Who Made the Playoffs in the NBA?
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The NBA playoffs are here! See which teams made the cut and are vying for the championship title.
The teams that made it
The Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets all made it to the playoffs this year from the Eastern Conference. From the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and the New Orleans Pelicans all made it.
The Western Conference
The Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Eastern Conference. Like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is made up of 15 teams, organized in three divisions.
The Western Conference playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among the top eight teams in the conference, with seeds one through eight based on regular season record. The conference championswin the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
The Los Angeles Lakers have the most conference titles with 31. The Warriors have Won 5 straight NBA Finals representing the Western Conference from 2015 to 2019.
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 2004, when the now Charlotte Bobcats were added as an expansion team, bringing the conference’s membership to its current 16-team capacity. At that time, the conference was divided into three geographical divisions: Southeast, Atlantic, and Central. The Central Division would eventually be dropped in favor of a more balanced schedule for each team; every team still plays every other team in its own conference at least twice every season.
The primary differences between the Eastern and Western Conference are that teams in the East play more games against each other—due primarily to travel distance—and that most if not all of their games are played before national television audiences.
The teams that didn’t make it
The NBA playoffs are upon us and it’s time to take a look at the teams that didn’t make it. There are a lot of good teams that had great seasons but just fell short. These teams will be looking to make some changes and come back next year stronger than ever.
The Western Conference
The Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Eastern Conference. Like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is made up of 15 teams, organized in three divisions.
The Western Conference has been home to some of the NBA’s most iconic players and teams. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by superstar players like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, have won a league-leading 16 championships since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. Other iconic Western Conference teams include the Golden State Warriors, who won multiple championships under legendary players like Wilt Chamberlain and Stephen Curry; and the San Antonio Spurs, who have been one of the most successful NBA teams since the turn of the century.
While the Western Conference has been home to some of the NBA’s most successful teams, it has also been home to some of its biggest failures. In recent years, several high-profile teams have failed to make the playoffs despite having superstar players on their rosters. These teams include the Los Angeles Clippers, who have never made an NBA Finals appearance despite having two of the best players in the league in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George; and the Houston Rockets, who have not made an NBA Finals appearance since 1995 despite having a team full of All-Stars like James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
The Eastern Conference
The Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets all clinched their spot in the 2020 NBA playoffs.
In the East, that leaves the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers to watch the postseason from home.
The top seeds in the conference are the Milwaukee Bucks (No. 1), Toronto Raptors (No. 2), Boston Celtics (No. 3) and Miami Heat (No. 4).
