When Does the First Round of the NBA Playoffs Start?

The first round of the NBA playoffs is set to begin on April 15th.
Some of the must-see match-ups include the Golden State Warriors vs. the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Indiana Pacers.

Introduction

The first round of the NBA playoffs starts on Saturday, April 15. The top eight teams in each conference (Eastern and Western) will compete in a best-of-seven series. The higher-seeded team will host games one, two, five and seven (if necessary), while the lower-seeded team will host games three, four and six (if necessary).

Here is the schedule for the first round of the NBA playoffs:

(All times Eastern)

Saturday, April 15

Game 1: No. 8 Orlando Magic at No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks, 3 p.m., ESPN
Game 1: No. 7 Brooklyn Nets at No. 2 Toronto Raptors, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
Game 1: No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3 Boston Celtics, 8 p.m., ESPN
Game 1: No. 5 Indiana Pacers at No. 4 Miami Heat, 10:30 p.m., ESPN2

Sunday, April 16

Game 2: No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers at No. 1 Golden State Warriors, 3 p.m., ABC
Game 2: No. 7 San Antonio Spurs at No. 2 Denver Nuggets, 5:30 p.m., TNT

What is the NBA?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is made up of 30 teams, 29 from the United States and 1 from Canada. Each team plays 82 games in the regular season. The regular season starts in October and ends in April. The playoffs start in April and end in June.

When does the first round of the NBA playoffs start?

The first round of the NBA playoffs starts on April 14, 2019 and will end on April 28, 2019.

Who makes it to the playoffs?

In order to make it to the NBA playoffs, a team must have one of the best records in their conference. The conference is divided into two divisions, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each division has three sections, and each section has five teams. The teams with the best records in each division make it to the playoffs.

The first round of the NBA playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The team with the better record gets home-court advantage, meaning they get to play four of the seven games at home. The first team to win four games moves on to the next round.

What is the playoff format?

The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The team with the better regular-season record earns home-court advantage, meaning four of the seven games will be played at that team’s arena. The first two games and, if necessary, the fifth and seventh games are played on consecutive nights. Games 3 and 4, as well as Games 6, are played on two days’ rest.

In the second round, the winners of each conference semifinal series advance to face each other in the Conference Finals. The Conference Finals are also best-of-seven series with home court determined by regular season record.

The winners of each Conference Finals series advance to play in the NBA Finals, which is also a best-of-seven series with home court determined by regular season record.

How long does the first round last?

The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series.There are four rounds in total in the playoffs. The first three rounds are best-of-seven series while the Finals is a best-of-seven series.

What happens if there is a tie?

If two teams are tied in the standings, a series of head-to-head tiebreakers are used to determine who will advance to the playoffs. The tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

1. Head-to-head record
2. Divisional record
3. Record against playoff teams in own conference
4. Record against entire conference

If there is still a tie after applying the first four tiebreakers, a coin flip will decide who advances to the playoffs.

Who has the home court advantage?

The playoff format changed slightly this year, so the first round of the playoffs will now be played between April 13-28. The higher seed will have home court advantage in each series.

How many teams make it to the second round?

The playoffs begin April 15 and conclude in early June. The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors are currently the top seed in the Western Conference with a record of 57-21. The Warriors are followed by the Denver Nuggets (53-25), Portland Trail Blazers (53-26), Houston Rockets (53-29), Oklahoma City Thunder (50-31), Utah Jazz (50-31) and the San Antonio Spurs (48-34).

Conclusion

The first round of the NBA playoffs starts on Saturday, April 15th.