The NBA playoffs are underway, and the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves have already taken commanding 2-0 leads in their respective series against the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. Both conferences follow a traditional bracket format during the playoffs, featuring best-of-seven series in each round. The team holding home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7. This format has been in use since 2014, and once the playoffs commence, the bracket remains fixed and teams are not reseeded.
While the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers are level after two games, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers to level their series. The Celtics, Knicks, and Cavaliers have also shown good form in their first-round games.
The Celtics started off with a win, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect them to take their 18th NBA Finals and first since 2008. However, the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Knicks have shown good form in their first-round games to crank up the pressure.
At the bottom of the pile, the Pelicans, Hornets, and Spurs are given long odds of winning it all. However, anything can happen in the NBA playoffs, and these teams could make a deep run if they can get hot at the right time.
