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All posts by Andrew MorganThe NBA playoffs work essentially as an elimination tournament. Each match-up consists of a best-of-seven game series. The winner of four out of seven of the games proceeds to the next round while the loser is eliminated.
Teams are separated by conference until only one from the Western Conference and one from the Eastern Conference remain. These teams then face each other in the NBA finals. The winner of the NBA finals is crowned NBA champions.
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How Many Teams Make the NBA Playoffs
The top six teams in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs. The teams placed seventh to tenth in the standings of their conference go into the Play-In Tournament to compete for the final two playoff spots.
In the NBA Play-In Tournament, the seventh and eighth-placed teams play each other. The winner of this match takes the seventh playoff spot.
The ninth and tenth-placed teams play each other, the winner of which goes on to play the loser of the seventh and eighth-placed match. The winner of that match takes the eighth and final spot in the playoffs.
Therefore, in total, 16 teams, only eight teams from each conference, qualify for the playoffs.
Seedings in the NBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs format sees the top six teams in each conference seeded according to their final position at the end of the regular season. For example, if the Phoenix Suns finish top of the Western Conference, they will be the first seed in the Western Conference playoffs.The seventh seed position is taken by the winner of the Play-In Tournament match between the seventh and eighth-placed teams from the standings in their conference. The eighth seed is taken by the winner of the Play-In Tournament match between the winner of the ninth and tenth-placed teams and the loser of the seventh and eighth-placed teams. The National Basketball Association introduced the Play-In Tournament in 2023.
In the first round of playoff matches, the first seed plays the eighth seed in their conference, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth and fifth-seeded teams play each other.
If two teams in the same conference cannot be separated by position, then the NBA officials use different criteria to determine which team will proceed. They look at:
- Head-to-head record
- Division leaders are preferred over non-division leaders
- Division record, if both teams are in the same division
- Conference record
- Win-loss record against playoff teams in the same conference
- Win-loss record against playoff teams in the other conference
- Net points across all games (point differential)
When the tie involves three or more teams, the criteria they look at are:
- Division leaders are preferred over non-division leaders
- Head-to-head record
- Division record, if all teams are in the same division
- Conference record
- Win-loss record against playoff teams in the same conference
- Net points across all games (point differential)
If there are more than two teams involved in a tie, the NBA first looks at whether any of them are division leaders. If not, they then use the head-to-head record.
Failing this, if the teams are in the same division, the NBA uses their division record. If this does not separate the teams, then the officials use conference record, followed by win-loss record against playoff teams in their own conference, then against playoff teams in the opposing conference, and finally, net points total from all games
Format of the NBA Playoffs
The playoff format is quite straightforward. The NBA playoffs are a series of knockout matches, with every match being a best of seven series. The winner of each game series proceeds to the next round of the playoffs.
The game series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format with home advantage given to the higher seed. The higher seed plays two home matches, followed by two on the road at the opposing team’s court.
If there is no winner after four matches a fifth match is played back at the home court of the higher seed. If there is still no winner, a sixth match is played at the lower-seed team’s court. If a seventh game is required to decide the winner, it is played at the home court of the higher seed.
First Round
These matches could be considered conference quarterfinals. Eight teams from the Western Conference compete against each other and eight teams from the Eastern Conference compete against each other. The top seed plays the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, etc., as previously described.
Second Round (Conference Semifinals)
The second round of matches in the playoffs involves the winners of each match in the first round. There are four matches, two in each conference, involving eight teams. The winner of the first seed vs the eighth seed faces the winner of the fifth seed vs the fourth seed within their conference. The winner of the second seed vs the seventh seed match faces the winner of the third seed vs the sixth seed.
Third Round (Conference Finals)
The third round of playoffs ultimately decides which team from each conference will face each other in the final. It is two matches, one in each conference, involving four teams.
Fourth Round (NBA Finals)
The fourth and final round is the NBA finals. It is the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals vs the winner of the Western Conference Finals. These are now the only teams remaining. Just like the other rounds, it is also a best-of-seven series. The home-court advantage, in this case, is given to the team with the best regular season record. This means they will host the first game and the final game if one is required.
How Many Games Are in the NBA Playoffs?
There is a minimum of 60 games in the NBA playoffs because there are 15 match-ups and each match-up is a best-of-seven game series. Therefore each match-up will involve at least four games.
The first round sees 16 teams in eight match-ups and each match-up will involve at least four games. Eight match-ups times four games equals 32.
The second round sees eight teams in four match-ups and each will involve at least four games. Four times four equals 16. 16 + 32 = 48.
The third round sees four teams in two match-ups each of which will involve at least four games. Four games times two match-ups equals eight. Eight plus 48 equals 56.
The NBA finals see two teams in one match-up that will involve at least four games, bringing the total to 60 games.
If every match-up requires all seven games, then there could be up to 105 games in the playoffs.
The first round sees 16 teams in eight match-ups and each match-up could involve seven games. Eight match-ups times seven games equals 56.
The second round sees eight teams in four match-ups, each of which could involve seven games. Four times seven equals 28. 28 + 56 = 84.
The third round sees four teams in two match-ups, each of which could involve seven games. Seven games times two match-ups equals 14. 14 + 84 = 98.
The NBA finals see two teams in one match-up that could involve seven games. This brings the total number of possible games played to 105 games.
Related Content: How many games are in an NBA season?
When Do NBA Playoffs Take Place
The NBA playoffs begin on April 20, six days after the end of the NBA regular season. The Play-In tournament runs from April 16-19. Here is the full NBA playoff schedule:
- March 1 – Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline
- April 14 – Regular Season Ends
- April 16-19 – NBA Play-In Tournament
- April 20 – NBA Playoffs start
- May 4-5 or May 6-7 – Conference Semifinals begin
- May 19-20 or May 21-22 – Conference Finals begin
- June 6 – Finals Game One
- June 9 – Finals Game Two
- June 12 – Finals Game Three
- June 14 – Finals Game Four
- June 17 – Finals Game Five (if required)
- June 20 – Finals Game Six (if required)
- June 23 – Finals Game Seven (if required)
Conclusion
The NBA playoffs see 16 teams, eight from each conference, battle it out to decide who becomes NBA champions.
Each match in the playoffs involves a best-of-seven game series with home advantage given to the highest-placed seed.
The winner of each match proceeds to the next round while the loser leaves the competition. The teams are split by conference, with the winner of the Western Conference finals meeting the winner of the Eastern Conference finals in the NBA finals.
The NBA playoffs usually start in April with the NBA finals starting in June. There are between 60 and 105 games in the NBA playoffs in total.
NBA Playoffs FAQs
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