-
For many NBA fans, in Australia and abroad, the playoffs are the most exciting time of the year. Excitement mounts and strategic gameplay comes to a head as the world’s best basketball teams battle it out for a chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien championship trophy.
But if you're new to the NBA or just need a refresher on how the playoff system works, don't worry𑁋we've got you covered! In this blog post, we take a look at how the 2022 NBA playoffs work so you can get you primed for this year's action.
What are the NBA playoffs?
The NBA Playoffs are the post-season games of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The playoffs begin at the end of the 82-game regular season, typically commencing in April and running for approximately two months until the beginning of June. The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament, played between the top teams of each conference with the winners of each conference proceeding to the NBA Finals.
What is a conference?
In total there are 30 teams in the NBA. These are divided equally into two conferences𑁋Western Conference and the Eastern Conference𑁋with 15 teams in each. Within these are 3 further ‘divisions’ made up of 5 teams each.
-
How many teams make the NBA playoffs?
At the end of the regular season, it is the 6 teams with the best record in each conference that qualify immediately for the playoffs. This is mostly based on win percentage. Accordingly, the team with the most wins will be awarded the 1st seed position in their conference; the runner up will earn the 2nd seed spot, and so on until the 6 teams from each conference are seeded 1 to 6.
The teams with the 7th to 10th best win-loss record from each conference will then compete for the remaining 2 playoff spots in what is known as the Play-In Tournament.
Long story short, there are 16 teams which make it through to the NBA playoffs.
What if there is a tie in seed ranking?
If two teams share the same win record within their conference, there are a number of steps in place to determine who will seed higher than the other.
The first measure is to consider the head-to-head record𑁋which team has the best record in playing against the other.
If the teams are still tied, then it’s a matter of looking at the divisional record𑁋which team has the better record against their division (divisional champion). However, this only applies if the teams in question are part of the same division.
Finally, if the teams are still tied, then it comes down the conference record𑁋which team has the best the win-loss percentage against their own conference.
What is the NBA Play-In Tournament?
This year, the Play-In Tournament will include the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th seeded teams in each conference. The format is simple: the 7th and 8th seeds will play each other, with the winner advancing to take the 7th seeded spot in the playoffs.
From here, the loser of the ‘Seven-Eight Game’ goes onto face the winner of the game between the 9th and 10th seeds𑁋with the winner of that game earning the final 8th seed spot in the NBA playoff schedule.
Currently, the Play-In Tournament is scheduled to run from Tuesday, April 11 to Friday, April 14.
Which teams are currently in the NBA?
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
- Boston Celtics
- Brooklyn Nets
- New York Nicks
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Toronto Raptors
Central Division
- Chicago Bulls
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Detroit Pistons
- Indiana Pacers
- Milwaukee Bucks
Southeast Division
- Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets
- Miami Heat
- Orlando Magic
- Washington Lizards
Western Conference
Southwest Division
- Dallas Mavericks
- Houston Rockets
- Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Pelicans
- San Antonio Spurs
Pacific Division
- Golden State Warriors
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings
Northwest Division
- Denver Nuggets
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Utah Jazz
-
NBA playoff format
The playoffs consist of four rounds, with each round taking on a best-of-seven games format. This means that the first team to reach 4 wins will progress to the next round, while the losing team is knocked out of the competition.
Here’s the breakdown:
First Round
The first round of the playoffs is between the eight qualifying teams in each conference. In practice, the teams are matched up as follows:
- No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed
- No. 2 seed vs. No. 7 seed
- No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed
- No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed
- This occurs for both conferences separately.
Second Round (Conference Semi-Finals)
The second round is between the four remaining teams in each conference. Here, the winner of the 1-8 seed game will play the winner of the 5-4 seed game, and so on.
Third Round (Conference Finals)
The third round is between the two remaining teams in each conference.
Fourth Round (Finals)
The fourth round is between the two conference champions. The NBA Finals are the last seven games of the playoffs, pitting the champion of the Eastern Conference against the champion of the Western Conference. The team that wins four games out of seven is crowned league champion.
How many games are in the playoffs?
At the low end, there can be a minimum of 60 games played in the NBA playoffs: four rounds of a best-of-seven series among the East and West conferences.
First Round: 8 match-ups x 4 games= 32 games
Second Round: 4 match-ups x 4 games= 16 games
Third Round: 2 match-ups x 4 games= 8 games
Fourth Round: 1 match-up x 4 games= 4 games
This is known as a ‘sweep’, where a team wins the first 4 games in a series without allowing their opponent to win any.
However, if every series was to play to the full seven games, that would add an extra 59 games to the total, giving a maximum total of 105 NBA playoff games.
First Round: 8 match-ups x 7 games= 56 games
Second Round: 4 match-ups x 7 games= 28 games
Third Round: 2 match-ups x 7 games= 14 games
Fourth Round: 1 match-up x 7 games= 7 games
-
What is the home court advantage?
The home court advantage refers to the benefit that the home team (or hosting team) is said to have over the visiting team. Generally, NBA teams tend to win more games when they're playing at their home arena, as opposed to when they're playing on the road. Home court advantage has been attributed to a variety of factors, including the fact that teams are more comfortable playing in their own arena, complete with familiar surroundings and fan support.
Home court advantage in the playoffs
For the first 3 rounds of the playoffs, it’s the higher seeded team that enjoys the home court advantage. This means that for the seven games in the series, they will play the:
- 1st and 2nd games at HOME
- 3rd and 4th games AWAY
- 5th game at HOME
- 6th game AWAY
- 7th game at HOME
This HOME/AWAY configuration is usually referred to as the ‘2-2-1-1-1’ format. Conversely, the opposing team (without the home court advantage) will host games 3, 4 and 6.
When it comes to the finals, it’s the team who has the better regular season record that takes the home court advantage, and not necessarily the higher seeded team. However, the two usually go hand-in-hand.
The NBA playoffs: A brief recap
The NBA playoffs commence at the conclusion of the regular season and are a best-of-seven series between the eight qualifying teams in each conference. The first team to reach four wins in a series progresses to the next round (of which there are four), while the losing team is knocked out of the competition. Home court advantage is given to the higher seeded team for the first three rounds, and to the team with the better regular season record for the finals. In total, there can be anywhere from 60 to 105 games played over the course of the playoffs.
What is the 2022/2023 NBA playoff schedule?
With the regular season already underway, NBA fans are already scrambling to mark their calendars with the key dates of the 2023 NBA playoffs. The good news is, we already have a pretty good idea of when things are going to happen.
The Play-In Tournament is slated for Tuesday, April 11 through to Friday, April 14. This will be followed by the first round of the playoffs, beginning on Tuesday, April 15th and will conclude with Game 1 of the finals on Thursday, June 1.
Time to get in on the action
So there you have it𑁋just about everything you need to know about how the NBA playoffs work, whether you needed a crash course or a just handy reminder. Now you can tune in to wherever you get your NBA coverage and enjoy the best of the post-season action without missing a beat.
