Miami Heat Index- ESPN

ESPN

May 3, 2024, 03:41 PM

The first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs are underway and expect plenty of drama after a memorable regular season.

The Boston Celtics clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in March and have homecourt advantage through the entire postseason. After eliminating the No. 8 seed Miami Heat, the Celtics await the winners of the series between the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers and No. 5 seed Orlando Magic.

Meanwhile, the No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers knocked out the No. 3 seed Milwaukee Bucks and the No. 2 seed New York Knicks defeated the No. 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers in a exciting six-game series. That sets up a second round clash between the Pacers and Knicks.

In the West, the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves became the first team to reach the second round, sweeping the No. 6 seed Phoenix Suns and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder swept the No. 8 seed New Orleans Pelicans. The No. 2 seed Denver Nuggets defeated the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Lakers in five games and are set to face the Timberwolves in the second round. The Thunder await the winner of the series between the No. 4 seed LA Clippers and the No. 5 seed Dallas Mavericks.

After the play-in tournament, the 16-team NBA playoffs began with four games on April 20 and four more on April 21. Eight teams from each conference reach the first round and face off in a best-of-7 series to advance. All four rounds of the NBA playoffs are best-of-7, and teams are not reseeded after each round. The team with the better regular-season record in each series will have homecourt advantage for that series. All series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team with the better record hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (if necessary).

We'll have complete coverage of the NBA playoffs all the way through the 2024 NBA Finals, which tip off on June 6 on ABC and the ESPN app.

MORE: Previewing all 16 playoff teams | Offseason guides for every team

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Celtics (1) defeat the Miami Heat (8), 4-1

Game 1: Celtics 114, Heat 94
Game 2: Heat 111, Celtics 101
Game 3: Celtics 104, Heat 84
Game 4: Celtics 102, Heat 88
Game 5: Celtics 118, Heat 84

Celtics take off from the start, blow out Heat to end series

The Celtics finish out the series vs. the Heat in emphatic fashion, sending Miami home with a decisive win in Game 5.

New York Knicks (2) defeat the Philadelphia 76ers (7), 4-2

Game 1: Knicks 111, 76ers 104
Game 2: Knicks 104, 76ers 101
Game 3: 76ers 125, Knicks 114
Game 4: Knicks 97, 76ers 92
Game 5: 76ers 112, Knicks 106 (OT)
Game 6: Knicks 118, 76ers 115

Knicks outlast 76ers to advance to the 2nd round

Jalen Brunson's 41 points wills the Knicks to a 118-115 Game 6 victory to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Indiana Pacers (6) defeat the Milwaukee Bucks (3), 4-2

Game 1: Bucks 109, Pacers 94
Game 2: Pacers 125, Bucks 108
Game 3: Pacers 121, Bucks 118 (OT)
Game 4: Pacers 126, Bucks 113
Game 5: Bucks 115, Pacers 92
Game 6: Pacers 120, Bucks 98

Pacers ease past Bucks in Game 6 to secure series

The Indiana Pacers make light work of the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6, winning 120-98 to move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Cleveland Cavaliers (4) lead the Orlando Magic (5), 3-2

Game 1: Cavaliers 97, Magic 83
Game 2: Cavaliers 96, Magic, 86
Game 3: Magic 121, Cavaliers 83
Game 4: Magic 112, Cavaliers 89
Game 5: Cavaliers 104, Magic 103
Game 6: Friday, May 3 at Orlando (7 p.m., ESPN)
Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 5 at Cleveland (1 p.m., ABC)