What Time Does the NBA Playoffs Start Today?
While the teams in the NBA playoffs are set, the dates and times for the first games have not been finalized. Stay up to date on when your favorite team will take the court by checking out our NBA playoffs schedule.
The 2020 NBA Playoffs
The 2020 NBA Playoffs will begin on Saturday, August 15. The first round will be a best-of-seven series. The conference semifinals and conference finals will be best-of-seven series. The NBA Finals will be a best-of-seven series.
The Playoffs start on August 17th
The 2020 NBA Playoffs will begin on August 17th and will end no later than October 13th. The First Round, Second Round, Conference Finals, and NBA Finals will all take place in a “bubble” at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.
The seeding games will be played in Orlando, Florida
The 2020 NBA Playoffs will be the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 2019–20 season. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18. However, the league suspended the season on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 4, the league announced that the playoffs would begin on August 17 in a bubble environment at Walt Disney World, near Orlando, Florida.
The seeding games will be played from August 17 to 21, followed by the Conference First Round (play-in tournament and best-of-seven series) from August 22 to September 15. The Conference Semifinals will take place from September 17 to 28, and the Conference Finals will be held from September 30 to October 11. The 2020 NBA Finals will begin on October 13, with a potential Game 7 being played on October 21.
The Schedule
The first game of the 2020 NBA playoffs is today between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. The game is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM EST.
The first round will be a best-of-seven series
The first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs began on Monday, August 17. The first round will be a best-of-seven series. The second round will be a best-of-seven series. The conference finals will be a best-of-seven series. The NBA Finals will be a best-of-seven series.
The second round will be a best-of-seven series
The second round will be a best-of-seven series with the higher remaining seed in each matchup playing host for games one, two, five and seven. The lower remaining seed will host games three, four and six.
As was the case in the first round, if one team wins four games before the other team has won three, that team will win the series and advance to the next round. A similar scenario applies for teams that are tied 2-2: if one team wins game five, that squad advances.
The conference finals will be a best-of-seven series
After two rounds of best-of-seven series, the conference finals are here in the NBA playoffs.
The Eastern Conference final will be a rematch of last year’s series between the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors are the defending champions and they’ll have home-court advantage again this year.
In the Western Conference, it’ll be the Golden State Warriors taking on the Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors are looking to repeat as NBA champions, but they’ll have to get past a red-hot Portland team that’s coming off an upset of the Denver Nuggets in Round 2.
Here’s a look at the schedule for both conference finals series. All times listed are Eastern time.
Eastern Conference Finals:
Game 1 – Sun., May 12: Milwaukee at Toronto, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 – Tue., May 14: Milwaukee at Toronto, 8 p.m., ESPN
Game 3 – Fri., May 17: Toronto at Milwaukee, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Game 4 – Sat., May 18: Toronto at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
*Game 5 – Mon., May 20: Milwaukee at Toronto, 8 p.m., ESPN
*Game 6 – Wed., May 22: Toronto at Milwaukee, 8 p.m., ESPN
*Game 7 – Sat., May 25: Milwaukee at Toronto, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
The NBA Finals will be a best-of-seven series
The 2020 NBA Finals will be the championship series of the 2019–20 NBA playoffs and the conclusion of the 2020 NBA season. This will be the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s annual championship series, and will decide who will receive the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy.
The best-of-seven playoff was originally scheduled to begin on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, televised by ABC. However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the start of the playoffs were postponed indefinitely on March 12, 2020. The Finals were ultimately rescheduled to begin on September 30 and end no later than October 13.
The Format
The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament held after the NBA’s regular season to determine the league’s champion. The tournament brackets are made up of teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences.
The 2020 NBA Playoffs will follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format
The 2020 NBA Playoffs will follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning the higher seed will host games one, two, five and seven (if necessary), while the lower seed will host games three, four and six (if necessary).
The higher seed will host games 1, 2, 5, and 7 (if necessary)
The higher seed will host games 1, 2, 5, and 7 (if necessary). The format for the first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The team with the better record will have home-court advantage, meaning they will host games 1, 2, 5, and 7 (if necessary). The format for the conference semifinals and conference finals is also a best-of-seven series.
TV Info
On Saturday, August 15th the 2020 NBA Playoffs will start. The first game will be between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. This game will start at 3:00 pm EST and will be broadcasted on ESPN.
The 2020 NBA Playoffs will air on ESPN, TNT, and ABC
The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among the 16 teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences that qualified following the 82-game regular season. The playoffs are played from April 18 to June 17, 2020, with Game 1 of the Finals scheduled for June 4.
During the first round of the playoffs, dubbed the “First Four,” four low seeds will compete in two single-elimination games. The winners of those games will advance to play the top four seeds in each conference in the traditional best-of-seven series format.
Every round of the playoffs, except for the NBA Finals, is a 2–2–1–1–1 format. Home court advantage in any round does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team; instead, it goes to the team with a better regular season record.
For example, if Team A (the higher seed) finished the regular season with a 41–41 record and Team B (the lower seed) finished with a 40–42 record, Team B would have home court advantage because they had a better record. In another example, if both teams had identical records and split their regular season matchup series 2–2, Team A would have home court advantage because they earned it by having a better regular season record.
Live Stream Info
The 2020 NBA playoffs are finally here. After a long and grueling regular season, the best 16 teams in the league have advanced to the postseason. The first round of the playoffs will begin today, with four games on the schedule.
You can live stream the 2020 NBA Playoffs on the ESPN App, Watch TNT, and ABC App
The ESPN App, Watch TNT, and ABC App will all be live streaming the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The first game is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday, August 15th.
