The NBA and Google want you to visit the virtual Pixel Arena during playoff games

In case you didn't know, Pixel is the official fan phone of the NBA. That is why the "Greek Freak," Milwaukee Bucks center Giannis Antetokounmpo, is seen with a Pixel 6 Pro in his hand during a Pixel promotional video.

This past weekend, the NBA Playoffs kicked off and fans witnessed an incredible game one contest between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets that was won by Boston at the buzzer. At the other extreme, the team that will win the title (and my favorite squad), the Miami Heat, blew out the Atlanta Hawks in their game one match.

If you love professional basketball, Google and the NBA have created the Pixel Arena. According to Google, "The NBA and Google Pixel Arena is a virtual space based on live in-game action where you can create, play, share and celebrate your 2022 NBA Playoffs skills."

You can enter Pixel Arena at halftime of a game in progress, or between games, by installing the NBA app from the Google Play Store. Once you install the NBA app, tap on the More tab at the bottom right corner of the display. From there, tap on Pixel Arena and you'll be inside the virtual arena from where you will select a specific NBA Playoff game.

During halftime and the postgame of playoff contests, you can visit the Pixel Arena to see 3D shot recaps based on the shots taken during each half of the game you've selected. You can also try to answer NBA trivia with questions based on that particular game. Visit Pixel Arena more and more and you will earn additional chances to climb the leaderboard, create more content to share with others, and unlock new levels and more swag to use for your avatar.

And you don't need to own a Pixel to enter the Pixel Arena. In fact, Google is making this experience available "For all the fans." No matter what brand handset you own, even if it is an iPhone using iOS, the Pixel Arena is accessible via the NBA app. If you are toting an iPhone these days, you can install the NBA app from the App Store. Earlier in this story, we gave you a link to the Android version of the app.