NBA Gets Into "Playoff Mode" with New Postseason Spot

Apr. 12, 2023

With the NBA gearing up for the 2023 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel, the league today released a new brand spot titled "Playoff Mode."  The spot celebrates the beginning of the most exciting time of the season, when players raise their game to another level to win the NBA’s ultimate prize – the Larry O’Brien Trophy – and fans cheer even louder. 

"Playoff Mode" features NBA players, analysts and celebrities, including NBA All-Stars Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Julius Randle (New York Knicks) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies) and Denver Nuggets standout Jamal Murray, as well as ESPN's Malika Andrews, Turner Sports' Charles Barkley, actor Terry Crews and tennis great John McEnroe. Each athlete showcases the level of intensity and focus that the NBA Playoffs demand, with Mitchell throwing down a ferocious dunk, Randle adding plates to his bench press, Jackson turning up the treadmill speed and Murray putting on a ball handling clinic.

NBA superfan "Non-Stop" (played by actor Keyon Bowman) returns to get fans hyped up for the Playoffs. Non-Stop shows that everybody from Boston to Serbia can get into "Playoff Mode" and lock in from the Play-In Tournament all the way to The Finals.

The spot was created in conjunction with independent creative agency Translation and directed by Terence Neale. It will premier tonight on TNT when the AT&T NBA Play-In Tournament tips off with the Atlanta Hawks visiting the Miami HEAT (7:30 p.m. ET). "Playoff Mode" will also run across NBA social channels and in the NBA App. Additionally, NBA teams, including the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans will amplify "Playoff Mode" within their postseason efforts.

To add to the excitement, the NBA released "Win to Get In" on March 28, a spot with Terry Crews previewing the AT&T NBA Play-In Tournament.

The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday April 15. Playoff games will air on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV.