2020 NBA Playoffs
The 2020 NBA Playoffs will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Due to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, there will be no fans in attendance for the entire playoff series.
However, there will be no changes made to the tournament structure. This year’s postseason format is the same as that of the 2019 Playoffs or any other year since the tournament’s inception. The significant difference is that there will be no fans and every team will play in a neutral venue.
The teams that have qualified for the 2020 NBA Playoffs
Qualifying for the postseason is a difficult task. 30 teams from both conferences play out 82 games in a stretch during the regular season. But this year has been a unique experience. No team got to complete their original schedule as the pandemic caused chaos and urged the NBA to take a four and a half month hiatus.
However, the league managed to organize a massive bubble, in which each invited team played eight seeding games to determine the playoff table. With all regular-season games done and dusted, eight best teams from each conference have made their entry into the 2020 NBA playoff bracket.
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 56-17 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 53-19 |
| 3 | Boston Celtics | 48-24 |
| 4 | Indiana Pacers | 45-28 |
| 5 | Miami Heat | 44-29 |
| 6 | Philadelphia 76ers | 43-30 |
| 7 | Brooklyn Nets | 35-37 |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 33-40 |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | Los Angeles Lakers | 52-19 |
| 2 | LA Clippers | 49-23 |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets | 46-27 |
| 4 | Houston Rockets | 44-28 |
| 5 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 44-28 |
| 6 | Utah Jazz | 44-28 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 43-32 |
| 8 | Portland Trail Blazers | 35-39 |
2020 NBA Playoffs Schedule and how it works
This year’s playoff structure is no different than any other year. Barring the fact that the players will be competing for the championship inside a closed bubble, everything else is the same. The teams will be following the same format, playing out a best-of-seven series to determine the winner of each playoff round.
There are a few teams in contention for lifting the championship this year. But one thing is for certain. This is a game that we’ve never before experienced. We really can't predict the outcome this year. The bubble, the lack of fans, and the number of restrictions in place. Here is a photograph of the playoff bracket:
The 2020 NBA Playoffs schedule is always a jam-packed one. This year is no different as well. The schedule is commencing on August 17 and we can expect to see the conference finals kicking off by September 15. The tentative date for the 2020 NBA Finals is September 30 and is expected to stretch no longer than October 13.
Where to watch the 2020 NBA Playoffs?
TV: ESPN, TNT, ABC, NBA TV
Stream: Watch ESPN, Watch TNT, NBA League Pass
ESPN and TNT dominate the TV broadcast schedules as expected. These two networks enjoy a major share of the first-round and second-round games. But, the TV broadcast doesn’t end with these two networks. ABC also has the right to broadcast a small portion of the first and second-round games.
The conference finals’ broadcasting rights are split between ESPN and TNT. The Eastern Conference Finals will exclusively be televised by ESPN, while TNT holds the rights for the Western Conference finals.
ABC Network has once again gained the rights to broadcast the 2020 NBA Finals. Every game during the finals series will be shown exclusively on ABC.
