2020 NBA playoffs

North American basketball tournament

The 2020 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2019–20 season. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18. However, the league suspended the season on March 11, 2020, hours after the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and after Utah Jazz center Rudy 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 the NBA Bubble.^[2] This proposal was then approved by members of the National 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 in 1956.^[4]

As part of the bubble, all playoff games were held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida.

All three games that were scheduled to take place on August 26 were postponed by a wildcat strike,^[5][6] in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with the Milwaukee Bucks being the first team not to take the court prior to their game five matchup against the Orlando Magic. The games on August 27 and 28 were also postponed, with games resuming on August 29.^[7]

The Toronto Raptors were defending champions, but lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals round to the Boston Celtics. None of the teams that made it to the conference finals in the 2019 NBA playoffs made the conference finals in 2020. These were the first playoffs since 1997 without the San 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 four major sports leagues in North America.

Overview

Western Conference

• The Houston Rockets entered their eighth consecutive postseason.
• The Portland Trail Blazers entered their seventh consecutive postseason. They also became the first Western Conference team since 1997 to qualify for the playoffs despite posting a losing record.
• The Los Angeles Lakers made the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
• The Dallas Mavericks made the playoffs for the first time in four years.
• The Golden State Warriors missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
• Despite being invited to the bubble, the San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs for the first time in twenty-three years. This was only the fifth time since the merger that the Spurs missed the playoffs.
• Despite the Phoenix 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.

Eastern Conference

• The Toronto Raptors entered their seventh consecutive postseason.
• The Boston Celtics entered their sixth consecutive postseason.
• The Indiana Pacers entered their fifth consecutive postseason.
• The Milwaukee Bucks entered their fourth consecutive postseason.
• The Orlando Magic entered their second consecutive postseason.
• The Brooklyn Nets entered their second consecutive postseason.
• The Miami Heat returned to the postseason after a one year absence.

First round

• This was the first time since 2003 that both No. 1 seeds (the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los 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.
• The Boston Celtics swept the Philadelphia 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 was 1976.
• The Toronto Raptors swept the Brooklyn Nets, making it their first series sweep in franchise history, leaving the Los 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 since 2014.
• Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray joined Michael Jordan and Allen 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 the Utah Jazz and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets) tallied 50+ points in the same game.
• Luka Dončić joined Charles Barkley and Oscar Robertson as the only players with 40+ points, 15+ rebounds, 10+ assists in an NBA playoff game.
• Luka Dončić joined Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Damian Lillard as the only players to score 40+ points and hit a buzzer–beater in a playoff game.
• The Milwaukee Bucks were the first team in the playoffs to refuse to play a game over racial injustice in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The players described their actions as a "boycott", although commentators have pointed out that the event was a strike.^[8] It is the first time an NBA team refused to play a game since the Boston Celtics protested for racial justice in 1961.^[9]
• Kawhi Leonard was the first player to have 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ steals in a playoff game since Gary 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 was 1999.
• Jamal Murray was the first player to have three straight playoff games with 40+ points since Allen Iverson in 2001.
• The Denver Nuggets became just the 12th team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit, when they defeated the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference first round. They were the first team to come back from a 3–1 series deficit since the Cleveland Cavaliers did so in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Conference semifinals

• Game 2 between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks was the first playoff game since Game 1 of the 1979 NBA Finals to be decided by free throws with time expired.
• This was the first time that the top two seeds in a conference (the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference) were both down 0–2 in a best of 7 series.
• Luguentz Dort became the youngest player and first undrafted player to score 30+ points in a Game 7.
• This was the first time since 2013 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 in major North American sports leagues history were the 2019 World Series and the 2023 American League Championship Series, which Houston Astros lost both.
• With their conference semifinals victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver 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.

Conference finals

• This was the first time that neither the first seed nor the second seed were in the Eastern Conference finals. By coincidence, this would happen again the 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 the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. The record was previously held by Andrew Toney who scored 35 in 1981.^[10] Herro's 37 points are the second-most ever scored by a player aged 20 or younger in a playoff game, only behind Magic Johnson's 42 points back in 1980.^[11]
• With their Eastern Conference finals victory over the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat became the first 5th seed or lower team to advance to the NBA Finals since the 1999 New York Knicks became the first eighth seed to make the NBA Finals. Ironically, the Knicks eliminated the Heat en route to their 1999 NBA Finals appearance.

NBA Finals

• 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 and James 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 in 2014, after which LeBron James ended a four-year stint with the team. James became the second player (after Wilt Chamberlain in 1967) 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 joined Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Rick Barry, and Hal 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 the 2020 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.^[12]
• Jimmy Butler became the 3rd player in NBA History to record a 40+ point triple-double in the NBA Finals, joining LeBron James in 2015 and Jerry West in 1969.^[13] At the end of Game 3 of the NBA 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 17th NBA championship, tying the Boston Celtics as the two teams to win the most NBA championships (17). In addition to winning their first championship since 2010, the Lakers also became the first team since the 2008 Boston Celtics (who ironically defeated the Lakers in the 2008 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, joining John Salley and Robert Horry.
• Danny Green joins LeBron as the two players to win titles with three different teams.
• Rajon Rondo became the second player after Clyde Lovellette to win a title with the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
• Anthony Davis became the 8th player to win an Olympic Gold Medal, NCAA Championship, and NBA Championship, joining Clyde Lovellette, Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Jerry Lucas, Quinn Buckner, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan

Format

After the NBA suspended its season on March 11, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league started to explore implementing a special postseason format just for this year.^[14]

On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to restart the season on July 31 in the NBA 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 a de facto 1–0 lead, meaning that it would need just one win to advance, while the ninth seed must win two in a row.^[15][16] The NBA's regular playoff format proceeded as normal. All games were played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.^[2]

Under the NBA's regular playoff format, the eight teams with the most wins in each conference qualified for the playoffs. The seedings 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.

Playoff qualifying

On February 23, 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.^[17] The Toronto Raptors,^[18] Los Angeles Lakers,^[19] and Boston Celtics^[20] subsequently clinched playoff berths before the season was suspended on March 11.^[14]

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Bracket

Teams in bold 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.

• * Division winner
• Bold – series winner
• Italic – team with home-court advantage

First round

Note: All times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games were played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.

Eastern Conference first round

(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (8) Orlando Magic

Milwaukee was the first team in the league to refuse to play a game for social justice following the shooting of Jacob Blake.^[26]

This was the second playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting.^[27]

(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Brooklyn Nets

Toronto set an NBA playoff record in Game 4 with 100 bench points in a single game.^[28]

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nets winning the two previous meetings.^[29]

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers

This was the 22nd playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning 13 of the first 21 meetings.^[30]

(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Miami Heat

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning three of the first four meetings.^[31]

Western Conference first round

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers

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 since 2012.

Game 5 was postponed by the league after the Lakers and Trail Blazers refused to play.^[32]

This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning nine of the first eleven meetings.^[33]

(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks

Dončić's 42 points are the most points in a playoff debut. Following the game, many people, including LeBron James and current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, criticized the officials for controversially ejecting Porziņģis during the 3rd quarter after he received two technical fouls that the critics considered "bogus".^[34]

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.^[35]

(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Utah Jazz

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 in NBA 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.^[36]

(4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Oklahoma City Thunder

Game 5 was postponed by the league following a boycott by the Rockets and Thunder.^[37]

This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Thunder/SuperSonics winning six of the first eight meetings.^[38]

Conference semifinals

Note: All times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games were played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.

Eastern Conference semifinals

(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (5) Miami Heat

After being fouled by Giannis 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 the 1979 NBA Finals.^[39]

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the previous meeting.^[40]

(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Boston Celtics

Both teams discussed a boycott of Game 1, similar to the Milwaukee Bucks, in protest due to the shooting of Jacob 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 to OG 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.^[41]

Western Conference semifinals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Houston Rockets

This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning five of the first eight meetings.^[42]

(2) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (3) Denver Nuggets

This was the first time that an NBA team overcame a 3–1 deficit twice in the same playoffs, and the first time an NBA franchise did so twice in the same decade.

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Clippers winning the previous meeting.^[43]

Conference finals

Note: All times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games were played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.

Eastern Conference finals

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Miami Heat

In an unprecedented manner, Mark Jones and Doris Burke called Game 1 while Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson, were in charge for Game 7 of the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets (see above). Starting with Game 2, Breen, Van Gundy, and Jackson took the remainder of the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals while Burke is assigned to ESPN Radio.^[44] Burke would have left the radio team when she was promoted to the lead team on television in 2023^[45]

This was the fourth playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Heat winning two of the first three meetings.^[46]

Western Conference finals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Denver Nuggets

Anthony Davis scored 31 points, including a 3-point shot over Nikola Jokić at the buzzer, to give the Lakers a 2–0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first six meetings.^[47]

NBA Finals: (W1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E5) Miami Heat

Note: All times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by the NBA. All games were played behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Heat.^[48]

Statistical leaders

Media coverage

Television

ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV broadcast the playoffs nationally in the United States. During the first two rounds, games were split between TNT, ESPN, and ABC regardless of conference. With the start of the playoffs delayed to August, some games played during the weekday afternoon, and games postponed by the wildcat strike, the TV schedule for the first two rounds differed from previous seasons due to scheduling conflicts. For instance, TNT aired some Friday games instead of its usual Sunday through Thursday schedule. Likewise ESPN broadcast games on some of those days when TNT would normally air them. Also, ABC aired a rare Tuesday night first-round game on September 1. NBA TV also televised selected games in the first round. Regional sports networks affiliated with the teams also broadcast the games, except for games televised on ABC.

TNT exclusively aired the NBA Western Conference finals while ESPN televised the NBA Eastern Conference finals. ABC had exclusive television rights to the 2020 NBA Finals, which was the 18th consecutive year for the network.^[49]

In Canada, the home market of the Toronto Raptors, national broadcast rights were split approximately equally between the Sportsnet and TSN groups of channels. Separate Canadian broadcasts were produced for all games involving the Raptors regardless of round or U.S. broadcaster.

Notes

1. Rescheduled from August 26
2. Rescheduled from August 27

See also

• NBA records

References

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2. "NBA approves 22-team format to finish season". ESPN. June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
3. "NBPA reps vote to approve 22-team format to finish season". Retrieved June 5, 2020.
4. "How the Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs and Suns make the West play-in". ESPN. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
5. NBA season is suddenly on the brink NBC Sports
6. NBA Teams Are On Strike Over Police Brutality New York (magazine)
7. Bontemps, Tim (August 28, 2020). "NBA, NBPA announce playoffs to resume Saturday, new initiatives". ESPN.
8. Taylor, Derrick Bryson (August 27, 2020). "N.B.A. 'Boycott' or Strike: What's the Difference?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
9. Helin, Kurt (August 26, 2020). "Milwaukee Bucks players make statement on boycott". Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
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13. "Jimmy Butler logs 3rd 40-point triple-double in NBA Finals history". NBA.com. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
14. Zillgitt, Jeff (March 12, 2020). "What's next for NBA, teams, players during coronavirus hiatus?". USA Today. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
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16. Adams, Jonathan (August 15, 2020). "NBA Play-in Game: What Happens if Blazers-Grizzlies Win or Lose?". Heavy.com. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
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25. "Mavericks clinch playoff spot with Grizzlies' loss; drought to end at 3 years". ESPN. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
26. "NBA games postponed as players demand change". NBA.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
27. "Team Rivalry Finder — Milwaukee Bucks versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
28. Irving, Kyle (August 24, 2020). "Toronto Raptors rewrite the record books in Game 4 win over Brooklyn Nets". NBA.
29. "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Toronto Raptors (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
30. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
31. "Team Rivalry Finder — Indiana Pacers versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
32. Joseph, Andrew (August 26, 2020). "LeBron James reminds everyone the NBA games are being boycotted, not 'postponed'". ftw.usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
33. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
34. "LeBron, Dirk, Patrick Mahomes and NBA fans Slam Refs for Weak Kristaps Porzingis Ejection". August 18, 2020.
35. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Dallas Mavericks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
36. "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
37. "Thunder, Rockets boycotting Game 5 in response to Jacob Blake shooting". KOCO-TV. Hearst Television. August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
38. "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
39. Woodyard, Eric (September 2, 2020). "Butler's walk-off FTs cap wild finish against Bucks". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
40. "Team Rivalry Finder — Miami Heat versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
41. "Team Rivalry Finder — Toronto Raptors versus Boston Celtics (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
42. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Houston Rockets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
43. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Denver Nuggets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
44. "ESPN to Exclusively Televise Marquee NBA Playoffs Doubleheader on Tuesday" (Press release). Bristol: ESPN. September 14, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
45. Rajan, Ronce (February 15, 2024). "JJ Redick Joins Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Lisa Salters on ESPN's Lead NBA Broadcast Team". ESPNPressRoom.com. ESPN Interactive Media. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
46. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
47. "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
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49. "2020 NBA Playoffs Schedule". Sportsmediawatch.com. April 2, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2020.

External links

• Sports portal

• Basketball – Reference.com's 2020 Playoffs section