Amanda Knapp
The NBA Playoffs are the annual postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held after the league's regular season to determine the league champion. The NBA Playoffs are one of the most exciting times in sports, bringing intense competition, athletic performances, legendary rivalries, individual superstars, unforgettable moments, and global attention. The tournament features 16 teams in total, eight from each of the NBA's two conferences (East and West). The NBA Playoffs have evolved significantly since the league's founding in 1946, with the introduction of the Play-In Tournament in 2020 adding further excitement to the mix.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | NBA Playoffs |
| Organizer | National Basketball Association (NBA) |
| Participants | 16 teams (8 from each of the NBA's two conferences) |
| Qualification Criteria | Based on regular season performance |
| Seeding | Teams are ranked from #1 to #8 in each conference based on their win-loss records |
| Format | Four rounds (First Round, Conference Semi-finals, Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals) |
| Series Format | Best-of-seven (a team needs 4 victories to win a round) |
| Start Date | April 19, 2025 |
| End Date | June 22, 2025 |
| Champion | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Runner-up | Indiana Pacers |
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What You'll Learn
The NBA Playoffs
Since 2020, the NBA Playoffs have been held after the preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament. The current postseason format, in place since 2021, sees six teams from each of the two conferences automatically advance to the playoffs based on regular-season winning percentage. Meanwhile, teams finishing seventh through tenth from each conference compete in the play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff seeds.
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Postseason tournament format
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is an annual postseason tournament held after the league's regular season to determine the league champion. The NBA was established in 1949 by a merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League. The BAA was founded in 1946–47 and its seasons are considered part of the NBA's history.
The NBA playoffs date back to 1947, when the NBA was known as the BAA. The tournament has since expanded to a four-round, best-of-seven format. Since 2020, the NBA playoffs have been held after the preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament.
The NBA play-in tournament determines the final two playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. Teams finishing the regular season in positions 7 through 10 in the standings for each conference compete to determine the number 7 and 8 seeds in each conference's bracket tournament. The format consists of three, one-game series: 7th placed team vs. 8th placed team, 9th placed team vs. 10th placed team, and loser of 7–8 game vs. winner of 9–10 game. The winner of the 7–8 game advances to the playoffs as the 7th seed, while the loser faces the winner of the 9–10 game (with the loser of this game eliminated from playoff contention). The winner of the third game advances to the playoffs as the 8th seed.
Since 2021, the top six teams from each conference automatically advance to the playoffs based on regular season winning percentage. The NBA playoffs then proceed as normal, with the first round, conference semi-finals, conference finals, and the NBA Finals. The NBA Finals is a best-of-seven series where both conference champions play each other.
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History of the NBA Playoffs
The NBA Playoffs is the annual postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held after the league's regular season to determine the league champion. The playoffs date back to 1947 when the NBA was then known as the Basketball Association of America.
The early years of the NBA Playoffs saw a variety of formats, with the number of teams and the structure of the tournament changing frequently. For example, from 1954 to 1966, the NBA had eight or nine league members, and during this time, there were some unique occurrences in the playoff structure. In the 1953-54 season, with only nine league members, the NBA cut the postseason tournament field from eight to six teams. The 1954 playoffs saw the only Round Robins in NBA history, with a three-team round-robin format among the three playoff teams in each division. From 1955 to 1966, the first-place team in each division received a bye while the two runners-up played a best-of-three series. The division finals were expanded to best-of-seven in 1958, and the division semifinals followed suit in 1961.
The NBA Playoffs evolved into its modern form over time. With ten league members again for the 1966-67 season, the tournament returned to an eight-team bracket with a simple three-round knockout format. The following year, the division semifinals were changed to a best-of-seven format as well. This set the stage for the NBA Playoffs to become the four-round, best-of-seven tournament it is today.
In recent years, the NBA Playoffs have included a play-in tournament before the main postseason tournament. Since 2020, the NBA Playoffs have been held after this preliminary round. The current format, in place since 2021, sees six teams from each of the two conferences advance directly to the playoffs based on their regular-season winning percentage. The remaining four teams are determined through the play-in tournament, where the seventh to tenth-placed teams from each conference compete for the final two playoff seeds.
The NBA Playoffs have a rich history, with many memorable moments and upsets. For example, in 2007, the Golden State Warriors became the first 8-seed to beat a 1-seed in a best-of-seven format when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference First Round. More recently, in 2023, the Miami Heat became the first eight seed to win a playoff series after qualifying for the NBA play-in tournament.
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Qualification criteria
The NBA Playoffs are the end-of-season tournament to determine the NBA champion. The tournament features 16 teams in total, eight from each of the NBA's two conferences (East and West).
The NBA Playoffs qualification criteria have evolved over the years. The current format, in place since 2021, is as follows:
Direct Qualification
The top six teams from each conference qualify directly for the playoffs based on their regular season performance. These teams are ranked from #1 to #6 based on their win-loss records, with the team with the best record receiving the #1 seed.
Play-in Tournament
Teams ranked 7th to 10th in each conference compete in a play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff spots. This tournament consists of three one-game series:
- 7th placed team vs. 8th placed team
- 9th placed team vs. 10th placed team
- Loser of the 7-8 game vs. winner of the 9-10 game
The winner of the 7-8 game advances as the 7th seed, while the loser of this game faces the winner of the 9-10 game. The winner of the third game advances as the 8th seed, while the loser is eliminated.
Tiebreakers
In the case of ties between teams, the NBA has tiebreakers in place to determine seeding. These include head-to-head records, divisional championships, point differential, and winning percentage against playoff teams in the opposing conference.
Historical Changes
Prior to 2020, the NBA Playoffs did not feature a play-in tournament. The top eight teams from each conference qualified directly for the playoffs. The format has also varied in the past, with the NBA experimenting with different series lengths (best-of- three, best-of-five, and best-of-seven) and different numbers of teams (as few as eight and as many as 16).
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NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the final round of the annual postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA playoffs are held after the league's regular season to determine the league champion. The playoffs date back to 1947 when the NBA was then known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The BAA was renamed the National Basketball Association in 1950.
The NBA playoffs are comprised of 16 teams in total – eight from each of the NBA’s two conferences (East and West). The teams in each conference are ranked by their win-loss record from the regular season; the six teams with the most wins from each conference then progress immediately to the playoffs. The 7th-10th-placed teams in each conference then play for the remaining four spots in a ‘play-in tournament’. The NBA Finals is the fourth and final round of the NBA playoffs, with the first round being followed by the Conference Semi-finals and Conference Finals.
The NBA Finals was 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 who 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 inaugural NBA championship in 1950 was won by the Lakers, who became the first team to repeat as champions. The Boston Celtics won 11 of the 12 NBA Finals they reached during 13 seasons (1956–57 to 1968–69), including eight straight NBA championships from 1959 to 1966. The Thunder won the 2025 NBA championship, their first of the OKC era.
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Frequently asked questions
The basketball playoffs are called the NBA Playoffs.
The NBA Playoffs began in 1947 when the NBA was known as the Basketball Association of America.
The NBA Playoffs are the end-of-season tournament to determine the NBA league champion. The tournament features 16 teams, eight from each of the NBA's two conferences (East and West). The teams in each conference are ranked by their win-loss record from the regular season. The tournament consists of four rounds: the First Round, Conference Semi-finals, Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals.
