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Let the Playoffs Begin!
The road to the NBA Finals has begun. The 2021 NBA Playoffs are different this year. NBA fans are excited there is no bubble this time.
The story this year is the play-in tournament. Those of you who have been watching the playoff race closely know the Golden State Warriors had the 8th best record in the West but will not be in the first round in the playoffs. Instead, that honor was earned by the Memphis Grizzlies after an overtime win against the Warriors in the play-in tournament.
The teams entering the play-in tournament included teams who were ranked 7-10 in the standings at the end of the season. There are two conferences, so that is eight teams. The 7th & 8th seeds face off to determine who will be the seventh seed. I will try to explain the rest.
What happened in the Western Conference is a good example. The Los Angeles Lakers played the Warriors. The Lakers won in a very close game, so the Lakers entered the playoffs as the 8th seed and the Warriors had to play the winner of the game between the 9th and 10th seeds. In the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Spurs, so the Warriors had to play the Grizzlies to determine who would be the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies won that game, so the Grizzlies entered the NBA playoffs as the 8th seed.
2021 Playoff Bracket
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Wizards
No. 2 Brooklyn Nets vs. No. 7 Boston Celtics
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Miami Heat
No. 4 New York Knicks vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference
No. 1 Utah Jazz vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies
No. 2 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers
No. 4 LA Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
More info from the Social Media Platforms
NBA Season – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgLy7YxXd14AKYnKJS8I-Q.
References
- 2021 Playoff bracket updates: All matchups set. https://www.nba.com/news/2021-playoff-bracket. Accessed 23 May 2021.
- NBA play-in tournament explained: What to know about format ahead of 2021 Playoffs. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-play-in-tournament-explained/1hbarcyyd4it81c015l9bzvpm1. Accessed 24 May 2021.
