Who Is In The Playoffs? 2022 NBA Edition

It’s that time of year again! The NBA season is winding down and the playoffs are right around the corner. So who’s in? And who’s out?

The Teams

The Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets have clinched the top four seeds in the Western Conference, while the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics have clinched the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference.

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of basketball. They have won 16 NBA championships, the most in league history, and have had some of the greatest players to ever play the game suit up for them. The Lakers are currently one of the top teams in the Western Conference and are looking to make a run at another championship this season.

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. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The franchise is owned by Mikhail Prokhorov.

The team’s origins date back to 1967, when a group of investors purchased the bankrupt American Basketball Association (ABA) team Apostles from Duke University. The new group renamed the apostles to New Yorkers and playing in New Jersey at the time played in Long Island, New York under a lease agreement with Nassau County on Long Island. During this time, they made two trips to the ABA Finals, winning in 1968 and 1969 under head coach Lou Carnesecca. In 1976, after struggling financially for several years due to failed attempts to turn a profit, Harry Mangurian Jr. sold control of the team to Roy Boe for $3 million.

It wasn’t until Borys Markovsky bought the club in 1980 that they finally relocated to Brooklyn and began playing their home games at Byrne Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey—just across the Hudson River from Manhattan—to make it easier for fans who resided on Long Island to see games. After an abysmal 12–58 record during their first season in New Jersey, Rich Kotite was brought in as head coach, leading them to an 18-game improvement and a playoff berth during his first full season with a 42–40 record . Shortly after eliminating the four-time defending champion Philadelphia 76ers from playoffs contention with a 101-91 victory on April 15, 1983,[citation needed] Verizon Communications (then known as Nynex) purchased full control of YankeeNets—the organization which oversaw both teams—from previous owner Graham Kendrick for $625 million, giving them majority control over both franchises

The Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are simulating their 2022 season in NBA 2K20. They are currently in the playoffs and their first round matchup is against the Indiana Pacers.

The Bucks are the favorites to win the NBA title this year, according to ESPN’s BPI . They have the best record in the league, and they’re led by MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Pacers are a tough opponent, but the Bucks have beaten them all three times this season. If they can continue their winning ways, they should be able to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers (often referred to as the Sixers) 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 the 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.

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 Players

The 2022 NBA playoffs are set to be one of the most competitive playoffs in recent memory. There are a number of teams that have a chance to win the title, and the field is wide open. Let’s take a look at the teams and the players that will be competing for the title.

LeBron James

LeBron James, one of the best basketball players of all time, is in the playoffs for the 2022 NBA season. He is a small forward for the Los Angeles Lakers and has been in the playoffs many times before. James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. He is six feet eight inches tall and weighs 250 pounds.

Kevin Durant

Durant is one of the most decorated players in NBA history. He is a two-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a four-time NBA scoring champion, and the only player in NBA history to win four scoring titles in a row. He has also been named to ten All-NBA teams and nine All-Star teams. Durant is one of the most dangerous shooters in the NBA, with a career three-point shooting percentage of 38.1 percent. He is also an excellent defensive player, with 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per game for his career.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and a two-time defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He’s also a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection. The Greek Freak is one of the most dominant players in the NBA, and he’s just getting started.

Joel Embiid

Joel Hans Embiid (/ˈdʒoʊəl ɛmˈbiːd/ JOH-əl em-BEED; born March 16, 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks, he was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the 76ers.

Although sidelined for most of his first two seasons due to numerous injuries, Embiid recovered to become one of the best players in the league. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2016, and won NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. He has been selected as an All-Star and All-NBA team member three times each, and is one of only five players ever to be named MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.

Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell (born September 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected by the Jazz in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft with the 13th overall pick. In his second season in 2018–19, Mitchell was named an All-Star and led the Jazz to a playoff berth. He averaged a career-high 24.0 points per game in 2019–20, and was again named an All-Star.

The Coaches

The 2022 NBA Playoffs will see a lot of fresh faces. There are a lot of new coaches that have been hired over the past few years, and they will be looking to make their mark on the postseason. Let’s take a look at some of the coaches that will be leading their teams into the playoffs.

Frank Vogel

Frank Vogel is an American professional basketball coach who is the current 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.

Steve Nash

In his first season as a head coach, Steve Nash led the Brooklyn Nets to the best record in the NBA (62-20). The Nets lost in the conference semifinals to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Nash, who was drafted by the Suns in 1996 and played for them until 1998, was hired by Brooklyn in September 2020. He replaced Kenny Atkinson, who was fired in March 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Nash is a two-time NBA MVP (2004-05 and 2005-06) and a eight-time All-Star. He played for the Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors during his 18-year career.

Mike Budenholzer

Mike Budenholzer is an American professional basketball coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks from 2013 to 2018. In his first season with the Hawks, he led the team to a 38–44 record and was named the NBA Coach of the Year. He was also named one of three finalists for the award in 2015 and 2016.

Doc Rivers

Rivers is an American professional basketball coach for the LA Clippers of the NBA. He is also a former player. He was drafted in the second round of the 1983 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, playing point guard. Rivers was an NBA All-Star in 1988 and led the league in assists per game that season. He later spent time with the Orlando Magic, his hometown Los Angeles Clippers, and the New York Knicks.

In 2000, Rivers began his coaching career as an assistant coach for Orlando. He later held head coaching positions with the Magic, Clippers, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers. Rivers has been awarded NBA Coach of the Year twice, in 2000–01 with Orlando and in 2008–09 with Boston.

Quin Snyder

Quin Snyder is an American professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was hired by the Jazz on June 6, 2014, becoming the ninth head coach in franchise history.

Snyder played college basketball at Duke University from 1982 to 1986. He then spent one year as an assistant coach at his alma mater under Mike Krzyzewski before becoming an assistant coach at the University of Missouri under Norm Stewart from 1989 to 1992. Snyder then served as an assistant coach in the NBA for various teams from 1992 to 2010, before being hired as the head coach of the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League (now known as the NBA G League) in 2010.

In his first season as a head coach in 2014–15, Snyder led the Jazz to a 38–44 record and missed out on qualifying for the playoffs. The following season, he helped lead the team to a 40–42 record and a playoff berth. In 2016–17, he guided the Jazz to their first division title since 2008 and their first conference finals appearance since 2010. The Jazz then went on to lose in five games to the Golden State Warriors.