Clinched playoff berth什麼意思

"Clinched playoff berth" is a term commonly used in sports, particularly in North American professional sports like basketball, baseball, hockey, and football. It means that a team has officially qualified for the playoffs, often due to a combination of their own performance and the results of other teams in their league or conference.

The term "clinched" implies that the team has secured their spot in the playoffs, often through a combination of winning a certain number of games, meeting specific criteria set by their league, or by having a lead that is insurmountable by other teams in terms of points, wins, or other relevant metrics.

"Playoff berth" refers to a team's place in the playoffs. The playoffs are the elimination tournament at the end of the regular season where the top teams from each league or conference compete for the championship title. A "berth" is a place or position in this tournament.

So, when a team has "clinched a playoff berth," it means they have mathematically guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs and cannot be eliminated from contention, regardless of how they perform in their remaining regular-season games.