The National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs got underway on Saturday, 22 May after Friday’s conclusion of the NBA Play-In Tournament – a mini-playoff for the teams that finished the regular season between 6th and 10th position in their respective conferences, held as a one-off this year after the campaign was shortened due to the pandemic. The Play-In Tournament saw the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards secure the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference, respectively, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies did so in the Western Conference.
The teams that have qualified for the 2021 NBA Playoffs are as follows:
Eastern Conference
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Brooklyn Nets
- Milwaukee Bucks
- New York Knicks
- Atlanta Hawks
- Miami Heat
- Boston Celtics
- Washington Wizards
Western Conference
- Utah Jazz
- Phoenix Suns
- Denver Nuggets
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies
The 2 conferences will remain in separate knockout brackets until the NBA Finals, which will pit the 2 conference champions against one another for the NBA championship. Until then, the teams will face off in respective quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, each of which is a best-of-7 series of games. The first 2 games in each series are held at the venue of the higher-seeded team, while the 3rd and 4th games will be hosted by the lower seed. Should they need to be played, the 5th and 7th games will also be held at the higher seed’s home venue, while the 6th will be at the lower seed’s.
The biggest shock of the opening weekend came at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Memphis Grizzlies topped the Utah Jazz – who had the highest win percentage of any team in the regular season – 112-109 to take an early 1-0 lead in their series. Dillon Brooks, who made his Playoffs debut, scored 31 points and chipped in with 7 rebounds.
With the Playoffs running from 22 May – 22 July, there’s plenty more drama and excitement to come as the world’s top basketball teams go head-to-head daily. A variety of tickets, including some premium experiences for the ultimate night at the game, are on sale for the first round of the competition, catering for a wide range of budgets. Click here for more information on the 2021 NBA Playoffs and tickets for each game.