UNC Basketball: NBA Tar Heels Playoff Preview

The 2021 NBA Playoffs begin Tuesday evening with the first-ever play-in tournament, which lasts through Friday. The main body of the playoffs will then commence on Saturday.

We will discuss the various Tar Heels involved in the playoffs, as well as those whose season ended on Sunday with the conclusion of the regular season.

Before we get there though, let’s unpack the updated 2021 playoff format.

Typically, the top eight teams in each conference make the postseason. The no. 1 seeds play the no. 8 seeds, no. 2 plays no. 7, and so on. Each series is a best four-out-of-seven until a champion is crowned.

Those typical series will still happen, but first the new play-in tournament will determine the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference.

The top six seeds in each conference are already automatically in the main draw of the playoffs. Teams seven through ten will each have to compete in the play-in tournament for the chance to earn one of the two final seeds.

Here's how the play-in tournament will unfold, according to NBA.com (stay with me, it's convoluted):

The team with the 7th-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the 8th-highest winning percentage in a single game.
The winner of the so-called "Seven-Eight Game" will earn the No. 7 seed.
As per usual, the No. 7 seed in each conference will then play the No. 2 seed in the first round.
The team with the 9th-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the 10th-highest winning percentage in a single elimination game.
The loser of the "Nine-Ten Game" is eliminated.
The loser of the Seven-Eight Game will then host the winner of the Nine-Ten Game in a single elimination game.
The loser of this game is eliminated.
The winner of this game will earn the No. 8 seed and will play the No. 1 seed in the first round.

Here are the teams competing in the play-in tournament:

Eastern Conference Play-In Teams

7. Boston Celtics
8. Washington Wizards
9. Indiana Pacers
10. Charlotte Hornets

Western Conference Play-In Teams

7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. Golden State Warriors
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. San Antonio Spurs

The Eastern Conference play-in games will take place Tuesday and Thursday, while the Western Conference games will be Wednesday and Friday.

To help explain all the bullet points above, let’s play out the Western Conference in a hypothetical scenario. On Wednesday, the Lakers (no. 7) will host the Warriors (no. 8) and the Grizzlies (no. 9) will host the Spurs (no. 10), both in a one game playoff. Let’s say the Lakers and Grizzlies win those games. The Lakers are now locked into the no. 7 slot and will travel to Phoenix to play the Suns (no. 2). The Spurs are eliminated. On Friday, the Warriors, as the highest remaining seed, will host the Grizzlies in a one game playoff. Let’s say the Warriors win that game. The Grizzlies are eliminated. The Warriors earn the no. 8 seed and travel to Utah to play the Jazz (no. 1).

Here are the top six seeds for each conference:

Eastern Conference Top Six Seeds

1. Philadelphia 76ers
2. Brooklyn Nets
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. New York Knicks
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Miami Heat

Western Conference Top Six Seeds

1. Utah Jazz
2. Phoenix Suns
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Portland Trail Blazers

Here are the first round match-ups for each conference:

Eastern Conference First Round Match-Ups

(1) Philadelphia vs. (8) Boston / Washington / Indiana / Charlotte
(2) Brooklyn vs. (7) Boston / Washington
(3) Milwaukee vs. (6) Miami
(4) New York vs. (5) Atlanta

Western Conference First Round Match-Ups

(1) Utah vs. (8) Los Angeles Lakers / Golden State / Memphis / San Antonio
(2) Phoenix vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers / Golden State
(3) Denver vs. (6) Portland
(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Dallas

Okay, now the real reason we’re here: Which of the 12 NBA Tar Heels is in the playoffs?

Before we answer that question, we have to unfortunately recognize the six Tar Heels who did not make the playoffs. We will have a season recap for these players at a later date, so for now we will just acknowledge them.

Eliminated

Cole Anthony (Magic): 14th in East
Harrison Barnes (Kings): 12th in West
Tony Bradley (Thunder): 14th in West
Ed Davis (Timberwolves): 13th in West
Wayne Ellington (Pistons): 15th in East
Coby White (Bulls): 11th in East

The remaining six Tar Heels, who made the playoffs:

In The Playoffs

Reggie Bullock (Knicks): 4th in East
Danny Green (76ers): 1st in East
Justin Jackson (Bucks): 3rd in East
Cameron Johnson (Suns): 2nd in West
Nassir Little (Trail Blazers): 6th in West
Theo Pinson (Knicks): 4th in East

You’ll notice that each of the Tar Heels who made the playoffs are on a top-six team, so none will be competing in the play-in tournament. With that in mind, look for their teams to be in action either on Saturday or Sunday.

Stay with All Tar Heels as we keep you updated on Tar Heels as they progress through the postseason.

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