2020 NBA playoffs: Difference between revisions
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==Play-In Round== |
==Play-In Round== |
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The inaugural play-in game took place in the Western Conference, as ninth seed Memphis finished within four games of eighth seed Portland. The eighth seed starts with a de facto 1–0 lead and needs just one win to advance, while the ninth seed needs to win two times. |
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===Western Conference=== |
===Western Conference=== |
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====(8) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (9) Memphis Grizzlies==== |
====(8) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (9) Memphis Grizzlies==== |
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Revision as of 06:10, 18 August 2020
| Venue(s) | ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 17 – October 13, 2020 |
The 2020 NBA playoffs will be the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2019–20 season. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18. However, the league suspended the season on March 11, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic after some players tested positive for the virus.[1]
On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season on July 31.[2] This proposal was then approved by members of the National Basketball Players Association on June 5. Under this plan, the 22 top teams in the league at the time of the suspension will play eight additional regular season games to determine playoff seeding, and 16 of those teams will then play in a conventional postseason tournament. However, should the ninth seed within a conference finish the regular season within four games of the eighth seed, they will then compete in a play-in series.[3] The last time a play-in game was played to determine a playoff spot was in 1956.[4]
As part of the bubble, all playoff games will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida.
Overview
- The Houston Rockets entered their eighth consecutive postseason.
- The Portland Trail Blazers entered their seventh consecutive postseason.
- The Toronto Raptors entered their seventh consecutive postseason.
- The Boston Celtics entered their sixth consecutive postseason.
- The Milwaukee Bucks entered their fourth consecutive postseason.
- The Los Angeles Lakers made the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
- The Dallas Mavericks made the playoffs for the first time in three years.
- The Golden State Warriors missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
- The San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs for the first time in twenty-three years.
Format
After the NBA suspended its season on March 11, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league started to explore implementing a special postseason format just for this year.[5]
On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season on July 31 in the NBA Bubble, with 22 of the 30 teams in the league, all clubs within six games of a playoff spot. Under this plan, the 22 teams will play eight regular-season "seeding" games. A possible best-of-three play-in series for the final seed in each conference would then be held if the ninth seed finishes the regular season within four games of the eighth seed. The eighth seed would start with a de facto 1–0 lead, meaning that it would need just one win to advance, while the ninth seed would need two. The NBA's regular playoff format would then proceed as normal. All games would be played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.[2]
Under the NBA's regular playoff format, the eight teams with the most wins in each conference qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record. Each conference's bracket is fixed; there is no reseeding. All rounds are best-of-seven series; the series ends when one team wins four games, and that team advances to the next round. All rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. In the conference playoffs, home court advantage goes to the higher-seeded team (number one being the highest). Seeding is based on each team's regular season record within a conference; if two teams have the same record, standard tiebreaker rules are used. Conference seedings are ignored for the NBA Finals: Home court advantage goes to the team with the better regular season record, and, if needed, ties are broken based on head to head record, followed by intra-conference record.
Playoff qualifying
On February 23, 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.[6] The Toronto Raptors,[7] Los Angeles Lakers,[8] and Boston Celtics[9] subsequently clinched playoff berths before the season was suspended on March 11.[5]
| † | Denotes team that clinched a playoff berth prior to the March 11 suspension of the season |
| * | Denotes team that automatically clinched a playoff berth or a division title on the June approval of the 22-team plan to resume the season |
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in conference |
Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 56–17 | February 23†[6] | June 4* | August 6[10] | August 8 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 53–19 | March 5†[7] | August 9 | — | — |
| 3 | Boston Celtics | 48–24 | March 10†[9] | — | — | — |
| 4 | Indiana Pacers | 45–28 | June 4*[2] | — | — | — |
| 5 | Miami Heat | 44–29 | June 4*[2] | June 4* | — | — |
| 6 | Philadelphia 76ers | 43–30 | June 4*[2] | — | — | — |
| 7 | Brooklyn Nets | 35–37 | August 7[11] | — | — | — |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 33–40 | August 7[12] | — | — | — |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in conference |
Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | Los Angeles Lakers | 52–19 | March 6†[8] | August 3[13] | August 3[13] | — |
| 2 | Los Angeles Clippers | 49–23 | June 4*[2] | — | — | — |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets | 46–27 | June 4*[2] | August 10 | — | — |
| 4 | Houston Rockets | 44–28 | June 4*[2] | August 9 | — | — |
| 5 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 44–28 | June 4*[2] | – | — | — |
| 6 | Utah Jazz | 44–28 | June 4*[2] | — | — | — |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 43–32 | August 2[14] | — | — | — |
| 8 | Portland Trail Blazers | 35–39 | August 15 | — | — | — |
Playoff bracket
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Template:2020 NBA playoffs
Play-In Round
The inaugural play-in game took place in the Western Conference, as ninth seed Memphis finished within four games of eighth seed Portland. The eighth seed starts with a de facto 1–0 lead and needs just one win to advance, while the ninth seed needs to win two times.
Western Conference
(8) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (9) Memphis Grizzlies
August 15
2:30pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 122, Portland Trail Blazers 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 33–27, 42–31, 28–37 | ||
| Pts: Ja Morant 35 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 17 Asts: Kyle Anderson 9 |
Pts: Damian Lillard 31 Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 21 Asts: Damian Lillard 10 | |
| Portland wins series 1–0 | ||
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida
Referees: James Capers, Pat Fraher, and Tony Brown |
| Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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First round
- Note: All times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games will be played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.
Eastern Conference
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (8) Orlando Magic
| Milwaukee won in the regular-season series 4–0 |
|---|
This will be the second playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting.[15]
| Milwaukee leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Brooklyn Nets
August 17
4:00pm |
| Brooklyn Nets 110, Toronto Raptors 134 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20-37, 31-36, 35-22, 24-39 | ||
| Pts: Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot 26 Rebs: Jarrett Allen 12 Asts: Caris LeVert 15 |
Pts: Fred VanVleet 30 Rebs: Pascal Siakam 11 Asts: Fred VanVleet 11 | |
| Toronto leads series, 1–0 | ||
| Toronto won 3–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
This is the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nets winning the two previous meetings.[16]
| Brooklyn/New Jersey leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
August 17
6:30pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 101, Boston Celtics 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26-25, 23-30, 30-20, 22-34 | ||
| Pts: Joel Embiid 26 Rebs: Joel Embiid 16 Asts: Tobias Harris 8 |
Pts: Jayson Tatum 32 Rebs: Jayson Tatum 13 Asts: Kemba Walker 5 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
| Philadelphia won 3–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
This is the 22nd playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning 13 of the first 21 meetings.[17]
| Boston leads 13–8 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Miami Heat
| Miami won 3–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
This will be the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning three of the first four meetings.[18]
| Miami leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers
| LA Lakers won 2–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
This will be the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning nine of the first eleven meetings.[19]
| Los Angeles leads 9–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
August 17
9:00pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 110, Los Angeles Clippers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–34, 31–32, 13–21, 28–31 | ||
| Pts: Luka Dončić 42 Rebs: Boban Marjanović 8 Asts: Luka Dončić 9 |
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 29 Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 12 Asts: Kawhi Leonard 6 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
| LA Clippers won 3–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
This is the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Mavericks.[20]
(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Utah Jazz
August 17
1:30pm |
| Utah Jazz 125, Denver Nuggets 135 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 27–28, 31–19, 32–37, Overtime: 10–20 | ||
| Pts: Donovan Mitchell 57 Rebs: Bradley, Mitchell 9 Asts: Donovan Mitchell 7 |
Pts: Jamal Murray 36 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 10 Asts: Jamal Murray 9 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
| Denver won 3–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
This is the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning three of the first four meetings.[21]
| Utah leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Oklahoma City Thunder
| Oklahoma City won 2–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
This will be the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Thunder/SuperSonics winning six of the first eight meetings.[22]
| Oklahoma City/Seattle leads 6–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Media coverage
Television
ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV are set to telecast the playoffs nationally in the United States. During the first two rounds, games will be split between TNT, ESPN, and ABC regardless of conference. NBA TV will also televise selected games in the first round. Regional sports networks affiliated with the teams could also broadcast the games, except for games televised on ABC. The Western Conference Finals will air on TNT, while ESPN will televise the Eastern Conference Finals. ABC owns the exclusive television rights to the 2020 NBA Finals, which would be the 18th consecutive year for the network.[23]
References
- ^ "NBA to suspend season following tonight's games" (Press release). National Basketball Association. March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "NBA approves 22-team format to finish season". ESPN. June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "NBPA reps vote to approve 22-team format to finish season". Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- ^ "How the Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs and Suns make the West play-in". ESPN.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Zillgitt, Jeff (March 12, 2020). "What's next for NBA, teams, players during coronavirus hiatus?". USA Today. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ a b "Bucks earliest to clinch playoff berth in 15 years". ESPN.com. February 23, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "Raptors clinch playoff spot with win over Warriors". TSN.ca. March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ a b "Lakers Clinch 1st Playoff Berth Since 2013 with Win over Giannis, Bucks". Bleacher Report. March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Celtics Clinch Playoff Spot With Win Over Pacers". Sports Illustrated. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ "Giannis Antetokounmpo says Bucks' biggest obstacle after clinching 1-seed 'is ourselves'". ESPN. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "Nets 'took care of business' in clinching playoff spot, Jacque Vaughn says". ESPN. August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "Holiday scores 28; Pelicans top Wizards without Williamson". ESPN. August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Lakers beat Jazz 116-108 to clinch top seed in West". ESPN. August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Mavericks clinch playoff spot with Grizzlies' loss; drought to end at 3 years". ESPN. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Milwaukee Bucks versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Toronto Raptors (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Indiana Pacers versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Dallas Mavericks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ "2020 NBA Playoffs Schedule". Sportsmediawatch.com. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
