NBA Playoffs 2019: Known Schedule, Bracket Format and Dangerous Teams
First-round upsets are hard to find in the NBA playoffs.
Over the last five years, nine lower seeds have made it out of the first round, but only two of them finished beneath fifth place in their respective conferences.
Although the odds of advancing are slim for the teams in the final three playoff positions in the Eastern and Western Conferences, there are a few sides who could buck the trend in 2019.
Since the competitions for the final playoff seeds are still open, we could see a few playoff-hungry teams turn into the most dangerous ones in the NBA once the postseason begins.
Known Schedule
The 2019 NBA Playoffs start Saturday, April 13, with first-round action in the Eastern and Western Conference.
The first round typically lasts two weeks, as do the conference semifinals and finals.
There's no set date for the start of the NBA Finals yet, but it normally starts in the first week of June.
Bracket Format
Eight teams from each conference qualify for the postseason, with the top seed taking on the No. 8 seed in the first round.
The top seeds in each conference are in line to face the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup, while the same can be said about the No. 2 seeds against the victor of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 clash.
In each round, the team with the better regular-season record holds home-court advantage.
Eventually, the brackets will dwindle down to two conference champions, who square off in the NBA Finals for the championship.
Most Dangerous Teams
Oklahoma City Thunder
As of Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won their last three games, are in line to face the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
Billy Donovan's team is one of the few capable of eliminating Houston before the Western Conference Finals because it has one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NBA in Russell Westbrook.
Although Westbrook will command the postseason spotlight, he isn't the only grizzled veteran on the Thunder roster.
In Paul George and Steven Adams, Oklahoma City has a pair of stars who can keep up with the Rockets' offensive threat and attempt to neutralize the production of James Harden's supporting cast.
The Thunder have the added bonus of taking a look at the Rockets right before the playoffs begin Tuesday in a game that could lock the Western Conference foes into a first-round matchup.
An Oklahoma City win means the Thunder would be the favorite to land the No. 6 seed over San Antonio and the Los Angeles Clippers, and it would knock the Rockets down to a full game back of Denver for the No. 2 seed.
Oklahoma City is 2-1 against the Rockets in the regular season, with the latest triumph coming February 9 in Houston.
In addition to their regular-season record against Houston and star power, the Thunder should be considered dangerous because they knocked off Eastern Conference playoff teams Toronto and Indiana in a three-game stretch at the end of March.
The Thunder won't show any fear against a favored opponent, and that could spell bad news for a Houston team with lofty goals.
Orlando Magic
None of the top teams in the Eastern Conference want to see the Orlando Magic in the first round.
The Magic reeled off 10 wins in their last 12 games to secure a spot in the playoff field, and now all that's left to be determined is their playoff seed.
During their current run of form, the Magic have earned wins over Boston, Indiana and a Philadelphia team it could be matched up with in the first round.
Orlando's opponent is dependent on Wednesday's result against the Charlotte Hornets, as well as the end-of-season clash between Brooklyn and Miami.
Whether the Magic end up with the Sixers as the No. 6 seed, or oppose Toronto as the No. 7 seed, they pose a significant threat behind its duo of Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic.
Orlando doesn't have the elite talent at every position to compete with the Raptors or Sixers, but it could force the first-round series to six or seven games.
If Vucevic and Gordon take over games with the supporting cast of Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross and D.J. Augustin chipping in when called upon, the Magic could ask questions of the opponent's defense, which may linger deeper into the postseason.
If anything, Orlando won't be an easy out because of how it is playing, and if everything falls in its favor in the first round, it might have the rare chance to pull off an upset.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.
