The NBA Playoffs are held annually to decide the championship of the National Basketball Association. The top eight teams in each of the Eastern and Western Conferences compete in a best-of-seven series tournament. The final two teams after three rounds compete in the NBA Finals.
The first NBA Playoffs was held on April 16, 1947 with the Philadelphia Warriors win over the Chicago Stacks 4-1.[1] The most team with the playoffs appearances is the Los Angeles Lakers. They have appeared in the playoffs 58 times. The current NBA team with least playoffs appearances is the Memphis Grizzlies (3 times).[2]
The 2010 NBA Playoffs begins on April 17, 2010. The last games of the regular season were played on April 14, 2010.
NBA Playoffs Tiebreaker
According to the NBA, there are two ways the tiebreaker is determined as follow:[1]
For two teams:
1. Division winner
2. Head-to-head record
3. Record against teams in own division (if teams are in same division)
4. Record against teams in own conference
5. Record against playoff eligible teams in own conference
For more than two teams:
1. Division winner
2. Record in games among tied teams.
3. Record against teams in own division (if tied teams are in same division)
4. Record against teams in own conference.
5. Record against playoff teams eligible in own conference
The Home Court Advantage is determined by the team with better record wins.
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs began on Saturday, April 17, 2010. Four games were played on the night with three games are played by the Eastern Conference teams. The Playoffs started with a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Chicago Bulls in Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio at 3:00 PM ET. It followed by the Atlanta Hawks hosting the Milwaukee Bucks in Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia at 5:30 PM ET and the Miami Heat versus the Boston Celtics in TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts at 8:00 PM ET.The final game for the opening nights of the 2010 NBA Playoffs was between the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets in Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado at 10:30 PM ET.[1]
The first team to advance to the Conference Seminfinals is the Orlando Magic winning 4-0 against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Magic face the Atlanta Hawks at the Conference Semifinals. [2]
The first team to advanced to the Conference Finals is the Phoenix Suns winning 4-0 agains the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns face the Los Angeles Lakers. [3]
Eastern Conference Bracket
Western Conference Bracket
| Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | LA Lakers | 4 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Oklahoma | 2 | |||||||||||
| 1 | LA Lakers | 4 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Utah | 0 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Denver | 2 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Utah | 4 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles | 4 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 2 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 4 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 4 | |||||||||||
| 7 | San Antonio | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Dallas | 2 | |||||||||||
| 7 | San Antonio | 4 | |||||||||||
2010 NBA Playoffs Theme TNT ESPN
2010 NBA Playoffs Daily Leaders
May 30, 2010: Points: 37 - Kobe Bryant - (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 13 Channing Frye (Phoenix Suns) | Assists: 9 - Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) [1]
May 28, 2010: Points: 31 - Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) | Rebounds: 13 - Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) | Assists: 6 - Rojon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [2]
May 27, 2010: Points: 30 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 13 - Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers) | Assists: 11 - Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) [3]
May 26, 2010: Points: 24 - Jameer Nelson (Orlando Magic) | Rebounds: 10 - Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) | Assists: 7 - Ray Allen (Boston Celtics) [4]
May 23, 2010: Points: 42 - Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) | Rebounds: 11 - Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) | Assists: 15 - Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) [5]
May 22, 2010: Points: 17 - Glen Davis (Boston Celtics) | Rebounds: 9 - Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) | Assists: 12 - Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [6]
May 19, 2010: Points: 29 - Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 11 - Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers) | Assists: 15 - Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) [7]
May 18, 2010: Points: 30 - Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) | Rebounds: 9 - Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) | Assists: 8 Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [8]
May 17, 2010: Points: 40 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 19 - Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers) | Assists: 13 Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) [9]
May 16, 2010: Points: 25 - Ray Allen (Boston Celtics) | Rebounds: 12 - Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) | Assists: Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [10]
May 13, 2010: Points: 27 - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers | Assists: 19 - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers | Assists: 10 Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [11]
May 9, 2010: Points: 29 each - Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) & Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) | Rebounds: 18 - Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) | Assists: 13 Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [12]
May 8, 2010: Points: 35 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 17 - Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) | Assists: 9 Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) [13]
May 7, 2010: Points: 38 - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) | Rebounds: 13 - Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) | Assists: 8 - Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [14]
May 6, 2010: Points: 29 - Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) | Rebounds: 17 - Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) | Assists: 6 each - Rashard Lewis & Jameer Nelson (Orlando Magic) [15]
May 5, 2010: Points: 29 - Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) | Rebounds: 11 - Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) | Assists: 11 - Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs) [16]
May 4, 2010: Points: 30 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 15 each - Pau Gasol & Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers) | Assists: 19 - Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) [17]
May 3, 2010: Points: 27 - Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs) | Rebounds: 13 - Amare Stoudemire | Assists: Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [18]
May 2, 2010: Points: 31 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 15 - Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) | Assists: 8 - Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) [19]
May 1, 2010: Points: 35 - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) | Rebounds: 11 - Kendrick Perkins (Boston Celtics) | Assists: 12 - Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [20]
April 30, 2010: Points: 32 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 18 - Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) | Assists: 9 - Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) [21]
April 29, 2010: Points: 33 - Dirk Nowitzki ([Dallas Mavericks]]) | Rebounds: 12 - Grant Hill (Phoenix Suns) | Assists: 8 - Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs [22]
April 28, 2010: Points: 34 - Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) | Rebounds: 16 - Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz) | Assists: 10 - Deron Williams [23]
April 27, 2010: Points: 35 - Caron Butler (Dallas Mavericks) | Rebounds: 11 each - Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls), Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) & Andrew Bynum (Los Angeles Lakers) | Assists: 12 - Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) [24]
April 26, 2010: Points: 29 - Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) | Rebounds: 13 - Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) | Assists: 10 - Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns)[25]
April 25, 2010: Points: 46 - Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat) | Rebounds: 13 - Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz) | Assists: 13 - Derron Williams (Utah Jazz) [26]
April 24, 2010: Points: 32 - Jameer Nelson (Orlando Magic) | Rebounds: 12 - Grant Hill (Phoenix Suns) & Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks) | Assists: 8 - Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) & Andre Miller (Portland Trail Blazers) [27]
April 23, 2010: Points: 35 - Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) | Rebounds: 19 - Paul Milsap (Utah Jazz) | Assists: 10 - Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) [28]
April 22, 2010: Points: 42 - Jason Richardson (Phoenix Suns) | Rebounds: 19 - Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) | Assists: 10 - Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) [29]
April 21, 2010: Points: 27 - Stephen Jackson (Charlotte Bobcats) & Tim Duncan) (San Antonio Spurs) | Rebounds: 17 - Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) | Assists: Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) & Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) [30]
April 20, 2010: Points: 39 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) | Rebounds: 15 - Ersan Illyasova (Milwaukee Bucks) | Assists: Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) [31]
April 19, 2010: Points: 40 - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) | Rebounds: 15 - Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz) | Assists: 14 - Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) [32]
April 18, 2010: Points: 31 - Andre Miller (Portland Trail Blazers) | Rebounds: 17 - Marcus Camby (Portland Trail Blazers) and Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats) | Assists: 11 - Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) [33]
April 17, 2010: Points: 42 - Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) | Rebounds: 15 - Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers) | Assists: 11 - Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)[34]
2010 NBA Playoffs Promotional Videos
2010 NBA Playoffs Promotional Videos
2010 NBA Playoffs Promotional Videos
NBA Finals Champions
References
Fast Facts
-
Fact:
First playoffs held in 1947
-
Fact:
16-team playoff format adopted in 1984
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Fact:
Top eight teams in each conference participate
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Fact:
All rounds based on a best-of-seven series
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Fact:
Higher-seeded team receives home-court advantage
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Fact:
Winner takes the NBA title and the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy
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Fact:
Boston Celtics won the most titles, at 17, including the 2008 NBA Championship
