NBA Playoffs
First implemented in 1984, the NBA Playoffs’ current format involves 16 teams competing in four rounds. The first round was best-of-five until 2003 when it became a best-of-seven matchup. Since the 2016 playoffs, the top six teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences qualify according to their win-loss records.
The coronavirus pandemic changed how teams qualify for the NBA Playoffs as the league managed two shortened seasons. Now, the play-in tournament grants two teams with playoff seeds No. 7 and No. 8 employing a four-team, three-game format.
- Number of participating teams: 16
- Rounds: four
- Format: best of seven games
- Most NBA Playoff appearances: Los Angeles Lakers (63)
- Least NBA Playoff appearances: New Orleans Pelicans (7)
- Longest NBA Playoff drought: Sacramento Kings (last appearance: 2005-06)
- Longest active NBA Playoff appearance streak: Portland Trail Blazers (8 consecutive playoffs since 2013-14)
- Longest NBA Playoff streak ever: San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers (22 consecutive seasons)
Featured articles:
NBA Playoffs: How Does the NBA Play-In Tournament Work?
The Most Significant NBA Playoff Injuries of All Time
Larry Bird Cried Foul in the 1998 NBA Playoffs and Drew a Brutal Response From Phil Jackson
Visit NBA.com‘s NBA Playoffs section.
Read the latest articles about the NBA Playoffs:
To ignite Game 1’s high-scoring affair between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks — a 138-135 overtime victory for Indiana to snag a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals — Andrew Nembhard twice thumped the ball between his legs and laced a pull-up triple from the top of the key. Given Nembhard’s reputation […]
With the Indiana Pacers fresh off their third miracle comeback of the postseason, giving them a 1-0 lead over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, I thought it was a good time for another installment of the “Explain One Play” series. Inside The Play After OG Anunoby split a pair of free […]
Promising young players define themselves in the playoffs. Most crumble under the pressure of the postseason. However, some players, like the Oklahoma City Thunder’s sophomore guard Cason Wallace, rise to the occasion. In Oklahoma City’s second-round win over the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder outscored the Nuggets by 23.7 points per 100 possessions during Wallace’s minutes. […]
The 2025 NBA Playoffs has reached their penultimate stage and four teams will duke it out to see which gets the privilege of representing their conference in the Finals. Over in the Western Conference, we’ve been blessed with an exciting matchup. On one end, you have the league’s best North American-born basketball player in Shai-Gilgeous […]
Despite the Oklahoma City Thunder managing a split of Games 3 and 4 against the Denver Nuggets to knot this second-round series at 2-2, they needed more from their MVP-caliber superstar, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Across those two outings, the 6-foot-6 guard averaged just 21.5 points on 44.4 percent true shooting — far cries from both his […]
With a 3-1 deficit in front of them (a mountain only 4.4 percent of teams facing it have ever climbed) and their best player out because a devastating injury, the Boston Celtics are in desperate need of a miracle if they hope to keep their title defense alive. If only the Celtics had another two-way […]
After their lopsided Game 4 loss on Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers now face a 3-1 series deficit against the Indiana Pacers. Now, in order for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference to avoid elimination, they’ll have to do something that only 13 NBA teams have ever done. Only 13 NBA Teams Have Completed […]
During the Boston Celtics’ first-round win over the Orlando Magic, Jayson Tatum carved up an elite Orlando defense, adjusting after a poor Game 1. Boston’s offense, fueled by Tatum, should’ve had an easier time against a New York Knicks defense that’s inferior to Orlando’s by any regular season statistical measure. But the Celtics find themselves […]
The Golden State Warriors emerged with a road victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, it came at a cost. Around the 8:50 mark of the second quarter, Stephen Curry floated in a soft push shot, but, in the process, he incurred a lower body injury. The noble […]
Tyrese Haliburton and his game-winning three, which propelled the Indiana Pacers to their second improbable comeback of the playoffs Tuesday night, are rightfully lauded as the defining heroes of Game 2. Haliburton is the Pacers’ star, a sage, slippery, sweet-shooting point guard driving them toward a second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals berth. But the opportunity […]
