How Many Games Until the NBA Playoffs?

The answer may surprise you.

The NBA regular season is 82 games long. That seems like a lot, but it really isn’t when you think about how many teams make the playoffs.

Only 16 teams make the playoffs in the NBA. That means that out of 30 teams, 14 teams don’t make the postseason.

So, how many games does it take until the playoffs? The answer may surprise you.

Introduction

It’s that time of year again. The NBA season is in full swing and the race for the playoffs is heating up. Every team is fighting for a spot, and every fan is wondering how many games their team has to win to make it in.

The answer, of course, depends on a lot of factors. But we’ve put together a helpful guide that will give you a good idea of how many games your team needs to win to make the playoffs.

The NBA’s playoff format

The NBA’s playoff format is a single-elimination tournament. The eight best teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs. The conference quarterfinals are best-of-five series; all other rounds are best-of-seven series. The conference finals and NBA Finals are played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on their home court for games 1, 2, 5 and 7), meaning that one team will have homecourt advantage in the series.

How many games until the playoffs?

The answer to this question largely depends on the conference in which your team plays.

In the Eastern Conference, the top eight teams with the best record make the playoffs regardless of divisional affiliation. As of March 1st, 2018, the Boston Celtics have the best record in the conference at 42-17. The eighth and final playoff spot is currently occupied by the Miami Heat, who are just barely holding on with a record of 30-29.

In the Western Conference, things are a little different. The top eight teams still make the playoffs, but divisions matter when it comes to seeding. The team with the best record in each division is guaranteed a top-four seed and homecourt advantage in the first round of playoffs. As of March 1st, 2018, the Houston Rockets have the best record in the conference at 43-13. They occupy first place in the Southwest Division. The eighth and final playoff spot is currently occupied by the New Orleans Pelicans, who are also just barely holding on with a record of 30-28.

So there you have it! How many games until the NBA playoffs? It all depends on which conference your team plays in and how they’re faring so far this season.

What if the playoffs started today?

The NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among the sixteen teams that qualified for the playoffs by having one of the top sixteen records in the NBA regular season. The tournament concludes with the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, four rounds of best-of-seven series.

If the playoffs started today, which eight teams would qualify? As of March 1st, 2020, these are the standings:

Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks (49-8)
2. Toronto Raptors (43-14)
3. Boston Celtics (41-16)
4. Miami Heat (37-20)
5. Indiana Pacers (37-21)
6. Philadelphia 76ers (36-21)
7. Brooklyn Nets (30-28)
8. Orlando Magic (29-29)

Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers (46-10)
2. Los Angeles Clippers (43-19)

Conclusion

As the regular season comes to a close, we can now begin to look at how many games each team will need to win in order to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

In the Eastern Conference, the race for the final playoff spot is still tight, with two teams currently tied for the eighth and final position.

The Indiana Pacers currently hold the tiebreaker over the Miami Heat, meaning that they would need to win one more game than the Heat in order to clinch a playoff berth.

The West is all but decided, with only two teams still in contention for the final spot. The New Orleans Pelicans currently hold a half-game lead over the Sacramento Kings, meaning that they would need to win one more game than the Kings in order to clinch a playoff berth.

With only a few games remaining in the regular season, it is still anyone’s guess as to who will ultimately make it into the playoffs. Stay tuned!