NBA 2020-21 Who could win NBA?

Where could the winner come from?

Who is likely to reach the finals?

Who will come out on top in the

NBA 2020-21 season?

Which division has produced the most champions?

come from?

Where could the

2020-21 NBA champions

We’ve analysed every season since the current format was established in 2004-05.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Only three states have produced multiple champions under the current format - California leads the way with 6, including 4 of the last 6.

California

Texas

Florida

Other

Pacific Southwest Southeast Atlantic Central Northwest

Which state has produced the most champions?

Which division has fared best in the playoffs?

eastern Conference

Between them two Western divisions - the Pacific and Southwest - have produced 10 of the 16 champions under the current format.

Southeast Central Atlantic

Share of teams from each division who reach each stage of the playoffs.

32.0%

First round

35.9%

32.0%

31.3%

35.9%

32.8%

Semi-finals

31.3%

43.8%

25.0%

Finals

43.8%

37.5%

18.8%

NBA Finals

Teams from the Southeast Division have reached the NBA Finals more than twice as often as those from the Atlantic Division under the current format.

WEstern Conference

Pacific Southwest Northwest

Share of teams from each division who reach each stage of the playoffs.

Teams from the Pacific Division have the worst record at qualifying for the playoffs under the current format but have accounted for more than half of NBA Finalists from the Western Conference.

25.8%

41.4%

32.8%

First round

34.4%

39.1%

26.6%

Semi-finals

37.5%

25.0%

Finals

56.3%

37.5%

6.3%

NBA Finals

Which conference has produced the most champions?

Western

Eastern

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

The Western Conference has the edge with 10 champions to 6 under the current format, including 5 of the last 7.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Who is likely to reach

the 2020-21 NBA finals?

We’ve analysed every season since the current format was established in 2004-05.

Miami Heat San Antonio Spurs Cleveland Cavaliers Boston Celtics Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Lakers Oklahoma City Thunder Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns

There are 9 teams who have reached at least 3 Conference Finals under the current format

Conference finalists

NBA finalists

NBA champions

Which teams have the best record in the playoffs?

How much does the regular season matter?

NBA champions

Losing finalists

None of the 16 NBA Finals under the current format have featured a team that finished lower than 5th in their conference … and 14 were won by a team that finished in the top two.

1st

2nd

3rd

6th

10th

15th

How much does last season matter?

Previous season’s conference ranking of NBA champions under the current format

The previous regular season is a reliable barometer for success, with 12 of the last 16 champions having finished 1st or 2nd in their conference.

Previous season’s playoff performance by NBA finalists under the current format.

Over half of the last 32 NBA finalists had reached at least the Conference Finals in the previous season’s playoffs.

Winner

Finalist

Conference finals

Conference semi-finals

1st round

Didn’t qualify

Which divisions have met most often in the NBA Finals?

The Pacific and Central divisions have combined for 4 of the last 6 finals, which all saw the Warriors face the Cavaliers.

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Pacific Southwest Pacific Pacific Southwest

Central Southeast Atlantic Southeast Central

3 2 1 2 2

1 2 2 0 0

WINS

Conference rankings of the teams reaching the NBA Finals under the current format.