How Many Games Does it Take to Win an NBA Championship?
Contents
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to win an NBA championship. But how many games does it actually take? We break it down for you.
Introduction
It takes 4 wins to take an NBA championship. In a best of 7 series, the team with the better record must win 4 games before the other team wins 3 games. If the teams are tied after 7 games, then they play an extra game until one team has 4 wins.
The Data
In order to win an NBA championship, a team must first qualify for the playoffs. There are a total of 16 teams that make the playoffs, 8 from each conference. The team that wins the championship is the team that wins 4 best-of-seven series in the playoffs. So, how many games does it take to win an NBA championship?
The Regular Season
The regular season is when each team plays 82 games. These games are spread out over six months, from October to April. The games are played against teams in the same conference, in order to make the playoffs fair. The top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs.
The Playoffs
The NBA Playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament annually held after the conclusion of the regular season. The playoffs are contested by the top eight teams in each conference (Western and Eastern), who compete in four rounds,or series. Each series is a best-of-seven format. So far, 11 teams have swept their way through the first three rounds, with all of them winning the NBA Finals.
The Analysis
It takes a lot of skill, dedication, and hard work to win an NBA championship. But how many games does it actually take? We looked at the data to find out.
The Regular Season
The regular season is when every team plays 82 games. This is when they play every other team in the league. This is also when they try to get the best record so they can have a higher seed in the playoffs.
The Playoffs
In order to make it to the playoffs, a team must first win their divisional title, or else have one of the best records in the conference (but not good enough to win their division). The playoff format is a best-of-seven series. The team that has the better regular season record earns home court advantage, meaning they get to play four of the seven games at home.
The first two rounds of the playoffs are played within the conference. The higher seed plays the lower seed in each matchup. For example, in 2018, the first round matchups were as follows:
-Golden State Warriors (1) vs. San Antonio Spurs (8)
-Houston Rockets (2) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7)
-Portland Trail Blazers (3) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (6)
-Oklahoma City Thunder (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5)
The winners of each series advance to the next round, where they play each other. So, in 2018, the Golden State Warriors played the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers played the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it takes 16 wins to win an NBA Championship. 8 wins are needed to make it out of the first round, 4 wins are needed to make it out of the second round, and 4 wins are needed to make it to the Finals. The Finals is a best of 7 series. So, in order to win an NBA Championship, you must win 4 rounds, which equals 16 games.
