Who Plays in the NBA Finals?

Who will be crowned this year’s NBA Finals champion?

The NBA Finals are the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion.

The teams that make it to the NBA Finals

The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association. The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The winning team of the NBA Finals receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

The Eastern Conference

Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks had the best record in the NBA this season. They will take on the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Just like in the Western Conference, this is a matchup of the top two seeds.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the favorites to come out of the East, but the Miami Heat proved they can compete with anyone when they knocked off the defending champion Toronto Raptors in round two. This series could go either way, but it should be a good one.

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 divisional alignment began in 2004, when the now Charlotte Hornets began play as the NBA’s 30th franchise. At that time, the Hornets were placed in the newly created Southeast Division. When the New Orleans Pelicans franchise was awarded for the 2002-03 season (originally as the Charlotte Hornets), they were placed in the Southwest Division.

In 2008, as part of a league realignment, each conference was given two additional teams (for a total of 30 teams overall). The Pistons and Bucks switched places with the Sonics and Thunder (the team that replaced them in Seattle), while adding franchises in Charlotte (Bobcats) and Memphis (Grizzlies). Three years later, another realignment took place which resulted in even more changes. The Northwest and Pacific Divisions were abandoned altogether while two new ones were created: The Southwest was split into two separate divisions while a new Central Division was introduced. The Grizzlies moved to the Northwest Division while Charlotte shifted to the Southeast; Atlanta shifted to the newly-formed Southeast while Milwaukee shifted to Central; finally, Houston was realigned into Southwest and Oklahoma City became a member of Northwest.

As of right now, these are all of teams that make up for NBA’s Western Conference:
-Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz
-Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs
-Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings

How the teams make it to the NBA Finals

In the NBA, the two best teams from the Eastern Conference and the two best teams from the Western Conference compete against each other in the NBA Finals. The Finals are a best-of-seven series. The team that wins four games in the series is the champion.

The playoffs

The NBA playoffs are a postseason tournament held after the conclusion of the regular season to determine the league’s champion. The playoffs are comprised of four rounds, with each round involving a different format. The first round is a best-of-seven series, followed by a best-of-seven series in the second round. The third round, known as the NBA Conference Finals, is a best-of-seven series featuring the winners of the first and second rounds. The fourth and final round, known as the NBA Finals, is also a best-of-seven series.

The Finals 3. The players on the teams

Before we get into who plays in the NBA Finals, let’s take a look at how the teams make it there. The top eight teams in each conference (Eastern and Western) make the playoffs. The playoffs are a best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win four games moves on to the next round.

In the first round of the playoffs, the team with the best record in each conference is matched up against the team with the eighth-best record, the second-best team plays the seventh-best team, and so on. The winners of each first-round series move on to the next round where they play one of the other conference’s first-round winners. This process repeats until only two teams remain in each conference: the conference champions.

The conference champions then face off against each other in the NBA Finals. The winner of that series is crowned the NBA champion for that year.

Now that we know how they make it there, let’s take a look at who plays in the NBA Finals.

The starters

The starters are the five offensive players who begin the game. A team’s starters generally consist of its best players, with the exception of the point guard, who is usually replaced by a substitute at some point during the game. A starter can also be referred to as a first string player. The term is most commonly used in reference to baseball and basketball.

The bench players

It’s not just the starters who make it to the NBA Finals, the bench players do too. In fact, they are a vital part of the team and contribute just as much to the success of the team. The bench players provide energy and enthusiasm, and they also help to keep the starters fresh.

When one of the starters is in foul trouble or needs a break, the bench players come in and give them a rest. They also come in handy when the team is behind and needs a boost of energy. The bench players are always ready to give their all for the team.

So, who are these valuable bench players? Here is a look at some of the most important bench players on each team.

For the Golden State Warriors, Shaun Livingston is one of their most important bench players. He provides leadership and experience. He’s been in the league for 12 years and has won two NBA championships with Golden State. Livingston is averaging 6 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds per game in these playoffs.

Andre Iguodala is another important player for Golden State. He doesn’t score as much as he used to, but he’s still a big part of their team. Iguodala is a great defender and he always seems to make big plays when they need him. He’s averaging 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game in these playoffs.

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyle Korver is one of their most important bench players. He’s a great three-point shooter and he always seems to make big shots when they need him. Korver is averaging 9 points per game in these playoffs.

Derrick Williams is another important player for Cleveland. He doesn’t play much, but when he’s in the game he always seems to make something happen. Williams is averaging 3 points and 2 rebounds per game in these playoffs.

The coaches

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series of the NBA and the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (formerly Divisions before 1970), except in 1950 when the Eastern Division team declined to compete.

The winning team of the series receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the Walter A. Brown trophy in 1983. The conference champions receive trophies for their achievement.

Since 1947, when NBL teams cities Rochester and Indianapolis merged into the BAA, which then became the NBA after absorbing NBL teams from Fort Wayne, Pittsburgh, and Anderson in 1949, only two teams have represented both conferences in the Finals, those being Syracuse and Fort Wayne. Now that every team plays in an 82-game regular season schedule due to league expansion and divisional realignment that began in 2005–06, it is very rare that a conference plays entirely within its division in any given year; as such, most championship matchup possibilities are now seen at least once every few years.

The fans

The fans are the ones who really play in the NBA Finals. They are the ones who show up to the games, watch them on TV, and support their team through thick and thin. And, at the end of the day, it is the fans who make the NBA Finals what it is.