NBA Playoff Schedule 2019: Known Dates for Each Round of Bracket
The 2019 NBA playoff field remains fluid into the regular season's final week.
While all eight spots in the Western Conference postseason bracket have been claimed, there's plenty to be determined when it comes to seeding. Only five Eastern Conference clubs have punched their playoff tickets, with the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets looming as potential ticket-poachers in the ninth and 10th seeds, respectively.
We will know where everyone stands by the end of Wednesday night, and the second season shall begin shortly thereafter.
For now, let's look at the playoff scheduling information we already know before diving into the mad dash to the finish line out East.
2019 NBA Playoff Round Start Dates
First Round: April 13
Conference Semifinals: April 29-30 (possible move up to April 27-28)
Conference Finals: May 14-15 (possible move up to May 12-13)
NBA Finals: May 30
The East has one thing the West does not: clarity at the top.
The Milwaukee Bucks have already clinched the No. 1 seed, and the Toronto Raptors are locked in at No. 2. The Philadelphia 76ers trimmed their magic number for the third spot to one with Saturday's win over what's left of the Chicago Bulls, who didn't have a starter reach double digits and were led in scoring by recent 10-day contract recipient—and former Philly Process-truster—JaKarr Sampson.
The Boston Celtics are probably entering the Big Dance with the fourth seed in hand following Friday's critical 117-97 win over the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers. Five Shamrocks finished in double figures with sophomore standout Jayson Tatum (22 points, seven rebounds) and former All-Star Gordon Hayward (21 points, 9-of-9 shooting) leading the charge.
For Hayward, this marked the first time all season he's gone for 20-plus points in consecutive contests. That may not sound like much for someone who averaged 21.9 per night in 2016-17, but it's important progress considering he's still rounding into form after losing all but the first five minutes of the 2017-18 campaign to a gruesome leg injury.
"He's playing really well," Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "He's still not forcing anything that's not there. ... It's good that he's playing this way. He feels good, and we're going to keep doing what we're doing, and he'll have a lot of opportunities to make plays for himself and more so for others."
While the Celtics have struggled with consistency, Hayward's recent emergence gives them hope they could still hit their stride in time to make a run. Over his past 13 outings, he's shooting 60.3 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from range.
The Indiana Pacers will have trouble climbing into the fourth spot, but they won't fall lower than fifth. Behind them, chaos reigns supreme.
Just 2.5 games separate the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets from the 10th-seeded Hornets. Both Brooklyn and the Orlando Magic have 40-40 records, but the Nets have the tiebreaker over the Magic and the eighth-seeded Pistons.
It's a tremendous turnaround for Brooklyn, which last booked a playoff spot in 2015, when Lionel Hollins was the head coach and Brook Lopez was the top scorer. But the combination of head coach Kenny Atkinson and general manager Sean Marks has breathed new life into this roster, which is led by first-time All-Star D'Angelo Russell.
The No. 2 pick in 2015, Russell has finally engineered his long-awaited breakout as an offensive leader who can score from all three levels and create shots for his teammates. He was brilliant again in Saturday's important 133-128 triumph over the Bucks, double-dipping with 25 points and 10 assists while shooting 10-of-15 from the field and 3-of-4 outside.
"One thing about D'Lo, I give him credit—because I played with a lot of young guys—he actually wants it," Nets veteran Jared Dudley said recently. "He seeks out advice more than any young player I've had. He's a testament to him. He knows it's a contract year, everything in front of him, and he's stepped up to all the pressure."
The Nets, though, close with a home tilt against the Heat. If Miami finds its way past Toronto on Sunday and Philly on Tuesday, the Heat could sneak around Brooklyn by winning that game and therefore the season series 3-1.
The Magic and Pistons control their destinies.
Orlando has a 1.5-game lead on Miami, plus the tiebreaker, so a Magic win or a Heat loss would send Orlando to its first playoff appearance since 2012. Detroit has the tiebreaker over Miami with a better conference record, so the Pistons are safe if they can knock off the Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks between now and Wednesday.
Clear as mud, right?
But at least we are close to not only fleshing out the playoff picture but having postseason games again.
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