We pushed the trade machine to the limit and created these moves ➡️, The top 10 offseason moves in the NBA since 2010, Predicting the destination for these eight players and grading their fits. But for most teams, they're either locked into their playoff seeding or getting close to it, shifting their focus to getting ready for an unorthodox postseason to be held in the NBA bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. 9 must take on No. Steven Adams has been their anchor in the middle, and the Thunder could surprise some people if he plays well. 4) and Indiana Pacers (No. Do you have a blog? 7 spot in the Western Conference. "Two teams that know a lot about each other. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. The Rockets and Thunder haven't played in the postseason since 2017, and obviously their rosters are much different now. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history. Boston Celtics. It seems unlikely, but it also didn't seem probable that the Nets were going to play well when they entered the NBA bubble. 5 Oklahoma City Thunder, Most Intriguing Projected First-Round Matchups. For the play-in tournament, whoever finishes at No. Because of the dust-up between Jimmy Butler and T.J. Warren, and, of course, the elevated play of the latter in the bubble, the matchup between the Heat and Pacers is easily the most intriguing one in the first round of the playoffs in the East. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The defensive-minded forward has made his matchup with Warren personal and played like it on Monday. Data Provided By 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. Apéro TrashTalk,TrashTalk Fantasy League : ah non non non non non, il fallait pas prendre LeBron ce soir.Mais que s’est-il passé sur la dernière action des Nuggets ? 2 seed in their final two seeding games (they can clinch it with a win over the Nuggets on Wednesday), while the Mavericks are firmly in the No. 8 and beat them two times to advance for a first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. Neither team has reached the NBA Finals in the previous seven seasons, so both are hoping this can be the year they go all the way, whether that starts with a matchup against each other or not. No. Reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers will host the Dallas Mavericks, and the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz will go at it. Ever the diplomat, though, Paul is ready for the challenge. They've won all three of their matchups against the Mavericks this season, but perhaps Doncic could get hot and make things interesting. And with exactly one week until the beginning of the postseason, there's not much time left for one of the teams outside of that position to make their way in. A best-of-seven playoff series against a team like the Raptors would be much different, though. He played there three years before being traded to Houston, where's he's become a superstar. Are you a Stathead, too? The No. And while Toronto will be a heavy favorite, perhaps the unlikely happens and Brooklyn notches a huge playoff upset. Do you have a sports website? Copyright © 2000-2020 Sports Reference LLC. actus play-offs 2020 saison régulière classement Est classement Ouest guide de la saison franchises statistiques stats des français play-offs 2019 palmarès Playoffs NBA 2020 Finale 7 Brooklyn Nets, No. And if that weren't enough, James Harden is also an OKC alum. Phoenix has three seeding games remaining and each of the other teams have two, plus there could be tiebreaker games this weekend if needed. The duel will pit Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook—players who were traded for each other last offseason—against each other. 6 Philadelphia 76ers, No. Outside of the soft tissue injury, Warren has another roadblock: Butler. While improbable, it could be entertaining to watch if the Nets push the Raptors to their limits. We'll prepare, get ready and we'll see what's what.". Regardless, these teams have made a lot of changes since their previous postseason appearances, and it should be fun to watch both in a best-of-seven playoff series. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. #WholeNewGame https://t.co/5mwAFVpMdP, No. The Butler vs. Warren rivalry will be good for social media banter, but when it comes to the collective squads, both are well coached and playing better than expected. 8 spot in the Western Conference, but the Portland Trail Blazers (half-game back), San Antonio Spurs (one game back) and Phoenix Suns (one-and-a-half games back) are all alive in the race for that playoff berth. Boston Celtics over Toronto Raptors (4-3) Sun, August 30. Find out more. 9. OKC head coach Billy Donovan is a finalist for Coach of the Year, so he'll draw up a great game plan for Houston, but if Westbrook is a go, look for he and his team to win the series. Both teams are locked into their seeds, so it's a sure thing that this series is going to happen. "It'll be interesting," Paul told Matt Eppers of USA Today. The Thunder won two of the three regular-season meetings between these two teams, but they haven't played each other since Jan. 20, so this would be a fresh matchup to watch. Even when it comes to the Miami Heat (No. No. The battle for the final available NBA playoff spot is down to four teams. NBA Playoffs NBA Playoff Standings 2020: Latest Records, Postseason Scenarios and Predictions Maurice Bobb @ @ReeseReport. 112. Finals MVP: LeBron James (29.8 / 11.8 / 8.5), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Tuesday, October 20, 4:30AM. It won't be normal, but one team will end up winning a championship in October. Join our linker program. Thus far, the six-year small forward out of N.C. State is averaging 31.0 points since the restart in Orlando. In the Western Conference, there are still four teams vying for the final postseason spot: the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs. Doncic has emerged as one of the most exciting players in the NBA, as the 21-year-old guard is averaging 29.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.9 assists in 59 games, so it will be fun to watch him play on a bigger stage for the first time. In the Eastern Conference, no matter who wins or loses, the matchups are already set. The Memphis Grizzlies currently hold the No. the official stats partner of the NBA. Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder. Here's a look at the NBA standings, along with some intriguing potential first-round postseason matchups to watch. Paul, aware of all the talk that he was washed and banished to a team that couldn't win, took it personally and changed the narrative. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. LeBron James and Co. finished off the Miami Heat in Game 6 to clinch their 17th title in franchise history. We present them here for purely educational purposes. And on the flip side, Chris Paul's first playoff games with the Thunder could come against his former team, as he went the other way in that same trade. Westbrook is nursing a right quadriceps strain, but all signs point to him being able to play. Westbrook also isn't going to want his first postseason with Houston to end in the first round, especially at the hands of some of his former teammates. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. Or write about sports? Oklahoma has a balanced attack in the backcourt with Paul, Alexander and Dennis Schröder. It's possible the Jazz move ahead of the Thunder in the standings and prevent this series from happening, but it would certainly be fun to watch Houston and Oklahoma City go head-to-head if that's how the seeding falls. 7 Brooklyn Nets. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. "He has been experiencing that really throughout the season," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan told J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. Brooklyn is missing a considerable portion of its roster, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving injured and Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan and Wilson Chandler all deciding not to participate in the season restart. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be playing in their first playoff series with the Clippers, and they'll be looking to lead them to a deep run and potentially the first NBA title in franchise history. Can one of the biggest surprise teams during the recent seeding games upset the reigning NBA champions? 8 Orlando Magic, No. He and Harden make a formidable duo for the small ball Rockets, and they'll get some help from their others like Eric Gordon, Robert Covington, Jeff Green and P.J. Indiana isn't just a one-man show. 8 Portland Trail Blazers, No. En demi-finales à chaque fois. 7 Dallas Mavericks. It also has former All-Star Victor Oladipo working his way back from injury and former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. Mais ce n’est pas tout. The Los Angeles Lakers are the 2020 NBA champions. The Clippers should be able to secure the No. For his part, Westbrook has also excelled with his new team. But Westbrook and Paul have both had strong seasons in new cities, and Westbrook had a triple-double (32 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds) against the Thunder in January, so perhaps playing his old team will provide additional motivation. All rights reserved. Warren has gone from "cash considerations" to Bubble MVP, and he's going to be a problem for Miami. 7 Dallas Mavericks, No. Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland 3, Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers 4, Dallas 2, Statistics obtained from Basketball-Reference.com, We pushed the trade machine to the limit and created these moves ➡️, The top 10 offseason moves in the NBA since 2010, Predicting the destination for these eight players and grading their fits. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic will be making his playoff debut as the Mavs are in the postseason for the first time since 2016, and they'll be looking for their first playoff series victory since winning the NBA title in 2011. 5 Indiana Pacers, No. "Been able to play on it.". Not only will this be Russell Westbrook's first playoff series with the Rockets, but he could potentially be playing against the team that traded him last summer. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Los Angeles has never even reached the conference finals, so it will be hoping its new core brings it more success. He came in and cemented his leadership, mentoring young players like Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and guiding the team to a surprise season that has them neck-and-neck with the team that was predicted to be much better. This appears to be a first-round series that is … Perhaps the most intriguing first-round series will be between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the league suspended the season on March 11, 2020, hours after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and after some players tested positive for the virus. 7 Dallas Mavericks. LeBron James … Based on his career-high 53 points against the Sixers, the only thing that can seemingly slow down Warren is the plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The 2017 MVP played 11 seasons in a Thunder uniform, so the connection runs deep. And although it doesn't have Leonard this postseason, the Raptors still have a roster capable of making considerable noise in the postseason. Quant à Antetokounmpo, il ne marquera sans doute pas autant de points, mais un bon 30-16-8 fera l’affaire.21 ans seulement et déjà terriblement fort. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. He's shooting an impressive 57.8 percent from the floor and 52.4 percent from behind the arc. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. With all 22 NBA teams in the bubble having just one game left to play to finish the restarted regular season, the playoff picture is much clearer. Especially because Toronto is also playing well of late, winning four of its first five seeding games. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks will face the Orlando Magic, the reigning champs Toronto Raptors will go up against the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics will battle the Philadelphia 76ers. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. So, there are many possibilities for what could still happen. Put all of that aside, though, and this is still a great matchup on its own merit. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. It's likely that the Clippers would win this series, and if they don't, it would be a huge disappointment for a team that has legitimate championship aspirations this season. Miami has first-time All Star Bam Adebayo, three-point sniper Duncan Robinson and swagged-out rookie Tyler Herro. @ Toronto Raptors … Here's an updated look at the standings and a few playoff scenarios and predictions. There are so many levels of significance in the matchup between Houston and OKC. 5), who have the exact same record, they would still face each other in the first round if they switched positions after the final seeding game. 5 Oklahoma City Thunder. No. This appears to be a first-round series that is likely to take place. This will be an exciting series with lots of back and forth, but in the end it will be the Heat who prevail and move on. New Orleans Pelicans (30-40, eliminated), Intriguing Potential First-Round Matchups, No. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18. And it would likely be an exciting one, too. Washington Wizards (24-46, eliminated), 12. According to StatMuse, Butler guarded his new nemesis on almost every possession and held him to only 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. His points are up from last year (22.9 to 27.2 per game) and he's definitely more efficient, shooting a career-high 47.2 percent from the field after hitting on 42.8 percent last year. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. Tucker. 4 Miami Heat vs. No. The East is set and the Western Conference Play-In matchup will be decided in Thursday's action! The 2020 NBA playoffs is the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2019–20 season. One was traded for the other in a deal that seemed to breathe new life into the Rockets while supposedly damning the Thunder with a point guard maybe past his prime and a little too banged up. Still, the Nets have gone 4-2 in their first six seeding games, which includes victories over the Bucks and Clippers. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net.