The NBA season is typically a marathon of matches for several months, but the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has turned the 2019-20 campaign into a sprint to the finish line.
The playoff fields in each conference are now set up and there should be a lot of drama as teams start their post-season runs.
Could one of the western teams prevent a Clippers vs Lakers showdown in the conference finals? Will anyone take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in the East? These questions will soon be answered.
Let’s take a look at the picture of the 2020 NBA playoffs, including the final standings and the seeded ones.
NBA PLAYOFF FORECASTS:
Series subdivisions by series and NBA Finals picks
NBA playoff group
Here are the first round matchups at each conference:
Eastern Conference
(1) Bucks vs. (8) Magic
(2) Raptors vs. (7) Networks
(3) Celtics versus (6) 76ers
(4) Pacers vs. (5) Heat
Western conference
(1) Lakers versus (8) Trail Blazers
(2) Clippers vs. (7) Mavericks
(3) Nuggets vs. (6) Jazz
(4) Rockets vs. (5) Thunder
NBA ranking
Here is the NBA leaderboard based on matches completed both during the 2019-20 regular season prior to the game being suspended and within the league “bubble”.
Eastern Conference
| seed | Team | Disk | You play back |
| 1. | Bucks ** | 56-17 | – |
| 2. | Raptors * | 53-19 | 2.5 |
| 3. | Celtics * | 48-24 | 7.5 |
| 4. | Pacers * | 45-28 | 11 |
| 5. | Heat* | 44-29 | 12 |
| 6. | 76ers * | 43-30 | 13 |
| 7. | networks * | 35-37 | 20.5 |
| 8. | Magic* | 33-40 | 23 |
* Playoff place won
** conference conquered
Eliminated: Bulls, Cavs, Hawks, Hornets, Knicks, Pistons, Wizards
Western conference
| seed | Team | Disk | You play back |
| 1. | Lakers ** | 52-19 | – |
| 2. | Clippers * | 49-23 | 3.5 |
| 3. | Nuggets * | 46-27 | 7 |
| 4. | Rockets * | 44-28 | 8.5 |
| 5. | Thunder* | 44-28 | 8.5 |
| 6. | Jazz* | 44-28 | 8.5 |
| 7. | Mavericks * | 43-32 | 11 |
| 8. | Trail Blazer *** | 35-39 | 18.5 |
| 9. | Grizzlies *** | 34-39 | 19 |
* Playoff place won
** conference conquered
*** Play-in berth conquered
Eliminate: kings, pelicans, spurs, suns, wood wolves, warriors
When will the NBA playoffs begin in 2020?
- Matches: August 15-16
- NBA Playoffs: August 17th
- NBA Conference Finals: September 15th
- NBA Finals: September 30th
The “seeded matches” will be played until August 14 and a play-in tournament will be held from August 15 to August 16 with the first round of the playoffs starting on August 17. The NBA Finals will begin on September 30th and won’t finish later than October 13th.
How does the NBA playoffs work?
The Grizzlies No. 9 finished four games away from Trail Blazers No. 8 in the Western Conference leaderboard, triggering a play-in tournament for the final place in the playoffs. The Trail Blazers defeated the Grizzlies in the play-in game to advance to the first round of the postseason. They will enter the group as seeded n. 8 and will face the Lakers.
Beyond the play-in round, the 2020 NBA Playoffs will follow the typical format with best-of-seven full series through to the NBA Finals.
