NBA Playoff Schedule 2020: 1st-Round Dates, TV Info and Projected Matchups

The Los Angeles Lakers were always going to stand out from the NBA crowd once Anthony Davis joined LeBron James in Hollywood.

Now, the Purple and Gold are unique for a different reason, as they are the lone postseason participant that doesn't know its first-round opponent yet.

The West's eighth seed is still up for grabs—as is the ninth, which comes with a ticket to this weekend's play-in tournament—making this the first round's sole undecided matchup.

After running through the current bracket and laying out the scheduling information for the opening round, we'll break down how the Lakers match up against their four possible first-round opponents.

Current Playoff Bracket

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic

No. 4 Miami Heat vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers

No. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets

Western Conference

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers

No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets

No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Utah Jazz

No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks

First-Round Scheduling and Broadcast Information

Play-In Game No. 1: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC

Play-In Game No. 2: Sunday, Aug. 16 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (if necessary)

First-Round Start Date: Monday, Aug. 17

First-Round Latest End Date: Sunday, Aug. 30

TV: ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBATV (Broadcast schedule to be determined)

Potential First-Round Opponents for Lakers

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers might have the MVP of the seeding round—yes, that is a real thing—in five-time All-Star Damian Lillard.

It turns out, Orlando is in the Dame Time zone. The 30-year-old leads all bubble scorers at 37.0 points per game and has a ridiculous 112 points (on 55.0/44.8/97.1 shooting) to show for his last two outings.

A red-hot Lillard and a healthy-as-it's-been-all-season Blazers' supporting cast looks like L.A.'s trickiest potential first-round opponent.

It's tough to say what that label actually means—Portland has zero good defensive answers for LeBron James—but if the Lakers can't flip the switch (3-4 with a minus-5.6 net rating in Orlando), the Blazers might have the horsepower to run them out of the first round.

Phoenix Suns

If Lillard isn't the seeding-round MVP, then it's probably Devin Booker.

The fifth-year scoring guard has made good on his All-Star breakout and steered his squad to the bubble's only unblemished record (7-0 with a gargantuan plus-11.2 net rating). He's tied for fourth on the seeding round's scoring list at 31.0 points per game, and his 6.1 assists rank 15th overall.

Phoenix is a young team almost wholly lacking in experience, which could prove a fatal flaw against James, who has been to the Finals nine times. But a playoff test against a contender might help accelerate the development of this rising nucleus.

Saying that, the Suns won't just be happy to be in the first round. They've shown better balance than the Blazers (fifth on offense, fourth on defense in the bubble) and at least have players who could (sort of) physically challenge both James (Mikal Bridges) and Davis (Deandre Ayton).

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are the not-supposed-to-be-here member of this group, as their developmental schedule has been fast-forwarding all season.

At least, it was until standout sophomore Jaren Jackson Jr. was lost to a torn meniscus. Memphis is just 1-7 inside the bubble, which explains how the 3.5-game cushion for the eighth seed it brought to Orlando has completely evaporated.

The Grizzlies still have Rookie of the Year favorite Ja Morant, and he's capable of exposing some holes in the Lakers' depleted backcourt. But on paper, Memphis might be lucky to steal one game in a series with L.A.

San Antonio Spurs

While the Spurs stopped short of waving the white flag upon their arrival, they were prioritizing player development over trying to extend their 22-year playoff streak.

San Antonio's development program is apparently ahead of schedule, because it is 5-2 with the fourth-best net rating in Orlando, and the young core has its fingerprints all over this success.

DeMar DeRozan is still the team's scoring leader, but the 26-and-under quartet of Derrick White, Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV has each delivered double-digit points per game averages.

"The development has been off the charts," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. "We're thrilled with it. It's a win-win, no matter what. ... But we've already accomplished what we thought we were capable of accomplishing. That's what's important."

Popovich and DeRozan have each had their playoff battles with James, but seeing some familiar faces might get the King into playoff mode at a rapid rate.

The Spurs could easily get swept out of the series, but the fact that they know they're playing with house money should alleviate a lot of the normal postseason pressure.