Kristian Ferrell
The NBA playoffs are an annual postseason tournament held by the National Basketball Association to determine the league champion. The 2025 NBA playoffs began in June, with the Pacers and the Thunder facing off in the finals. The NBA playoffs are a four-round, best-of-seven tournament that takes place after the regular season and the preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament. The top six teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences advance to the playoffs based on their regular-season records, while the final two seeds are determined by the play-in tournament.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Number of teams from each conference | 8 from Eastern and Western Conference each |
| Teams in the finals | Pacers, Knicks, Thunder |
| Date of the first game | June 5, 2025 |
| Broadcasters | ABC, TNT |
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What You'll Learn
The structure of the NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs is an annual postseason tournament held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to determine the league champion. The tournament has been held every year since 1949, after the league's regular season and its preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament.
A total of 16 teams make the NBA playoffs, with the top eight teams from each of the two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The top six teams in both conferences advance to the playoffs directly, based on their regular season winning percentage. Teams ranked seventh through tenth compete in the play-in tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds.
The NBA playoffs consist of four rounds: the First Round, Conference Semi-finals, Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals. Each round is a best-of-seven series, meaning a team needs four victories to win the round and advance. In the first round, the 1st seed in each conference plays the 8th seed, while 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6, and 4 plays 5. The bracket then progresses similarly, with the winners of each series moving on to the next round.
The NBA Finals is the final round of the NBA playoffs, where both conference champions from the NBA conference finals play each other in a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion.
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The 2025 NBA playoff schedule
The NBA playoffs are an annual postseason tournament held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to determine the league champion. The 2025 NBA playoffs began in May, with the NBA Finals commencing on June 5.
First Round
The first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs featured several exciting matchups. The Cavaliers swept the Heat 4-0, with the Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell scoring 30 points in the series opener. The Celtics defeated the Magic 4-1, and the Knicks beat the Pistons 4-2. The Pacers also advanced to the next round, winning 4-1 against the Bucks. In a close contest, the Thunder emerged victorious over the Nuggets 4-3, marking the 26th consecutive NBA postseason to feature a Game 7.
Conference Semifinals
In the Conference Semifinals, the Pacers faced the Cavaliers, with the Pacers taking a 4-1 series lead. The Knicks and Celtics competed in a close series, with the Knicks ultimately winning 4-2. The Thunder and Nuggets series went to a deciding Game 7, with the Thunder prevailing as the winner and advancing to the next stage.
Conference Finals
The Conference Finals featured the Pacers against the Thunder, with the Pacers holding a slight advantage. The first game took place on June 5, with the Pacers claiming victory. The subsequent games in the series were closely contested, with the Thunder aiming to secure their place in the NBA Finals.
The 2025 NBA playoffs showcased intense competition and remarkable performances, with teams vying for the opportunity to be crowned league champions in the NBA Finals.
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NBA Finals format
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
Six teams from each of the two conferences automatically advance to the playoffs based on the regular season winning percentage. As of 2021, those teams finishing seventh through tenth from each conference compete in the play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff seeds. The playoffs culminate with the NBA Finals, where both conference champions from the NBA conference finals play each other.
The NBA Finals were initially structured in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. In 1985, to ease the amount of cross-country travel, it was changed to a 2–3–2 format, in which the first two and last two games of the series were played at the arena of the team that earned home-court advantage by having the better record during the regular season. In 2014, the 2–2–1–1–1 format was restored. The team with the better regular season record hosts the first two games and the other team hosts the next two games. If needed, the remaining three are played at each team's home arena alternately, starting with the arena of the team with the better regular season record.
The NBA has experimented with different formats over the years. When it was aligned into two conferences with two divisions each, the division champions were guaranteed the top two seeds, and the best non-division winner got the third seed. With a three-division setup, 12 teams qualified for the playoffs, with the top four teams from each division meeting in the best-of-three division semifinals. The winners met in the best-of-three division finals. With three teams remaining, the surviving team with the best regular season record qualified directly for the finals while the other two teams met in a best-of-three NBA semifinal.
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NBA conference finals
The NBA Playoffs are the annual postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tournament has been held since 1949 to determine the league champion. The tournament is a four-round, best-of-seven series held after the league's regular season and its preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament.
The NBA Conference Finals are played in a best-of-seven series like the NBA Playoffs and Finals. The two series are played in late May each year after the first and second rounds of the Playoffs and before the Finals. The winners of the Conference Finals advance to the NBA Finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers have won the most conference titles with 19. They have also made 24 appearances in the conference finals, more than any other team. The Boston Celtics have won 11 conference championships, the second most of any team. 23 of the 30 active franchises have won at least one conference title.
In 2022, the league started naming a conference finals most valuable player (MVP) for each conference. The first two seasons used a playoffs format where Eastern and Western Division teams would face each other before the BAA Finals. Hence, there were no divisional finals. In the 1949–50 season, the league realigned itself to three divisions, with the addition of the Central Division.
The 2025 NBA Playoffs began in June, with the NBA Finals beginning on June 5.
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NBA conference semifinals
The NBA Playoffs is the annual postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. The 2025 NBA Playoffs began in April, with the NBA Finals beginning on June 5.
The NBA Playoffs are a four-round, best-of-seven tournament held after the league's regular season and its preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament. Six teams from each of the two conferences automatically advance to the playoffs based on regular season winning percentage. The NBA conference semifinals are the third round of the playoffs, following the first round and the conference quarterfinals.
The 2025 NBA Playoffs Conference Semifinals featured the following match-ups:
- Pacers vs Cavaliers, with the Pacers winning the series 4-1.
- Knicks vs Celtics, with the Knicks winning the series 4-2.
- Thunder vs Nuggets, with the Thunder winning the series 4-3.
- Timberwolves vs Warriors, with the Warriors winning the series 4-3.
The winners of the Conference Semifinals advance to the Conference Finals, with the winners of those games then facing off in the NBA Finals to determine the league champion.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the NBA playoffs for 2025 started in May and will continue through June.
The NBA Finals will begin on June 5.
The NBA playoffs are a four-round, best-of-seven tournament that takes place after the regular season and the preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament. Six teams from each of the two conferences advance to the playoffs based on regular season winning percentages.
