How basketball playoffs work

How Do The NBA Playoffs Work?

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The NBA Playoffs is an annual tournament that ends the National Basketball Association’s season in the Spring. It consists of the Play-In tournament, the First Round, the Conference Semifinals, the Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals. Each round of the Playoffs lasts two weeks, and the playoffs themselves last a total of eight weeks. The playoffs usually begin in mid-April and last until mid-June. The playoffs consist of the top eight teams from both the Eastern and Western conferences, and those teams from each conference compete to eliminate each other until the last team in each conference plays each other in the finals. 

Table of Contents

• The NBA Play-In Tournament
• First Round
• Conference Semifinals
• Conference Finals
• NBA Finals

The NBA Play-In Tournament

Purpose of the NBA Play-In Tournament

The NBA Play-In tournament was added to the playoffs to give the ninth and tenth place teams in each conference a chance to play in the playoffs.  The Play-In tournament consists of the seventh through tenth highest-ranked teams in each conference, seventh and eighth place compete against each other, and ninth and tenth place compete against each other. The winner of the 7/8 game automatically gets the seventh spot in the playoffs. The loser of the 9/10 game is eliminated, and the winner plays the loser of the 7/8 game. The winner of that game gets the eighth spot in the playoffs.

When Was the NBA Play-In Tournament Created?

The NBA Play-In was introduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic because the NBA sought to still have their playoffs in a bubble despite still being in the middle of the global pandemic. Before the 2021 Playoffs, the NBA announced the Play-In Tournament would continue to be a part of the postseason regardless of the state of the pandemic’s progression.

First Round

There are four matchups in each conference, and each matchup has seven games. The first team to win the most out of seven games in each matchup advances to the next round. There is no need to play all seven games in many instances because a team wins four games before game seven. In the first round, first place plays against eighth, second place plays seventh, third place plays sixth, and fourth place plays fifth. The team with the better record has the home-court advantage, meaning four out of the seven games played will be at their home stadium. 

Home Court Advantage

Home court advantage during the playoffs is determined by using each team's ranking or place; for example, when third-place plays sixth, third place will begin the matchup with home-court advantage. The first two games of the matchup are played at the court of whichever team has the highest-ranking or place. Those first two home games are followed by two away games, one home game, one away game, and one home game; however, not all of those games are played each matchup depending on whether or not one team wins four games before all seven have been played.

Conference Semifinals

The NBA playoffs Conference Semifinals is the second round of the playoffs. In each conference, the winners of each of the four previous matchups face off against each other in another round best-of-seven games. The rules for home-court advantage continue to apply in the Conference Semifinals. Home court advantage is very important in the Conference Semifinals; data shows that teams with home-court advantage won the Conference Semifinals 80% of the time.

Conference Finals

The NBA Playoffs Conference Finals are the third round of the playoffs. In the Conference Finals, the final two teams in each conference compete against each other in the final round of seven games. The rules for home-court advantage also apply in the Conference Finals. Home-court advantage is less important in the Conference Finals; data shows that teams with home-court advantage won the Conference Finals 50% of the time. The Conference Finals show the best team in the Eastern and Western conferences, respectively. The team that wins the most games in each Conference Final moves on to the NBA Finals and has a chance to win the NBA Championship Title.

NBA Finals

The NBA Playoffs Finals is the final round of the playoffs and determines the overall winner of the tournament. The rules for home-court advantage apply in the NBA Finals, and the advantage is very important in the NBA Finals; data shows that teams with home-court advantage win the NBA Finals 80% of the time. The Finals are the last set of seven games and the team that wins the most games claims the Larry O’Brian Championship Trophy.

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How Do NBA Playoffs Work?

The 2020/21 NBA season has begun and there is a new and exciting playoff format. This includes a play-in tournament for multiple teams who are on the brink of elimination. The NBA with this new format hopes to bring more excitement and fans into the action, no team is safe.

How do the NBA playoffs work for 2021? The play-in tournament will involve 4 teams from each conference that are seeded from 7 to 10 in the standings. The 7 and 8 seeds will play one game and the winner will secure the 7th spot in the standings. The loser of the 7th and 8th seed plays the winner of the 9th and 10th seed, the winner of this game will be the number 8th seed. The 9 and 10th seed will have to win two games in order to advance and secure the 8th seed in the conference standings.

This format provides an opportunity for fans to cheer on their favorite team in which in past seasons would have had no chance to make the playoffs. If this sounds confusing, I will break down the play in tournament format further with examples using the 2018/19 season as an example.

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When are the NBA playoffs this Year?

In years prior the NBA playoffs usually take place in April and finish around early to mid-June. The 2020/21 NBA playoffs will take place from May 22 to July 22, 2021. This is because of the late start due to the pandemic which forced the NBA to create a bubble to finish the existing 2020 season in the summer. The 2020/21 NBA season started on December 22nd of 2020.

The play-in tournament will take place within the week of the NBA playoffs on May 18, 2020. The playing tournament is the first of its kind in this format. The 2020/21 season has been shortened to 72 games this year making every game important especially as there is now more ways to find a playoff birth.

So let’s take a look at a full NBA season such as the 2018/19 year. Where every team played 82 games.

There are 15 teams in each conference, the reason the NBA chose seeds 7 to 10 for their play-in tournament is that there are only a few games separating those positions by a few wins.

Western Conference

Using the Western Conference as our first example of how the play-in tournament would works:

7th seed – San Antonio

8th seed – LA Clippers

9th seed – Sacramento Kings

10th seed – LA Lakers

Hypothetically I am going to pick some winners to further help you understand the format. Although these may not be the real winners of the 2018/19 season so keep that in mind. This is only for educational purposes.

So we have the 7th seed, San Antonio Spurs versus the 8th seed, LA Clippers playing for the seventh seed in the Western Conference. They will only play one game and the winner secures the 7th seed and will face off against the 2nd place team in the Western Conference. Let’s say the Spurs won they would secure the 7th seed and play the Nuggets in the first round. The Clippers are not out just yet, they will play a second game to try and secure their original seed of 8th place. They have 2 opportunities to secure a playoff spot.

The 9th seed Sacramento Kings and 10th seed LA Lakers will face each other. The winner will advance to the next round against the LA Clippers against the Spurs. Let just say that the Lakers won. Sacramento will therefore be eliminated and done for the rest of the season. The Lakers will have to win a second game against the Clippers to lock the 8th seed. The homecourt advantage goes to the Clippers with the better record.

Remember this is a play-in tournament and not the NBA playoffs itself. The winner will be 8th in the standings and play the number one seed Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA playoffs. So as you can see the 7th or 8th seed only needs to win one game while the 9th and 10th seed need to win 2 games. The team with the better record will get a homecourt advantage.

Eastern Conference

Using the Eastern Conference for our second example.

7th seed – Orlando Magic

8th seed – Detroit Pistons

9th seed – Charlotte Hornets

10th seed – Miami Heat

The 7th seed, Orlando Magic will faceoff against the 8th seed Detroit Pistons. Orlando will have a home-court advantage as they are the higher seed with the better record. They will play one game and the winner will take the 7th seed overall in the Eastern Conference standings. They will face the Toronto Raptors in the first round. The loser of this game is not done yet and has one more opportunity to secure the 8th seed by playing the winner of the 9th and 10th seed game.

The 9th seed Charlotte Hornets will face the 10th seed Miami Heat. Charlotte will have the home-court advantage. These two teams will have to win 2 games in a row to secure the 8th spot in the standings. The winner of the 9 vs 10 seed advances but plays a second game against the loser of the 7th versus 8th seed.

The 7th or 8th seed will always have a homecourt advantage when playing the winner of the 9th or 10th seed. The winner of this second game locks 8th place and plays the number one seed, Milwaukee Bucks.

The same playoff format will still take place that the NBA has always used. 8 teams from each conference will play in the playoffs as follows. 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5. All series will be a best of 7 game series where a team that wins 4 games first advance to the next round. The team with the higher seed will have home-court advantage. There are 3 rounds that take place against teams in the same conference. The last team standing in each conference plays in the NBA Finals, Conference winner vs Conference winner.

The winner between 1 vs 8 will play the winner of 4 vs 5, and the winner of 2 vs 7 will play the winner 3 vs 6. The last two teams standing play in the Conference Finals and the winner of this series goes to the NBA Finals.

The team with the higher seed has home-court advantage and plays the first two games at home. Then the next two games away followed by one game at home, one game away, and another game at home if needed. This will depend on how many each team has won. So the format looks something like this if you have home-court advantage. 2 Games at Home, 2 Games Away, 1 Game at Home, 1 Game Away, 1 Game at Home. It may not be necessary to play all seven games, a team may win 4 in a row and there would be no need to play another game.

The best record in the Finals between the two teams will have home court advantage. If both teams are tied with the same record they will look at the season match up and look at which team between the two won the most games. If that is tied it will go to the team with the most points scored during the season.

Popular games now are football, hockey, tennis and, of course, basketball. At the same time, basketball is in no way inferior to football in terms of entertainment and dynamism. In America, basketball is considered the second most popular sport after baseball. In addition, the strongest basketball league in the world is undoubtedly the North American NBA.

The NBA playoffs (also known as the NBA playoffs) are closely related to eSports.

Basketball simulations such as Visual Concepts' NBA 2K22 are becoming so realistic that some people experience the sport in video game format for the first time.

Many people in the US are into basketball, but it is possible that in the future NBA 2K will surpass it in popularity. If you like to watch games, play online and make predictions, this is the best option for you.

The most important time of the year for the NBA League is the start of the NBA playoffs. It is in this tournament that the champion of the season is determined. Thus, the winner can definitely be called the number one team nationwide.

Esports players choose the NBA playoffs because the matches are fast paced with a very tight schedule, and the tournament itself is played in a best-of-four format. The NBA 2K league is similar.

What is the NBA playoff draw?

The beauty of the NBA Playoffs is that it brings together the Eastern and Western Conferences. As a result, one overall winner is determined. Each team starts in its own NBA playoff bracket, and the best teams from East and West meet in the finals.

How many teams are in the NBA playoffs?

It's at this stage that things get heated, as 16 teams have a chance to win the title.

Which teams made it to the NBA playoffs in 2022?

Read this list to see who made the NBA playoffs this year:

Eastern Conference

• Miami Heat
• Atlanta Hawks
• Philadelphia Seventy Seekers
• Toronto Raptors
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Chicago Bulls
• Boston Celtics
• Brooklyn Nets

Western Conference

• Phoenix Suns
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Dallas Mavericks
• Utah Jazz
• Golden State Warriors
• Denver Nuggets
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Minnesota Timberwolves

What is the schedule for the NBA playoffs?

In the NBA playoffs, teams play each other in a best-of-four elimination game. The winner advances to the next round. Here is a summary of the schedule:

First round. The highest ranked team from each conference faces the lowest ranked team in their division. The second place is opposed to the seventh and so on.

Semi-final of the conference. The winners of the first and second, as well as the third and fourth games of each conference play each other.

Conference final. The remaining two teams from each conference compete for a place in the finals.

NBA Finals. The top teams from each conference meet in the final to become the champion of the season.

When is the NBA playoffs?

The NBA playoffs begin at the end of April and continue through June. In 2022, the final game was scheduled for June 20.

In preparation for this event, the NBA 2K league season ends in early June. This means that both gamers and basketball fans will be looking forward to the NBA playoffs.

Who reached the final this season?

Before entering the 2022 NBA playoffs, all the top teams in two conferences, including the Celtics, Warriors, Grizzlies, Heat, Suns and Bucks, had a chance to make it to the end .

The Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors competed for the NBA Finals. The Celtics have won 17 championships, most recently in 2008.

Although the Golden State won the championship as recently as 2018, they have only won five NBA championships before.

Who became the champion of the NBA 2022?

You probably already know that the Golden State Warriors won this year. For them, this is the fourth championship in the last 8 years. The team became triumphant in 2015, 2017, 2018 and finally 2022. The Warriors are one of the best dynasties in NBA history. For many fans above - only the Chicago Bulls, who dominated almost all 90th years of the last century.

Stars such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson have been replaced by new faces. First of all, Stephen Curry shines brightest in Golden State. He received the MVP of the NBA Finals - a long-awaited trophy, which has not yet been in the collection of the leader of the "warriors". The tears of the player in the final only confirm the importance of this achievement, which can now be added to the next championship ring.

Why do eSports fans like NBA playoffs?

Eco-Motion engine made NBA 2K so realistic that the game can hardly be distinguished from the broadcast of the real tournament. If you are looking for games with the best graphics on PC, check out this franchise.

Basketball is the perfect game for the console, as it requires both quick reactions and team management skills to succeed. Excitement adds the fact that it belongs to the category "PvP online games", where you can fight with a real opponent or have fun with a friend.

In addition, the basketball simulator contains elements of a strategy game where you need to create a team with great potential. If you want to download strategies, then opt for NBA 2K.

Most Valuable Players (MVPs) get better stats in NBA 2K games.

Much of what happens in the real world is later transferred to NBA 2K games. For example, with the release of the next update, the MVP statistics from the NBA playoffs often improve.

Take, for example, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was awarded the Bill Russell Award in the 2021 NBA Finals. Subsequently, Antetokounmpo received a whopping 9 rating.7 in NBA 2K22. He became the highest rated star in the game, while he was rated 91 in 2017-18. (now his rating is 95) and Kevin Durant in 2018 (his current rating is 96).

Video game users can try different scenarios to predict the winner.

Everyone loves to predict who will win the NBA playoffs. Perhaps the best way to accurately predict the winner is to play out different scenarios in NBA 2K22.

At the end of the regular season, you can organize a tournament using the NBA playoff schedule with the respective teams. Playing with friends, you can determine the champion of the entire series.

If you play in PVP mode against an opponent of the same level as you, it is likely that the teams with the best statistics will advance to the final. It will be possible to make a fairly accurate forecast. I wonder if you can guess exactly which team will be crowned the winner?

Try different options to get the highest prediction probability. Of course, you won’t be able to download such games for free, but NBA 2K is worth the money.

Enjoy the NBA Playoffs

There's no doubt that the NBA Playoffs are the most exciting time of the year for basketball fans. This is also a great period for those who prefer esports as the NBA 2K League season ends around the same time.

Virtual matches can be matched in time with real basketball teams, which will make the game even more interactive.

what to expect and where to watch

At the World Championship 2022 in basketball among women's teams, which takes place in Sydney, On September 27, , the matches of the preliminary tournament in groups ended and all participants in the playoffs were determined. September 29 in the quarterfinals of the tournament will meet: USA - Serbia, China - France, Belgium - Australia, Puerto Rico - Canada .

There were no special sensations at the preliminary stage of the World Championship. In Group A, the main favorites of the tournament from the US team confirmed their status by scoring five confident victories with an advantage over their rivals of 14 points or more. In a meeting with the national team of the Republic of Korea, the Americans even staged a festival of performance, gaining 145 points (145:69). So it's hardly surprising that four US basketball players entered the top ten of the most productive players in the preliminary tournament - Age Wilson , Kelsey Plum , Briona Jones and Brianna Stewart . Following the Americans in the table of Group A, the teams of China and Belgium were predictably placed, and in the fight for the fourth vacancy in the playoffs from these six, success was accompanied by the team of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican offensive guard Arella Girantes was the top scorer in the group stage, averaging 18 points per game. It is to her and Mia Hollingshead , who scored 29 points in a key meeting with the team of the Republic of Korea, that the Puerto Rico team owes much of its breakthrough to the quarterfinals.

In group B, where five very strong teams gathered by lot, the “fifth extra” in the fight for the playoffs were the silver medalists of the Tokyo Olympics from the Japanese team, who lost in all four matches to direct competitors - Australia, Canada, France and Serbia. In this six, not a single team escaped defeat at the preliminary stage, and the first place was taken by the hostess of the World Cup only thanks to a victory in a face-to-face meeting over the Canadian team. In the Australian national team, the legendary basketball player of this country Lauren Jackson is no longer the irreplaceable leader and spends no more than 10 minutes per match on the court. However, the depth of the Australians allows their coach Sandy Brondello to actively use at least 11 basketball players in the rotation, and this factor can be a serious trump card in the playoffs.

In two of the four quarter-final pairs, clear favorites can be identified. Perhaps only a miracle can help the Serbian team hold out against the US team. And in the confrontation between representatives of the Western Hemisphere from Canada and Puerto Rico, the chances of Canadians are objectively much higher. Their leaders are first of all Natalie Achonwa and Bridget Carlton outclass the Puerto Ricans and should help their team reach the semi-finals, where the Canadian women's team hasn't been since 1986.

But in the other two semi-finals there should be a serious struggle. In the Australia-Belgium pair, a lot will depend on how the Belgian leader Emma Messeman performs on that day. So far, she is fourth at the 2022 World Cup in rebounds (8. 5 per game) and second in assists (6.3 per game), but the Belgians lack their own Messeman points a little. And it is this additional resource that can allow them to impose a fight on the Australian team, whose chances of reaching the semi-finals are still somewhat higher.

The French team will face a very difficult task in the match against China. According to all key statistical indicators - points scored, rebounds, assists, accuracy of three-pointers - the Chinese women, following the results of the group stage, are second only to the US team. This is partly due to the less dense composition of group A, in which both of these teams played. But still, the French team, which in the current tournament does not have a pronounced leader who could be relied on in key moments of the meetings, will definitely have to play their best match in the current tournament to defeat China. After all, even the victory of the French over Australia was achieved largely due to individual performance Gabby Williams , who attacked from behind the arc with 60% accuracy in this meeting, but then did not realize a single three-pointer in all four remaining matches of the group stage.

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