2020 NBA Playoffs

A logo used byThe Walt Disney Company promoting its hosting of the playoffs atWalt Disney World, using the resort's original 1971 to 1994 logo below.
Tournament details
City	Bay Lake, Florida
Venue	ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex atWalt Disney World Resort
Dates	August 17 – October 11, 2020
Season	2019–20
Teams	16
Final positions
Champions	Los Angeles Lakers(17th title)
Runners-up	Miami Heat
Semifinalists	Denver Nuggets Boston Celtics
← 2019 2021 →

The2020 NBA playoffs was thepostseason tournament of theNational Basketball Association's2019–20 season. The tournament ended with theWestern Conference championLos Angeles Lakers defeating theEastern Conference championMiami Heat in 4 games to 2 to win their first championship since 2010. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18. However, the leaguesuspended the season on March 11, 2020, hours after theCOVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by theWorld Health Organization and afterUtah Jazz centerRudy Gobert tested positive for the virus.^[1]

On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season on July 31 in theNBA Bubble.^[2] This proposal was then approved by members of theNational Basketball Players Association on June 5. Under this plan, the 22 top teams in the league at the time of the suspension (all the teams who had a mathematical chance at making the playoffs under the 82-game season) played eight additional regular season games to determine playoff seeding, with 16 of those teams playing in a conventional postseason tournament. If the ninth seed within a conference would have finished the regular season within four games of the eighth seed, they would have then competed in a play–in series.^[3] The last time a play-in game was played to determine a playoff spot was in1956.^[4] The NBA would institute a Play-in tournament for the 7-8th seeds the following season due to theregular season being only 72 games.^[5] The followingregular season and beyond would include a Play-in Tournament.^[6]

As part of the bubble, all playoff games were held at theESPN Wide World of Sports Complex insideWalt Disney World inBay Lake, Florida.

All three games that were scheduled to take place on August 26 were postponed by awildcat strike,^[7][8] in response to theshooting of Jacob Blake inKenosha, Wisconsin, with theMilwaukee Bucks being the first team not to take the court prior to their game five matchup against theOrlando Magic. The games on August 27 and 28 were also postponed, with games resuming on August 29.^[9]

TheToronto Raptors were defending champions but lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals round to theBoston Celtics. None of the teams that made it to the conference finals in the2019 NBA playoffs made the conference finals in 2020. These were the first playoffs since1997 without theSan Antonio Spurs, as they were eliminated from playoff contention on August 14, 2020, ending what was then the longest active playoff streak in the NBA and in the fourmajor sports leagues in North America.

• TheHouston Rockets entered their eighth consecutive postseason.
• ThePortland Trail Blazers entered their seventh consecutive postseason. They also became the first Western Conference team since1997 to qualify for the playoffs despite posting a losing record.
• TheLos Angeles Lakers made the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
• TheDallas Mavericks made the playoffs for the first time in four years.
• TheGolden State Warriors missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
• Despite being invited to the bubble, theSan Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs for the first timein twenty-three years. This was only the fifth time since themerger that the Spurs missed the playoffs.
• Despite thePhoenix Suns going a perfect 8–0 in the bubble, they missed the playoffs due to the Grizzlies defeating the Bucks and the Blazers defeating the Nets earlier in the day.

• TheToronto Raptors entered their seventh consecutive postseason.
• TheBoston Celtics entered their sixth consecutive postseason.
• TheIndiana Pacers entered their fifth consecutive postseason.
• TheMilwaukee Bucks entered their fourth consecutive postseason.
• TheOrlando Magic entered their second consecutive postseason.
• TheBrooklyn Nets entered their second consecutive postseason.
• TheMiami Heat returned to the postseason after a one-year absence.

• This was the first time since2003 that both No. 1 seeds (theMilwaukee Bucks and theLos Angeles Lakers) from each conference lost their opening game of the playoffs.
• LeBron James became the first player with 20+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 15+ assists in an NBA playoff game.
• TheBoston Celtics swept thePhiladelphia 76ers in the first round, marking the 44th straight year a sweep occurred in the NBA playoffs. The last year a sweep did not occur in the playoffs was1976.
• TheToronto Raptors swept theBrooklyn Nets, making it their first series sweep in franchise history, leaving theLos Angeles Clippers as the only remaining team that has never swept a series in the playoffs.
• With their first round sweep of the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat swept a playoff series for the first time since2014.
• Donovan Mitchell andJamal Murray joinedMichael Jordan andAllen Iverson as the only players to have multiple 50–point games in a single playoff series.
• This was the first time in NBA playoff history that two players on opposing teams (Donovan Mitchell of theUtah Jazz andJamal Murray of theDenver Nuggets) tallied 50+ points in the same game.
• Luka Dončić joinedCharles Barkley andOscar Robertson as the only players with 40+ points, 15+ rebounds, 10+ assists in an NBA playoff game.
• Luka Dončić joinedMichael Jordan,LeBron James,Kawhi Leonard, andDamian Lillard as the only players to score 40+ points and hit a buzzer–beater in a playoff game.
• TheMilwaukee Bucks were the first team in the playoffs to refuse to play a game over racial injustice in the wake of theshooting of Jacob Blake inKenosha, Wisconsin. The players described their actions as a "boycott", although commentators have pointed out that the event was a strike.^[10] It is the first time an NBA team refused to play a game since theBoston Celtics protested for racial justice in 1961.^[11]
• Kawhi Leonard was the first player to have 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ steals in a playoff game sinceGary Payton in 2000.
• The Nuggets–Jazz series was the first of the 2020 playoffs to have a Game 7, making it the 21st consecutive NBA postseason with a Game 7. The last time a Game 7 did not take place in the playoffs was1999.
• Jamal Murray was the first player to have three straight playoff games with 40+ points sinceAllen Iverson in 2001.
• TheDenver Nuggets became just the 12th team in NBA history to come back from a3–1 series deficit, when they defeated theUtah Jazz in the Western Conference first round. They were the first team to come back from a 3–1 series deficit since theCleveland Cavaliers did so in the2016 NBA Finals.
• Luguentz Dort became the youngest player and first undrafted player to score 30+ points in a Game 7.

• Game 2 between theMiami Heat andMilwaukee Bucks was the first playoff game since Game 1 of the1979 NBA Finals to be decided by free throws with time expired.
• This was the first time that the top two seeds in a conference (theMilwaukee Bucks and theToronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference) were both down 0–2 in a best–of–7 series.
• This was the first time since2013 that the fifth seed (Miami Heat) beat the first seed (Milwaukee Bucks) 4–1 in the conference semifinals.
• Despite all the games being in the same location, the Celtics–Raptors series was the first series in NBA history where the (designated) road team won every game of a best–of–seven series. The only other instances when this had happened inmajor North American sports leagues history are the2019 World Series and the2023 American League Championship Series, in which theHouston Astros lost both series.
• With their conference semifinals victory over theLos Angeles Clippers, theDenver Nuggets also became the thirteenth NBA team to overcome a 3–1 deficit in the NBA playoffs, and the first time that an NBA team overcame a 3–1 deficit twice in the same playoffs. This was the last NBA playoff series where a team won three straight games to come back from a 3-1 deficit.

• This was the first time that neither thefirst seed nor thesecond seed were in theEastern Conference finals. By coincidence, this would happen againthe very next year.
• Tyler Herro set the NBA rookie conference finals scoring record by scoring a career–high 37 points off the bench in game 4 of theEastern Conference finals against theBoston Celtics. The record was previously held byAndrew Toney who scored 35 in 1981.^[12] Herro's 37 points are the second-most ever scored by a player aged 20 or younger in a playoff game, only behindMagic Johnson's 42 points back in 1980.^[13]
• With their Eastern Conference finals victory over theBoston Celtics, theMiami Heat became the first 5th seed or lower team to advance to the NBA Finals since the1999 New York Knicks became the first eighth seed to make the NBA Finals. Ironically, the Knicks eliminated the Heat en route to their1999 NBA Finals appearance.

• This was the first time that both teams in the NBA Finals failed to make the playoffs in the previous season.
• Andre Iguodala reached the NBA Finals for the sixth consecutive year, joining LeBron James andJames Jones as the only players to do so with two different teams.
• Before this season, the last time the Heat reached the NBA Finals was in2014, after which LeBron James ended a four-year stint with the team. James became the second player (afterWilt Chamberlain in1967) to win MVP with a franchise before later playing against that franchise in the Finals. James was the first Finals MVP to play their previous franchise in the Finals.
• Anthony Davis joinedKevin Durant,Michael Jordan,Rick Barry, andHal Greer as the only players in NBA History to score 30+ points in their first two career NBA Finals games.
• Tyler Herro became the youngest player to start an NBA Finals game at 20 years, 256 days during the Game 2 of the2020 NBA Finals on October 2, 2020. He was eight days younger than Magic Johnson was when he started Game 1 for the Lakers in 1980.^[14]
• Jimmy Butler became the 3rd player in NBA History to record a 40+ point triple-double in the NBA Finals, joining LeBron James in2015 andJerry West in1969.^[15] At the end of Game 3 of theNBA Finals, Butler also became the first player (opponent or teammate) to out-score/-rebound/-assist/ LeBron James in a Finals game.
• With their Game 6 win over the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers won their record-tying 17th NBA championship, tying theBoston Celtics as the two teams to win the most NBA championships (17). In addition to winning their first championship since2010, the Lakers also became the first team since the2008 Boston Celtics (who ironically defeated them in the2008 NBA Finals) to win a championship after missing the playoffs the previous season.
• LeBron James became the first NBA player to win the Finals MVP with three different teams and the third to win a championship with three different teams, joiningJohn Salley andRobert Horry.
• Danny Green joins LeBron as the fourth players to win titles with three different teams.
• Rajon Rondo became the second player afterClyde Lovellette to win a title with the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
• Anthony Davis became the 8th player to achieve thebasketball triple crown, winning an Olympic gold medal, NCAA Championship, and NBA Championship, joiningClyde Lovellette,Bill Russell,K.C. Jones,Jerry Lucas,Quinn Buckner,Magic Johnson, andMichael Jordan.

After the NBA suspended its season on March 11, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the league started to explore implementing a special postseason format just for this year.^[16]

On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season on July 31 in theNBA Bubble, with 22 of the 30 teams in the league, all clubs mathematically alive for a playoff spot under the 82 game schedule. Under this plan, the 22 teams played eight regular-season "seeding" games. A possible best-of-three play-in series for the final seed in each conference would then be held if the ninth seed finished the regular season within four games of the eighth seed. The eighth seed would start with ade facto 1–0 lead, meaning that it would need just one win to advance, while the ninth seed must win two in a row.^[17][18] The NBA's regular playoff format proceeded as normal. All games were playedbehind closed doors at theESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inWalt Disney World.^[2]

Under the NBA's regular playoff format, the eight teams with the most wins in each conference qualified for the playoffs. Theseedings were based on each team's record. Each conference's bracket was fixed; there was no reseeding. All rounds were best-of-seven series; the series ended when one team won four games, and that team advanced to the next round. All rounds, including the NBA Finals, were in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. In the conference playoffs, home court advantage went to the higher-seeded team (number one being the highest), although since all games were played in the same location, this was merely a designated home court. Seeding was based on each team's regular season record within a conference; if two teams had the same record, standard tiebreaker rules were used. Conference seedings were ignored for the NBA Finals: Home court advantage went to the team with the better regular season record, and, if needed, ties were broken based on head-to-head record, followed by intra-conference record.

On February 23, 2020, theMilwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.^[19] TheToronto Raptors,^[20]Los Angeles Lakers,^[21] andBoston Celtics^[22] subsequently clinched playoff berths before the season was suspended on March 11.^[16]

Seed 8 in each conference is not finalized until the first-stage play-in tournament is completed, unless they finish the regular season with more than four games ahead of seed 9.

Memphis (34–39) also secured a play-in berth but did not advance to the playoffs

Because eighth-place Orlando (33–40) finished7+1⁄2 games ahead ninth-place Washington (25–47), the Magic automatically advanced to the main rounds of the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, with no play-in contests being necessary there.^[28]

Because eighth-place Portland (35–39) only finished one-half games ahead of ninth-place Memphis (34–39), a play-in was required to determine the 8th seed in the Western Conference.^[29]

Teams inbold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk.

Note: All times areEDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games were playedbehind closed doors at theESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inWalt Disney World.

Milwaukee was the first team in the league to refuse to play a game for social justice following theshooting of Jacob Blake.^[30]

This was the second playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting.^[31]

Toronto set an NBA playoff record in Game 4 with 100 bench points in a single game.^[32]

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nets winning the two previous meetings.^[33]

This was the 22nd playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning 13 of the first 21 meetings.^[34]

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning three of the first four meetings.^[35]

Despite a losing effort,LeBron James had the first 20-point, 15 rebound, 15 assist performance in NBA playoff history.

This was the Lakers first playoff series win since2012.

Game 5 was postponed by the league after the Lakers and Trail Blazers refused to play.^[36]

This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning nine of the first eleven meetings.^[37]

Dončić's 42 points are the most points in a playoff debut. Following the game, many people, including LeBron James and currentKansas City Chiefs quarterbackPatrick Mahomes, criticized the officials for controversially ejecting Porziņģis during the 3rd quarter after he received two technical fouls that the critics considered "bogus".^[38]

Down by 1,Luka Dončić hit the game-winning 3 point buzzer-beater at the end of overtime. He becomes the youngest player to hit a buzzer-beater in the playoffs. His winning shot capped an incredible triple-double performance with 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists.

The Clippers set 5 franchise records in this game, including: most points scored in a playoff game, as well as most 3-pointers made in a playoff game, as they shot 22-of-35 from long range.

Kawhi Leonard became the first player since 2000 to have 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ steals in a playoff game.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Mavericks.^[39]

Mitchell's 57 points became the third most points scored in a single playoff game.

This was the first playoff game in NBA history in which two players scored 50 points.

Denver became the 12th team inNBA history to come back from a 3–1 deficit.Nikola Jokić scored the go-ahead hook shot with 27.8 seconds remaining in regulation.Mike Conley Jr.'s potential series-winning three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning three of the first four meetings.^[40]

Game 5 was postponed by the league following a boycott by the Rockets and Thunder.^[41]

This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Thunder/SuperSonics winning six of the first eight meetings.^[42]

Note: All times areEDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games were playedbehind closed doors at theESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inWalt Disney World.

After being fouled byGiannis Antetokounmpo on a game-winning shot attempt as time expired in regulation,Jimmy Butler won the game for Miami with a pair of walk-off free throws. This marked the first time a playoff game had ended in such a fashion since Game 1 of the1979 NBA Finals.^[43]

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the previous meeting.^[44]

Both teams discussed a boycott of Game 1, similar to theMilwaukee Bucks, in protest due to the shooting ofJacob Blake. The game was eventually postponed.

With 0.5 seconds on the clock and Toronto trailing by 2,Kyle Lowry threw a cross-court inbounds pass toOG Anunoby, who made a 3-point shot as the buzzer sounded to win the game for Toronto.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Raptors and the Celtics.^[45]