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:
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets will treat us to the first Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Saturday night. Most anticipated this series to go the distance and the chess match between two excellent teams hasn’t disappointed. To escape this series and challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second […]
In what was swelling toward a crucial decision virtually all series, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue finally reached a crossroads at halftime of Game 6. His trusty starting unit of James Harden, Norman Powell, Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac had cratered. Despite the Clippers ing a plus-9.4 net rating and 13-5 […]
Arguably the best first-round series of the 2025 NBA Playoffs could be reaching its breaking point Thursday night, as the Denver Nuggets hold a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers. However, if the Clippers want to make Game 6 the penultimate episode rather than the series finale, they’ll need one player to rise to […]
For some NBA fans, Jayson Tatum’s recent playoff performances leave them wanting more. Despite winning a title last season as the Boston Celtics’ primary engine, his relative inefficiency and tendency to sit in the background while teammates carried the scoring load led some to question his true greatness. Those detractors would have felt emboldened after […]
Despite numerous reports that Jimmy Butler might be out for the remainder of the series, one trusted source has told Sportscasting.com that the Golden State Warriors forward “will play” in Game 3 versus the Houston Rockets. Find the latest news on Butler’s injury status for the Warriors-Rockets first round series below. The Golden State Warriors […]
In what was likely the finest game of his career, given the stakes and the opponent, Jalen Green’s most illuminating moment may have been a nondescript jumper amid a 19-point rout. On the night, Green exploded for 38 points, six assists (two turnovers), four rebounds and three steals to help the Houston Rockets batter the […]
With the score even at 97 and just over a minute left in the fourth quarter of Game 2 between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons, a second straight fourth quarter collapse seemed inevitable for the Pistons. Earlier in the frame, they held a commanding 13-point advantage, and just a few minutes before that, […]
The Oklahoma City Thunder enter the NBA Playoffs with sky-high expectations. After a historic season, stemming from a lockdown defense and a possible MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are heavy favorites to reach the NBA Finals. Memphis enters the postseason after a narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors before bashing the Dallas Mavericks […]
For the first time since LeBron James left town, the Cleveland Cavaliers will enter a playoff series as heavy favorites. After a historic regular season, the East’s top team will begin its postseason journey looking to dispatch the Miami Heat. In what has become a yearly tradition, The Heat escaped the Play-In Tournament, this time […]
Charles Barkley paid a well-known heckler to harass Michael Jordan during the 1993 NBA Finals.
