82 games were just foreplay. Welcome to the Playoffs where 16 teams battle, referee conspiracy theories are made, and nobody reads the rules until their team gets eliminated.
While I like to believe I start each one of these articles with a healthy amount of wit, playoffs are for many no joke, so forgive me for getting right to it. Time really is of the essence here—especially if you’re trying to reserve a suite or a seat for one of those coveted home games.
16 teams in total qualify for the playoffs. Eight teams from the Eastern Conference and eight teams from the Western Conference with each team seeded based on their regular season record.
At the time of publication, the current standings are:
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
A moment on why I listed the top 10 teams instead of 8 I will come back to, but first - here are some important dates and notes to highlight.
Round 1: Conference Quarterfinals
Round 2: Conference Semifinals
Round 3: Conference Finals
Round 4: NBA Finals
April 13: End of the Regular Season
April 15–18: Play-In Tournament
April 19: The First Round of the Playoffs begins
May 5–6: Conference Semifinals begin
May 20–21: Conference Finals begin
June 5: NBA Finals begin
So why did I list 10 if only 8 go on? Because, introduced in the 2020-21 season was a play-in tournament, where teams in the 7-10 seed compete in this gray area between the regular season and post-season to try and cement their place as team 7 or 8 in the playoffs.
Game 1 in the tournament is where the team in 7th place takes on the team in 8th place. The 7th-place team receives a home-court advantage, and the winner clinches the 7th seed in the Playoffs.
Game 2 in the tournament is where the team in 9th place takes on the team in 10th place, and the loser of that team is eliminated.
Game 3 in the Play-In Tournament is held between the loser of Game 1 and the winner of Game 2. The winner of this game fortifies their place as the 8th seed in the NBA Playoffs.
I love a good example, but let’s stick with the facts for now, and we’ll end this novel of a post with a hypothetical to help connect the play-in dots even more.
Tue. April 15: The first Play-In Tournament game this year. (For both the Eastern and Western conferences).
Wed. April 16: Game 2 of the Play-In Tournament.
Fri. April 18: Game 3 of the Play-In Tournament.
Okay, and NOW we find ourselves actually in the NBA Playoffs which begin on Saturday, April 19th with Round 1 of 4 commencing.
Each round of the playoffs is the best of 7 games, with each series following a 2-2-1-1-1 format. That means the higher seed will play games 1, 2, 5, and 7 at home and the lower seeds play games 3, 4, and 6 at home. Since it is the best out of 7 games, games 5 and 6 will always be marked as *if necessary when you’re viewing schedules.
The matchups for this round, for each conference:
Seed 1 vs. Seed 8
Seed 2 vs. Seed 7
Seed 3 vs. Seed 6
Seed 4 vs. Seed 5
The winner of Seed 1 vs. Seed 8 plays the winner of Seed 4 vs. Seed 5. Whichever has the higher ranking receives home-court advantage for games one and two.
The winner of Seed 2 vs. Seed 7 plays the winner of Seed 3 vs Seed 6.
You are left with two teams playing against each other, fighting to be the champion of their respective conference as well as advance to The Finals.
The top dog in the East will face the top dog in the West, with the regular season rankings, once again, coming through to give the higher-standing team home-court advantage for games one and two.
The best of seven.
Only one will be crowned King.
This year for instance the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament could look as follows if the standings listed at the beginning of this article do not change. To recap they are:
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Boston Celtics
- New York Knicks
- Indiana Pacers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Detroit Pistons
- Orlando Magic
- Atlanta Hawks
- Chicago Bulls
- Miami Heat
Game 1 of the Play-In Tournament would be Hawks vs. Magic in Orlando. Let’s say Hawks win - they now have the 7th seed in Playoffs.
Game 2 of the Play-In Tournament would be the Bulls vs Heat in Chicago. Let’s say the Bulls win this one. They go on to play Game 3 of the Play-In Tournament.
Game 3 of the Play-In Tournament would be a matchup against the Magic (lost game 1) and the Bulls (won Game 2) and this would be hosted in Orlando, as the Magic had a higher ranking than the Bulls at the end of the regular season. For the purpose of this article, let’s say the Magic work some magic, win the game, and head into the playoffs as the 8th seed.
Okay and NOW we find ourselves actually in the Playoffs with the following teams:
Seed 1: Cleveland Cavaliers
Seed 2: Boston Celtics
Seed 3: New York Knicks
Seed 4: Indiana Pacers
Seed 5: Milwaukee Bucks
Seed 6: Detroit Pistons
Seed 7: Atlanta Hawks
Seed 8: Orlando Magic
Cavaliers (1) vs Magic (8) with the first two games taking place in Cleveland
Celtics (2) vs Hawks (7) with the first two games taking place in Boston
Knicks (3) vs Pistons (6) with the first two games taking place in New York
Pacers (4) vs Bucks (5) with the first two games taking place in Indianapolis
I will not be taking this hypothetical scenario any farther, as I dare not risk upsetting loyalties or fans across the coasts, but this year’s playoff run will no doubt be much more entertaining than this article!
If your team is en route to the play-in or the playoffs, check out our inventory HERE.
*One thing to note about the dates of the games: they often aren’t confirmed until midway through the previous series or previous round in the tournament. They can change based on TV broadcasts and times, based on other national events, or based on a round going 5, 6, or 7 games between two teams. Be ready to pull the trigger quickly if you’re looking to book a suite as they go impossibly fast, but make sure you and your group have some flexibility surrounding the dates.
*Another thing to note about the dates of the Play-In Tournament is that they often start just two days after the regular season concludes. Some teams have their final game on April 13th and Game 1 of the Play-In Tournament is Tuesday, April 15, 2025. This is for both the Eastern and Western conference teams.