Who Is Playing in the NBA Playoffs?

It’s that time of year again! The NBA playoffs are upon us and it’s sure to be an exciting tournament. Who are your picks to make it to the Finals?

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference is set to be one of the most competitive conferences in the NBA playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks are the top seed in the conference and they will be looking to make a deep run in the playoffs. The Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers are all also looking to make a run in the playoffs.

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; as of 2019, they have won a record 17 NBA championships, including 9 with their storied rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team began play as an expansion team in 1970, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1994. Since 1994, the Cavs have played their home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland.

The Cavaliers name was chosen by owner Nick Mileti in 1971. The franchise has featured many NBA greats over the years, including LeBron James, who led the team to their first NBA Championship in 2016.

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 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played for the Bucks from 1969 to 1974, is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, while former Buck Oscar Robertson is the NBA’s all-time assists leader.

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. When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian-based team in the NBA. They originally played their home games at the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre), before moving eastward along Bremner Boulevard to Scotiabank Arena (originally Air Canada Centre) in 1999.

Like most expansion teams, struggles have marked the Raptors’ early years. In their debut season, they won 21 games and lost 61. Sam Mitchell was fired midway through his third season as head coach after posting a 24–58 win-loss record; he was replaced by Jay Triano for the remainder of the year and for much of 2009–10 until he himself was fired and replaced by Dwane Casey. Casey led the team to a playoff appearance during his first year at head coach despite dealing with injuries to stars Andrea Bargnani and Bosh throughout much of 2011–12; Bargnani was traded during Casey’s second season which saw another trips to the playoffs. After comparisons between Casey and Mitchell early in his tenure with mixed success amid accusations of favouritism towards rookie Jonas Valančiūnas over Bargnani, Bosh departed Toronto via free agency to return home to Miami where he helped lead them to two consecutive NBA titles playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Lebron James; The Heat would also defeat Toronto en route to their first NBA title in franchise history during Bosh’s lone year with them while Chris Boucher joined Pascal Siakam as key rotation players from that championship roster following Valančiūnas’ trade to Memphis just before his contract expired leaving Toronto without any players from their previous trips to the NBA Finals. The Raptors retooled by acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green from San Antonio that offseason which helped lead them back to their first ever Eastern Conference Finals appearance that they ultimately lost to eventual NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks; Leonard would famously hit “The Shot” over Joel Embiid which allowed Toronto to advance past Philadelphia 76ers on their way back home for game 7 which they ultimately won 92–90 on Leonard’s game winning buzzer beater giving him his second trip to an NBA Finals where he would again face off against Lebron James and earn Finals MVP honours while guiding Toronto back home for their first ever NBA title victory defeating James and defending champion Golden State Warriors in six games giving rise to “We The North”.

Western Conference

The Western Conference is loaded with talent this year and there are a lot of great teams that could make a run at the NBA Championship. The Golden State Warriors are the defending champions and they are the favorites to win the West again. Other teams that could make some noise are the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are currently in the lead for the Western Conference with a record of 57-21. They have clinched the top seed in the conference and are favorited to make it to the NBA Finals. The Warriors are a well-rounded team with strong players at every position. They have won 3 NBA championships in the past 4 years and are looking to add another this year.

Houston Rockets

As the number four seed in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets will face off against the fifth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. The Rockets finished the regular season with a record of 49-33, while the Thunder finished 48-34.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division.

The team played its home games in the Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995 (called the Rose Garden until 2013). The franchise entered the league 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 Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox. The Trail Blazers have been the only NBA team based in Oregon for their entire history.

Founded by Harry Glickman and Stan Kasten on June 6, 1970, the successful establishment of the team was due to their agreement with Louisiana Purchase Exposition Park Board chairman Robert H. Fifty-six days later on October 16 of that same year, they became one of 23 teams to be accepted into NBA that season as part of an expansion that nearly doubled NBA membership at that time.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division.