NBA Playoff Brackets 2020 - When does the post-season begin?
With the seeding games in the NBA bubble, Disney World finally ending on Friday, the NBA playoff brackets are almost confirmed. Teams are now locked in to make a run for the championship. They will also be eyeing their first-round match-ups. So what are the NBA playoff brackets 2020? And when does the NBA playoffs begin? Let's have a look.
2020 NBA Playoff brackets
Let us have a look at the NBA playoff brackets and first-round match-ups in both the Eastern and the Western Conferences.
Eastern Conference NBA playoff brackets 2020
The top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks take on the eight seeded Orlando Magic in what we expect to be a clean sweep for the Bucks who are arguably the most dominant team in the NBA right now.
The second-seeded Toronto Raptors go up against the depleted Brooklyn Nets. The Nets can hope to steal a game but in all likelihood, this will also be a clean sweep for the Raptors.
The match-ups get interesting in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket as the third-seeded Boston Celtics take on the sixth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
Without Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers are not favored in this match-up but expect them to make some noise with a win or two.
The most interesting first-round series in the East is by far the Miami Heat taking on the Indiana Pacers. The Heat have gone 3-0 so far against the Pacers with one win against them in the NBA bubble.
This is a favorable match-up for Erik Spoelstra's men. But the Pacers will not go down without a fight.
The winner of the Bucks vs Magic series will play the winner of the Heat vs Pacers series in the second round of the NBA playoffs. In the other second-round match-up, the winner of the Celtics vs 76ers series will go up against the winner of the Raptors vs Nets series.
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Western Conference NBA playoff brackets 2020
In the West, the top-seeded LA Lakers will take on the team that comes out of the play-in tournament. We expect LeBron James and the Lakers to make it to the second round with ease.
The second-seeded LA Clippers, who finally have their squad together are favorites to make it past the Dallas Mavericks. Expect the Mavericks, who have been great so far in the NBA bubble, to win at least one game in this series.
The third-seeded Denver Nuggets face the Utah Jazz in what promises to be an action-packed series. With their recent double-overtime game, it is clear that both these teams are a tough match-up for each other.
The Nuggets have had a better showing and with momentum on their side, they will likely beat the Utah Jazz.
A much awaited first-round match-up is the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Houston Rockets. Both teams have had a great showing in seeding games.
While the Houston Rockets are favorites to win, we expect this series to go down to the wire with both teams playing their hearts out.
The winner of the Lakers' first-round series will go up against the winner of the Rockets vs Thunder series and the winner of the Clippers vs Mavericks series will go up against the winner of the Nuggets vs Jazz series in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
When does the NBA playoffs begin?
The NBA playoffs begin on Monday, August 17th with the complete playoff schedule still not confirmed. We await the results of the play-in tournament right now which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, August 15th. Should the eighth-seeded team lose the first game, the second game will be held on August 16th.
The team that makes it out of the play-in tournament will face the LA Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. We expect the Portland Trail Blazers to make it to the playoffs but don't count the Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies out just yet.
Also Read: Can the Phoenix Suns make the NBA Playoffs? - Western Conference qualification scenario