How Many NBA Playoff Games Are There?

The NBA Playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament annually held after the NBA’s regular season to determine the league’s champion.

NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament annually held after the NBA’s regular season to determine the league’s champion.

How many teams make the playoffs?

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, which follows the conclusion of the NBA regular season. Typically, sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs each year: eight teams from each of the league’s two conferences, based on regular season records. These teams compete in a seeded playoff bracket; since 2017, the NBA has used a format in which eight lower-seeded teams face off against one another in the First Round for the right to compete against one of the league’s top eight seeds in each conference in the Second Round.

What is the playoff format?

The NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament annually held after the conclusion of the NBA regular season. Participants include the top eight teams in each of the league’s two conferences, regardless of divisional alignment. Seeds are awarded in strict order of regular season record (with a tiebreaker system used as needed).

At the beginning of each round, the top remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (if necessary), while the lower seed hosts Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary); both seeds receive two home games executive vice president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said in 2005.

NBA Finals

In the NBA, the playoff format currently consists of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The four teams with the best records in each conference qualify for the playoffs. The team seeded first in each conference plays the team seeded last, while the two remaining first-place teams play each other.

How many teams make the finals?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series of the NBA and the conclusion of the NBA’s postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (formerly Division Finals before 1970), except in 1950 when the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions.

The Eastern Conference has 37 league titles, while the Western Conference has 31. The Boston Celtics hold the record for the most victories, having won 21 times; they also hold the record for having appeared in the most Finals, having made 27 appearances. The Los Angeles Lakers have appeared in 31 Finals, winning 16 times.

What is the finals format?

In the NBA Finals, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the NBA champion.

The first two games of the series are played at the home arena of each conference’s top seed, while the remaining games are played at a neutral site. The NBA Finals were originally organized into a 2-2-1-1-1 format (the team with the better record would play two consecutive games at home, then two more on the road, then three consecutive games alternating home and away), which was used from 1947 through 1952. From 1953 through 1957, the Finals used a 1-1-1-1-1 format in which one team would receive a conventional 2–2–1 home court advantage; however, if one team swept all four middle games while the other won just one of them (as happened in 1954 and 1957), that team would automatically win the series 4–0 without having to play a seventh game. Home court advantage was again granted to each conference champion from 1958 through 1970 regardless of record; however, no matter which team won Game 7 in case of a tied series (as happened in 1962), that same team would automatically receive home court advantage for any subsequent tiebreaker playoff series played that same year (such as for divisional titles).

From 1971 through 1974, when both conferences had eight teams instead of seven (adding Kansas City–Omaha and Buffalo), playoff seedings were fixed: seed #1 played seed #8 in one semifinal, while seed #2 played seed #7 in the other; then seeds #3 and #4 faced off in one semifinal and seeds #5 and #6 did likewise in another. This created some unusual matchups: for example, when Cleveland finished with the league’s best record during this period they could end up playing either Seattle or Portland — teams with winning percentages over 20 games lower than their own — depending on whether Buffalo or Kansas City–Omaha placed ahead of Seattle or Portland among West Division teams with losing records (which also determined match ups for first round playoff games).

In 1975 when Golden State moved from San Francisco to Oakland midway through the season (joining Seattle who moved from Tacoma earlier that same year) there were nine teams in each conference; as a result both conferences were realigned into three divisions each. This created some additional oddities: it meant that if either Los Angeles or San Diego finished with the league’s best record they could possibly end up playing Golden State or Portland — two third place teams — depending on how those four teams finished among West Division teams with losing records (again determining match ups for first round playoff games). Also during this period if either Chicago or Milwaukee finished with better record than both Philadelphia and New York they could end up playing Atlanta or Detroit — two second place teams — depending on how those four teams standing compared to Central Division foes Indiana and Cleveland who also had losing records that season. Playoff bracketing was further tweaked several times before settling into its present day configuration beginning with 1980 playoffs:When there are an odd number of teams in each conference there can be some byes given out before each conference’s first round starts; currently this occurs only when there is an odd number 5 of division winners plus any other non division winner(s) who have clinched one of conference’s final playoff berths by having better winning percentages than all remaining conference non division winner(s). After all first round necessary byes have been given out as needed then matchup for first round between lowest remaining seeds is determined followed by next lowest remaining seeds etc until all opening round matchups have been set.