Amanda Knapp
The NBA Playoffs are the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) season. The 2024 NBA Playoffs began on April 20 and concluded on June 17, with the Boston Celtics winning the championship. The 2025 NBA Playoffs are currently underway, with the Finals beginning on June 5. The NBA season includes several key dates, such as the California Classic Summer League in July and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in July and August. The NBA Playoffs are a highly anticipated event, with teams like the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics consistently making appearances.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the NBA Playoffs | April to June |
| Number of Teams | 20 |
| Qualification Criteria | Six teams from each of the two conferences qualify automatically based on regular season winning percentage. The remaining four teams from each conference compete in the play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff seeds. |
| Format | Four-round, best-of-seven tournament |
| Conference Semifinals | May 5-6 (possibly May 3-4) |
| Conference Finals | May 20-21 (possibly May 18-19) |
| NBA Finals | Begin on June 5 |
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What You'll Learn
Conference Semifinals
The Conference Semifinals is the second round of the NBA playoffs. It features the winners of the first-round matchups. Each matchup in the Conference Semifinals is a best-of-seven series, following a 2-2-1-1-1 format, where the team with home-court advantage (the higher seed of the two teams) hosts Games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while their opponent hosts Games 3, 4, and 6. If needed, Games 5, 6, and 7 are played. The first team to four wins advances to the next round.
In the 2023 NBA playoffs, the Conference Semifinals saw the Boston Celtics take on the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Celtics winning the series 4-3. The New York Knicks faced the Miami Heat, winning the series 4-2. The Denver Nuggets played against the Phoenix Suns, with the Nuggets winning 4-2. The Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers competed, with the Warriors winning 4-2.
The 2024 Conference Semifinals saw the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference, with the Cavaliers winning 4-1. The Boston Celtics faced the New York Knicks, with the Knicks winning 4-2. In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder played against the Denver Nuggets, with the Thunder winning 4-3.
In the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Conference Semifinals featured the Indiana Pacers against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, with the Pacers winning 4-1. The New York Knicks played against the Boston Celtics, with the Knicks winning 4-2. In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder competed against the Denver Nuggets, with the Thunder winning 4-3.
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First Round
The first round of the NBA Playoffs usually takes place in April, with the first games of the 8 first-round matchups played in mid-to-late April. The first round is a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing to the next round.
In the 2024-25 season, the first round took place from April 19 to May 4. Here are some of the results from that season's first round:
Western Conference:
- Thunder won their series against the Grizzlies 4-0.
- Nuggets advanced with a 4-3 series win over the Clippers.
- Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 4-3.
- Top-seeded Thunder defeated the fourth-seeded Nuggets 4-1.
Eastern Conference:
- Cavaliers swept the Heat 4-0.
- Celtics defeated the Magic 4-1.
- Knicks and Pistons played a close series, with the Knicks ultimately winning 4-2.
- Pacers beat the Bucks 4-1.
The first round is an exciting and intense stage of the NBA Playoffs, setting the tone for the rest of the postseason and determining which teams will advance and get one step closer to the NBA Finals.
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Western Conference
In the Western Conference of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves faced off in the Conference Finals. The Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row, having defeated the Golden State Warriors 4-1 in the previous round, despite a hamstring injury to Warriors star Stephen Curry.
The Timberwolves took on the Thunder in the first game of the Western Conference Finals on May 20, with the Thunder winning 4-3 in a tightly contested series. Game 7, which took place on June 2, saw the Thunder advance to the NBA Finals, where they faced the New York Knicks.
The Western Conference Finals were aired on ESPN and ABC, with streaming options available on ESPN.com and the ESPN app. The Thunder's victory in the Western Conference Finals set up a thrilling conclusion to the 2025 NBA Playoffs, as they prepared to face the Eastern Conference champion Knicks in the NBA Finals.
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Eastern Conference
The NBA Playoffs in May feature the Eastern Conference Finals, which is the penultimate round before the NBA Finals. The Eastern Conference Finals for the 2024-25 season featured the Indiana Pacers, who defeated the New York Knicks in a rematch from the second round of the previous year's playoffs. The Pacers won the series 4-2, with the deciding game taking place in Madison Square Garden.
For the 2025-26 season, the Eastern Conference Finals began on May 21, with Game 1 featuring the Indiana Pacers against the New York Knicks, airing on TNT. The Pacers had reached the Conference Finals for the second straight year, while the Knicks made their first appearance since 2000. The Pacers had defeated the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the previous rounds, both in five games.
The Eastern Conference Finals are a best-of-seven series, with the first two games typically played at the higher-seeded team's home court. The Eastern Conference Champion then advances to the NBA Finals to face the winner of the Western Conference Finals.
The NBA Playoffs feature 16 teams in total, with eight teams from each conference. The top six seeds in each conference advance based on their regular-season record, while the final two seeds are determined by the NBA Play-In Tournament. The NBA Playoffs culminate in the NBA Finals, which for the 2025 season, began on June 5, with a potential Game 7 scheduled for June 22.
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Conference Finals
The NBA Conference Finals are the penultimate stage of the NBA Playoffs, with the winners progressing to the NBA Finals. The Conference Finals feature the two remaining teams from each of the two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, facing off against each other.
The 2025 NBA Playoffs began on April 19, with the Conference Finals scheduled to start on May 20-21 (or possibly May 18-19). The Pacers, Knicks, Timberwolves, and Thunder were the final four teams remaining in the 2025 NBA postseason. The Pacers faced the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Timberwolves faced the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
The Pacers had a successful run in the 2025 Playoffs, beating the Cavaliers 4-1 in the first round and then the Thunder 4-3 in the Conference Semifinals. The Knicks, meanwhile, defeated the Celtics 4-2 in the first round and then beat the Cavaliers in the Conference Semifinals.
The Timberwolves had a strong finish to the regular season and carried that momentum into the Playoffs, losing only three times since March 28. They faced the Thunder, who boasted a relentless defense, in the Western Conference Finals.
The winners of the Conference Finals will progress to the NBA Finals, which will begin on June 5.
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Frequently asked questions
The NBA playoffs are the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) season.
The NBA playoffs usually begin in April.
The NBA playoffs consist of several rounds of games, with teams competing to advance to the next round. The first round is followed by the conference semifinals, and then the conference finals. The winners of the conference finals then compete in the NBA Finals for the championship title.
A total of 16 teams participate in the NBA playoffs, with 8 teams from each conference.
The top 8 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs, and they are seeded based on their regular-season records. The team with the best record in each conference is usually seeded first, followed by the other teams in descending order of their records.
