Who’s Ahead in the NBA Playoffs?

The NBA playoffs are in full swing and there are a few teams that are standing out. Who’s ahead in the race to the NBA Finals?

The Current Standings

As of right now, the Golden State Warriors are in the lead for the NBA playoffs. They are followed by the Houston Rockets, and then the Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors are looking good this season and they are definitely the team to beat.

Eastern Conference

In the Eastern Conference, the Baltimore Bullets are currently in first place with a record of 44-20. The New York Knicks are in second place with a record of 43-22, and the Boston Celtics are in third place with a 40-24 record.

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Houston Rockets
4. Portland Trail Blazers
5. Golden State Warriors
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
7. Dallas Mavericks
8. Memphis Grizzlies

The Top Teams

The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently leading the NBA Playoffs. As of right now, the Warriors have a 97.7% chance of winning the NBA Finals, while the Cavaliers have a 2.3% chance. These are the top two teams in the NBA right now, and it looks like the Warriors are going to come out on top.

Eastern Conference

1. Milwaukee Bucks (60-22)
2. Toronto Raptors (58-24)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (51-31)
4. Boston Celtics (49-33)
5. Indiana Pacers (48-34)
6. Brooklyn Nets (42-40)
7. Orlando Magic (42-40)
8. Detroit Pistons (41-41)

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 was adopted at the start of the 2004–05 season, when the now Charlotte Hornets began play as the NBA’s 30th franchise. Prior to that season, from 1967 to 2004, when NBA teams were first grouped into conferences and divisions for playoff purposes, two eastern and one western team simply qualified for each conference’s playoffs without regard to divisional alignment.

As a result of a restructuring prompted by the addition of the Hornets franchise, five teams—the Central Division’s Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, along with at-large qualifiers New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic—were moved from the East to join Chicago Bulls in what became known as the NBA’s Central Division. For purposes of playoff qualification and divisional alignment thusly adjusted five-team division consisting solely of these six clubs would have been formed in each conference; however NBA Commissioner David Stern ruled out any such realignment prior to 2004–05 campaign.

The Dark Horses

The NBA playoffs are always full of surprises. Every year, there are teams that exceed expectations and make deep runs. These are the teams that we like to call the “dark horses.” Who are the dark horses of the 2020 NBA playoffs?

Eastern Conference

The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors have emerged as the class of the Eastern Conference, but the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are right behind them. The Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers are all in the mix, as well.

In the West, the Golden State Warriors are still the team to beat, but the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets are giving them a run for their money. The Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder are also in the mix.

Western Conference

In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are currently in first place with a record of 43-20. The Warriors have been dominant this season, led by superstar Stephen Curry. The Houston Rockets are in second place with a record of 42-22, and they are led by James Harden, who is having an MVP-caliber season. The Oklahoma City Thunder are in third place with a 40-24 record, led by Russell Westbrook. The Los Angeles Clippers are in fourth place with a 39-26 record, and they are led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Rounding out the playoff picture in the West are the Utah Jazz (39-27), Dallas Mavericks (38-28), and Portland Trail Blazers (34-32).

The Underdogs

It’s that time of year again- the NBA Playoffs are in full swing and everyone’s rooting for their favorite team. But what about the underdog teams? Who’s got a chance at winning it all? Here are a few underdogs that might surprise you.

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference has been led by the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks, who have been the top two seeds all season. The Raptors are coming off a loss in the NBA Finals last year, and they are looking to avenge that this year. The Bucks have the best record in the NBA, and they are looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers are two other teams that have been near the top of the conference all season. The 76ers are led by All-Star center Joel Embiid, and they are looking to make a run at the championship. The Pacers are led by All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, and they are also looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.

The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat are two other teams that are fighting for playoff position in the conference. The Celtics are led by All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, and they are hoping to make a run at the title. The Heat are led by All-Star guard Dwyane Wade, and they are also hoping to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Western Conference

Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are currently the best team in the NBA with a record of 57-14. They are coached by Steve Kerr and led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant. Out of the three All-Stars on the Warriors, Curry is having the best season averaging 26.8 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 6.1 assists per game. Draymond Green is also having a great season averaging 10.5 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game, 7.2 assists per game, 1.3 blocks per game, and 1.4 steals per game. The Warriors have won three NBA Championships in the last four years and are looking to add another one to their collection this year.

Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are coached by Mike D’Antoni and led by James Harden, Chris Paul, Clint Capela, and Eric Gordon. The Rockets have a record of 53-19 and are second in the Western Conference standings behind the Warriors. Harden is having an MVP caliber season averaging 30.4 points per game, 8.8 assists per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 2 steals per game while shooting 44% from the field and 36% from three-point range. Chris Paul is also having a great season averaging 16 points per game, 8 assists per game ,and 5 rebounds per gam while shooting 46% from the field and 38% from three-point range . The Rockets acquired superstar forward Carmelo Anthony midseason and he has fit in well averaging 13 points per game while shooting 40% from three-point range . The Rockets lost in the Western Conference Finals last year to eventual NBA Champion Golden State Warriors but are looking to take that next step this year and make it to the Finals for the first time since 1995 when Hakeem Olajuwon lead them to their second straight NBA Championship .

Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are coached by Terry Stotts and led by Damian Lillard , C .J . McCollum , Jusuf Nurkic , Al – Farouq Aminu , Evan Turner , Meyers Leonard , Mo Harkless ,and Seth Curry . The Trail Blazers have a record of 45 – 27 which puts them third in the Western Conference Standings behind Golden State & Houston . Lillard is having an All – Star caliber season averaging 26 points per 2 games , 6 assist per 2 games while shooting 44 percent from 3 point range & McCollum is also having an All – Star caliber season averaging 21 points ppg while shooting 43 percent from 3 point range& 5 assist ppg& Nurkic has been very good as well averaging 15 points ppg & 10 rebound ppg while being a great rim protector as well blocks 2 shots ppg& they added Enes Kanter midseason & he ‘s been very good as well edit adding 15 points ppg & 10 rebound ppg off bench& they madeWestern Conference Finals last year but lost in 4 games to eventual NBA Champion Golden State Warriorsbut with some key additions like Kanter they could make noise again this year in postseason

Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently coached by Billy Donovan and led by Russell Westbrook ,Paul George ,and Steven Adams . The Thunder have a record of 44 – 28 which puts them fourth place in Western Conference Standings . Westbrook is once again putting up MVP like numbers averaging 25 points ppg ,10 assist ppg ,and 10 rebound ppg& Paul George has been great as well this season as he ‘s averaged 21 points ppg while shooting 39 percent from 3 point range& 7 rebound ppg& Adams has been great down low as well avergaing 13points pbg & 9 rebounds pbg& they made playoffs last year but got swept by eventual NBA Finals Runner Up Utah Jazz but with some key additions they could make some noise again this postseason