing for the Spurs and was named an NBA All-Star and won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards. He helped lead the Spurs to an NBA Championship in 2014 and was named the Finals MVP. He subsequently signed with the Toronto Raptors in free agency where he won his second NBA Championship in 2019 and was once again named Finals MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo, nicknamed the Greek Freak, is a Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) tall and plays power forward and center. Antetokounmpo was born in Athens, Greece to Nigerian parents, Charles and Veronica, and he grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Sepolia. He has two older brothers, Francis and Thanasis, who both play professional basketball; Francis with the Detroit Pistons of the NBA and Thanasis with Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League.
A member of the Milwaukee Bucks since 2013, Antetokounmpo signed a four-year contract extension with the team in 2016. He played a significant role in helping the Bucks win an NBA-best 60 games during the 2018–19 season. In 2019–20, he led Milwaukee to their best regular season record since 1980–81 and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second consecutive year.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant, often referred to as KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. He played nine seasons with the franchise, which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, before signing with Golden State in 2016, winning back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.
The Coaches
Every year, the best NBA teams duke it out in the playoffs to see who will be crowned the champion. But who are the coaches that will be leading their teams to victory? Here are the coaches of the teams that are heading to the 2021 NBA playoffs.
Frank Vogel
Frank Vogel is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.
Tyronn Lue
Tyronn Lue is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 11 seasons in the NBA, winning two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their three-peat from 2000 to 2002. As a rookie head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, he led them to their first NBA championship since 1973. After being let go by the Cavs in 2018, he was hired by the Clippers in 2019.
Mike Budenholzer
Mike Budenholzer (born November 28, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2019.
Steve Nash
Steve Nash, an eight-time NBA All-Star and two-time league MVP, was hired as the Brooklyn Nets head coach on September 3, 2020. Nash coached the Phoenix Suns for parts of two seasons from 2004 to 2006.
Nash’s hiring came after the Nets’ expectations were lowered following the offseason departures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to injury. Nash stated that his goals for the team were to “develop a championship culture” and to “play an exciting brand of basketball.”
The Fans
The NBA playoffs are finally here after a long and chaotic regular season. 16 teams will battle it out for a chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and the fans will have a front-row seat to all the action. But who are the fans rooting for?
Who’s going to the games?
The 2021 NBA Playoffs are just around the corner, and fans are already wondering who’s going to make it to the big dance.
There are a few teams that seem like locks to make the playoffs, such as the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, who have two of the best players in the world in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
But there are also a few dark horse teams that could make some noise in the playoffs, such as the Memphis Grizzlies, who have been one of the most surprising teams in the league this season.
No matter who makes it to the playoffs, it’s sure to be an exciting few weeks of basketball!
How to get tickets
The most popular way to get tickets to the NBA Playoffs is through a ticket reseller such as StubHub or SeatGeek. You can also try your luck with the official ticket lottery, but your chances are slim. If you’re not picky about which game you attend, you can sometimes find good deals on single-game tickets closer to the date of the game. Keep in mind that demand and prices will be high for playoff games, so it’s best to buy early if you can.
What to expect
The 2021 NBA playoffs will feature 16 teams in the hunt for the NBA championship, with the first round set to begin on Saturday, May 22. The playoffs will conclude with the NBA Finals in July.
The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are the top seed in the Western Conference, while the Brooklyn Nets claimed the top spot in the East. The Nets are led by a star-studded roster featuring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, and are favored by many to win it all this season.
In the West, the Lakers will have their hands full with a tough first-round matchup against the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are led by former MVP Stephen Curry and boast a deep roster that also includes All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The Warriors are always a tough out in the playoffs, and they will be looking to upset the Lakers in what should be a thrilling first-round series.
Other first-round matchups in the West include the second-seeded Utah Jazz against the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Clippers, and the third-seeded Denver Nuggets squaring off against the sixth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.
In the East, aside from the Nets’ matchup with
