The 75th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the 2020-21 season began on December 22, 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the regular season has been reduced to 72 games for each team.
As the regular season comes to end with not much game left for each team, the playoffs look start to take shape.
Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns are the four teams who are confirmed in the playoffs.
While other top teams trying to keep their place within the top 6 to make sure to enter the playoffs.
And also below teams trying to increase their standings to be able to enter within the top 10.
To make it into the play-in and have a chance to play in the playoffs.
As the format for this season has changed with the teams in the top 6 in each conference secured to play in the playoffs.
While the teams ranking from 7-10 play in the play-in tournament that NBA staged.
It commences from May 18 to May 21 to clinch the play-off spot.
The winners of the matches clinch the 7th and 8th spots to enter the play-off.
Play-off is starting to take shape
As games of the regular season are coming to end the team on the top confirmed a play-off spot.
Currently the teams on the top 3 in the Eastern Conference Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Likewise the teams on the top 3 in the Western Conference Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and LA Clippers.
Combining both the conferences, Utah Jazz has the league’s best record till now standing at a 45-17 win and loss ratio.
As a result, Utah Jazz officially clinched a playoff spot becoming the first NBA team to guaranteed a top-6 finish.
The @utahjazz become the first team to clinch a berth in the 2021 NBA Playoffs! pic.twitter.com/tH6f5ShivE
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 26, 2021
They made the spot after Portland Trail Blazer’s loss to Memphis on Sunday afternoon.
Jazz achieved most wins compared to other teams so they stayed on the No.1 seed in the Western Conference for most of the season.
Still, they left to play 10 games however they already made it to the playoffs.
But head coach Quin Snyder and his squad know there is more to do.
As they still want to win games and have good records before the playoff games.
“There isn’t a lot settled, whether it’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,” Snyder said over the weekend.
But still securing a top-six spot is very important this season as teams from 7-10 have to win another game before entering the playoffs.
“As that stuff does solidify, that’s a good point,” Snyder said. You’ll have to try to prepare for more teams.
That’s a challenge that I think every team is going to face. It requires more people working in conjunction with one another.”
This is the fifth straight year Snyder has led the Jazz to the postseason.
Brooklyn Nets make it to the playoff as first team from the Eastern Conference.
One of the team that has super chance to win this year’s championship with number of players with All-star title and experience playing in both playoffs and championship is this season Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn built avenger team of NBA with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving joining in 2019 then James Harden entering in 2020-21 season.
Likewise Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge joining again this season all contributing an incredible amount of talent for the Nets.
After Aldridge retired other players got chance to show their presence for the Nets.
Despite being the superteam, the team had few shares of up and down with star players missing out due to injuries.
And also all the All-stars playing together only for few games which gave them hard time to take the No.1 spot.
However players stepping up in the absence of other players made them No.1 in the Eastern Conference.
The Brooklyn Nets clinched their playoff spot after the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.
And Boston Celtics losing to Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Phoenix Suns ends their 10 season playoff drought
After Utah Jazz, Phoenix become second team to enter the playoff doing so for the first time since 2010.
The 10- season drought is the second-longest active playoff drought in the NBA and fifth longest all time.
But this drought ended with the Suns beating Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night with record of 44-18.
Devin Booker was a key player for the Suns in this achievement.
“It feels great,” said Booker, who will experience the playoffs for the first time in his six seasons. “It’s been a long time coming. I just shut my mouth for five years.”
“It feels great,” said Booker, who will experience the playoffs for the first time in his six seasons. “It’s been a long time coming. I just shut my mouth for five years.”
“Everybody that used to play for the Suns in the past would come through and be like there was a whole different level to it,” added Booker.
His scoring is on pace to score the ninth-most career points by any player in NBA history before his first playoff appearance, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
“Believe me, I am looking forward to it, packing the place out, hopefully, if we get to that point, and the atmosphere, energy and vibe around the whole city to be up.”
Similarly, Suns’ point guard Chris Paul was a major reason the Suns clinched the a playoff spot on Wednesday. He had 28 points and 10 assists .
And the Clippers had no answer for Paul in the fourth quarter, when he hit 5 of 8 shots and scored 15 points.
The Suns defeat the Clippers 109-101 on Wednesday and clinch the playoff spot.
The @Suns clinch a playoff spot for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
Teams ranked 7-10 will participate in the NBA Play-In Tournament after the regular season (May 18-21) to secure the final two spots in the Playoffs for each conference. pic.twitter.com/gW0DldUemD
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2021
They are now two games ahead of the third-placed Clippers and one game back of the Utah Jazz (45-17) atop the West.
And they aim to take the No. 1 spot before the playoffs.
Seth Curry drops team high to defeat the Atlanta Hawks to make it to the playoffs
With recent losses the 76ers dropped in the ranking for the Eastern Conference from No.1 spot to No.2 spot behind the Nets.
The Nets secured their playoff spot first and it was now turn of 76ers to do the same.
They faced off the Atlanta Hawks to secure the playoff spot and with 76er’s Seth Curry scoring team high along with Tobias Harris and Joel Embid each adding good score which build a big early lead that defeated the Hawks and securing place for the playoffs.
The 76ers became 2nd team from Eastern Conference spot to enter the playoffs.
It was big night for both the 76ers and Seth Curry.
Seth hit a 3 to get the scoring started in tonight’s game against the Hawks. He exploded for 13 points in the first quarter.
At the end Curry finished with 20-point performance hitting 40 percent from three-point range and made 43.1 percent of his triples this month.
“He’s more aggressive,” said coach Doc Rivers. “He looks like he has more energy, he’s looking for his shot which we want him to do. We encourage him to do it, obviously. He looks good.”
“I feel pretty good,” said Curry. “I’m getting my legs and getting in better shape as I’m able to string more games together.
It’s just about getting healthy and getting stronger and figuring it out as we go into the playoffs as a team.
We have our whole group out there, everybody’s just more comfortable.”
.@sdotcurry came out and did what he does best.
20 PTS | 3 REB | 1 AST
📹 presented by @IBX pic.twitter.com/MVB1hYDERQ
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 29, 2021
With Curry getting into the rhythm with the help of his teams really gave special night for the team.
After these teams, other teams that have chance to make it to the playoffs are teams from No.3 to No.6 from each conference.
Playoff picture for remaining teams.
No.3 in the Eastern Conference is the Milwaukee Bucks, the Bucks have 11 games left to play
Bucks win percentage is 0.623 and playoff probability is 99 percent.
Likewise the Clippers who are currently in 3rd place in the Western conference with winning percentage of 0.672 and stands at 43-21 and has winning percentile of 99 percent.
For remaining teams in the Eastern Conference
No.4 Knicks
The Knicks need to play 10 games and are at 35-28 with winning percentage of 0.556 and playoff probability is 88 percent
5. Hawks
Remaining games to play for the Hawks is 10 games and they record the winning percentage of 0.540
Playoff probability is about 99 percent.
6. Celtics
Remaining games to play is 10 with winning percentage of 0.524 and playoff probability is 96 percent
Now for the teams in the spot for the Playin tournament right now are the Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Indiana Pacer and at 10th place is Washington Wizards.
No. 11 placed Chicago Bulls are 1 games behind the Wizards and are still with chance to reach in the play-in tournament.
Likewise Toronto Raptors are also strong contenders for the No. 10 place who are 1.5 games behind the No.10 Wizards.
For the Western Conference
NO.4. Nuggets
They have 11 remaining games and has winning percentage of 0.661 with playoff probability of 99 percent.
No.5 Lakers
Remaining games to play is 11 games with winning percentage of 0.581 and 99 percent play off probability.
No 6. Mavericks
Remaining games to play is 11 and they record winning percentage of 0.557 so playoff probability is 97 percent.
Similarly the teams in Playin tournament spot:
No 7. Trail Blazers, No 8 Memphis Grizzlies, No.9 San Antonio Spurs and finally at No. 10 is Golden State Warriors.
No. 11 place New Orleans Pelicans are 3.5 games behind the N0.10 Golden State Warriors so their chance to make it to the play-in is very rare.
And likewise for the teams below the Pelicans. While Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets are already eliminated from the playoff contention.
As the regular season games are coming to an end, the teams are more and more competitive to have the chance to enter the playoffs.
Who is your choice for the playoffs and championship?
