
The NBA playoffs are an exciting time for basketball fans, with the 2023 postseason tournament starting on April 15 and concluding on June 12. The Denver Nuggets took the title, their first in franchise history. The 2024 playoffs began on April 20 and ended on June 17, with the Boston Celtics winning their 18th championship, the most in NBA history. The 2025 playoffs are set to start on April 19, with the first game of the finals scheduled for June 5.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date Searched | April 4, 2025 |
| Date of Playoffs | April 19, 2025 |
| Date of Play-In Tournament | April 15-18, 2025 |
| Date of Finals | June 5, 2025 |
| Number of Teams in Playoffs | 16 |
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What You'll Learn

The 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place on April 15-18
The 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from Tuesday, April 15 to Friday, April 18. The tournament will determine the final seeds for the NBA Playoffs, which begin on April 19.
The Play-In Tournament features the Nos. 7-10 teams from each conference, battling for the 7th and 8th playoff seeds. The teams that finish 7th and 8th in their conference after the NBA season get two chances to earn a spot in the NBA Playoffs. The tournament will include six games in total, broadcast on ESPN and TNT.
The schedule for the Play-In Tournament is as follows:
- Tuesday, April 15: East 7 vs. East 8 (winner advances to playoffs as No. 7 seed, TNT) and West 7 vs. West 8 (winner advances to playoffs as No. 7 seed, TNT)
- Wednesday, April 16: East 9 vs. East 10 (loser is eliminated, ESPN) and West 9 vs. West 10 (loser is eliminated, ESPN)
- Friday, April 18: East 7/8 loser vs. East 9/10 winner (winner advances to playoffs as No. 8 seed, TNT) and West 7/8 loser vs. West 9/10 winner (winner advances to playoffs as No. 8 seed, ESPN)
The NBA Playoffs will then begin on April 19, with the first round of games leading up to the NBA Finals, which will tip off on June 5.
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The first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs starts on April 19
The NBA Playoffs are almost upon us once again, with the first round of the 2025 postseason set to start on April 19. The NBA Finals are still a way off, but the opening round of playoff series matchups will begin on that date. The NBA Regular Season ends on April 13, with the SoFi Play-In Tournament taking place from April 15-18, before the main event tips off.
The Play-In Tournament features the Nos. 7-10 teams in each conference, battling for the 7th and 8th playoff seeds. The winners of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchups in each conference will advance to the playoffs as the 7th seed, while the losers get another chance to earn a playoff spot. The winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups will then play the losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 games, with those winners advancing to the playoffs as the 8th seed. This adds an extra layer of drama before the playoffs begin, with teams getting two chances to earn a postseason spot.
The first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs will feature the best-of-seven series, with the top-seeded teams in each conference taking on the lower seeds. The exact matchups are yet to be determined, as they will depend on the final regular-season standings and the results of the Play-In Tournament. However, the race for the NBA Championship will officially begin on April 19, with the Conference Semifinals starting on May 5 or 6 and the Conference Finals commencing in late May.
The NBA Finals will tip off in June, with Game 1 presented by YouTube TV taking place on June 5 and Game 2 on June 8. The potential further games will be played on June 11, June 13, June 16, June 19, and June 22, if necessary. The 2025 NBA Draft will take place on June 25 and 26, with the NBA Preseason's Melbourne Series featuring the New Orleans Pelicans taking place in October.
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The 2025 NBA Finals will be presented by YouTube TV
The 2024-25 NBA season is heating up as we near the highly anticipated 2025 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV. The regular season concluded on April 13, with all 30 teams battling it out to secure their playoff spots. The NBA Playoffs are set to begin on April 19, with the first round promising thrilling matchups and intense competition.
The NBA Play-In Tournament, taking place from April 15 to 18, adds extra excitement before the playoffs commence. Four teams from each conference will compete for the final two postseason berths, with the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference determined through six games. The Play-In Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN and TNT, providing fans with non-stop basketball action.
As the regular season comes to a close, the focus shifts to the teams vying for playoff positions. The Eastern and Western Conferences will showcase their top performers, with seven Eastern Conference games and seven Western Conference games taking place. The race for the championship intensifies as the best teams in the league fight for a chance to advance to the NBA Finals.
The 2025 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV will tip off with Game 1 on June 5, 2025, exclusively broadcast on ABC. Basketball fans around the world can look forward to witnessing the culmination of an incredible season, where the NBA Champions will be crowned. The road to the Finals will be packed with thrilling matchups, outstanding individual performances, and the relentless pursuit of basketball glory.
Make sure to tune in to the 2025 NBA Playoffs and witness the journey towards the Finals. With the season drawing to a close, every game becomes more critical than the last, and the stage is set for an unforgettable postseason.
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The NBA finals will start on Thursday, June 5, 2025
The NBA playoffs are well underway, with the 2024-25 regular season having ended in mid-April. The NBA Finals will start on Thursday, June 5, 2025, and will be the final games to air nationally across ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV in the United States. From next season, Amazon Prime Video and NBC Sports will replace TNT.
The NBA Playoffs began on April 19, with the SoFi Play-In Tournament taking place from April 15-18 to determine the final seeds. The teams finishing 7th-10th in each conference competed in the Play-In Tournament, with the winners securing the 7th seed in the playoffs. The losers of the 7th-8th matchups then hosted the winners of the 9th-10th games, with the winners of these games advancing to the playoffs as the 8th seed.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, and 7 other teams from each conference made it to the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans missed out.
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Sixteen of the 30 league teams make the playoffs
The NBA playoffs are an annual elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the league champion. The tournament includes sixteen teams, eight from each of the two conferences, the Eastern and Western Conferences. The four rounds of the tournament are all best-of-seven series.
Six teams from each conference automatically advance to the playoffs based on regular season winning percentages. The final two seeds in each conference are determined by the NBA Play-In Tournament, which includes the four teams with the seventh to tenth best winning percentages in each conference. After six games, the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference are determined for the NBA Playoffs.
The NBA playoffs begin on April 19, 2025, with teams battling it out in the Play-In Tournament from April 15 to April 18. The NBA Board of Governors approved the adoption of the Play-In Tournament on a full-time basis back in July 2022.
The NBA playoffs have been a four-round, best-of-seven tournament since the 2004 season when the Charlotte Bobcats became the 30th NBA franchise. Prior to this, the tournament included five rounds, with the first round being a best-of-three series.
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Frequently asked questions
The 2025 NBA Playoffs will begin with the play-in tournament on April 15, 2025, and will run until April 18. The NBA Playoffs will then start on April 19.
16 teams make it to the NBA Playoffs (20 if you count the teams that make the Play-In Tournament).
Six teams from each of the two conferences automatically advance to the playoffs based on regular-season winning percentage. Teams finishing seven through 10 from each conference compete in the play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff seeds.
The NBA playoffs is a four-round, best-of-seven tournament. The tournament has a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7. The opponent hosts games 3, 4, and 6. Games 5, 6, and 7 are only played if needed.
The NBA finals will start on Thursday, June 5, 2025, and potentially last until Sunday, June 22.











































