Who Is Going To The Playoffs Nba?
Contents
It’s that time of year again. The NBA season is winding down and the playoffs are just around the corner. So, who is going to the playoffs?
The Teams
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors have already clinched their spots in the playoffs. The Cavaliers are the defending champions and are looking to repeat, the Rockets are the top seed in the Western Conference, and the Warriors are the defending champions in the West.
The Western Conference
The Golden State Warriors have cruised to the best record in the NBA at 58-24. They are a full game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, who have 57-25 record. The Houston Rockets (55-27) and Los Angeles Clippers (51-31) round out the top four seeds in the West.
The Warriors will have homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. The Spurs will have homecourt advantage in the first round, but not in the conference semifinals or beyond. The Rockets and Clippers do not have homecourt advantage in the first round.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (47-35), Memphis Grizzlies (46-36), Portland Trail Blazers (44-38) and Dallas Mavericks (42-40) are currently fighting for the final four playoff spots in the West. The Thunder currently hold the tiebreaker over the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers, while the Mavericks hold the tiebreaker over all three teams.
The Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Western Conference. Like the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference is made up of 15 teams, organized in three divisions.
The current divisional alignment was introduced in the 2004–05 season when the now Charlotte Hornets began playing as the NBA’s 30th franchise. This realignment was prompted by the proactive reorganization of the Charlotte Hornets organization, which led to them relocating to New Orleans and eventually becoming the New Orleans Pelicans. As part of the relocation, which was approved by NBA owners on April 28, 2005, three-team trades were made which resulted in moving the then-Hornets’ divisional affiliations to two other Eastern Conference teams:
* The Atlanta Hawks were moved from the Central Division to Southeast Division while staying in their home state; they also swapped places with their longtime rivals, the Miami Heat who went from Southeast to Atlantic.
* The league’s newest expansion team at that time, Charlotte’s replacement franchise known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (now Pelicans), were moved fromEastern to Western Conference; they also took Atlanta’s place within the Southeast Division.
The Matchups
The first round of the NBA playoffs are always the most exciting. This is because the teams that make it to the playoffs are the best in the league and have been battle-tested throughout the regular season. The matchups are always interesting to see because the teams are so evenly matched. This year, the Cavs are taking on the Celtics in the first round.
The Western Conference
The playoff matchups in the Western Conference are as follows:
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers
(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Utah Jazz
(4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Oklahoma City Thunder
The Eastern Conference
In the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat are on a collision course for the top spot in the conference. The Pacers have been the best team in the conference all season, but the Heat have been hot on their heels and could make a move for the top spot if they can string together some wins. The other team to watch in the East is the Chicago Bulls, who are currently in third place but could make a push for one of the top two spots if they can get healthy and start playing better.
The Western Conference is wide open, with no clear favorite to win it all. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs are currently fighting for the top spot, but any of the teams in the playoff hunt could make a run at it if they get hot at the right time. The teams to watch out for in the West are the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors, who both have a lot of talent and could make some noise in the playoffs.
The Outcome
It’s finally here. After a long and grueling regular season, the NBA playoffs are finally upon us. The question on everyone’s mind is: who is going to win it all? Let’s take a look at the contenders.
The Western Conference
The Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the association, the other being the Eastern Conference. Like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is made up of 15 teams, organized in three divisions.
The divisional and conference winners will be determined by a playoff system. The three division winners in each conference get top seeds in the playoffs. Then, the next five best teams in each conference are seeded regardless of divisional position. These teams are referred to as “wild cards.”
The playoff format has changed several times since 1982. As of 2019, 8 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs:
-the division winner with the best record in each division;
-the two other division winners;
-and the three wild card teams with the best regular season records regardless of division.
The Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference is up for grabs this season. With only a few weeks left in the regular season, there are several teams still fighting for a spot in the playoffs. The Boston Celtics currently hold the top spot, but they are closely followed by the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers. The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat are also in the mix, as both teams sit just outside the top four spots.
It is still anyone’s guess who will ultimately come out on top in the East, but it is shaping up to be an exciting end to the season nonetheless. Who do you think will ultimately emerge as the conference champion?
