NBA Playoffs: Format, Bracket & How It Works

The NBA Playoffs are the most exciting part of the basketball season, but the format isn’t always easy to follow if you’re new to the sport. From the play-in tournament to the NBA Finals, there are several stages that determine who lifts the championship.

Ladbrokes' full guide to the NBA Playoffs breaks down how teams qualify, how the bracket is formed, how seeding works and what to expect as the postseason gets underway. You can also explore the action further through Ladbrokes’ NBA betting hub, where the latest NBA futures odds are available, with the Oklahoma City Thunder currently favourites to retain their NBA title.

The NBA Playoffs are a postseason tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the league’s champion. A total of sixteen teams compete, with eight teams from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference.

Teams must first come through the regular season and the play-in tournament - more on that later - to secure their place in the playoffs. The postseason then follows a knockout format made up of best-of-seven series, with teams progressing through each round until the two conference champions meet in the NBA Finals.

The NBA is made up of thirty teams split into two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference contains fifteen teams, who compete throughout the regular season for playoff qualification and seeding.

While each conference is divided into three divisions, these do not determine playoff qualification, unlike in the NFL. Instead, teams are ranked based on their overall record, with the best-performing teams in each conference progressing towards the postseason. The two conferences remain separate throughout the playoffs until the NBA Finals, where the Eastern and Western champions meet.

Teams qualify for the NBA Playoffs based on their performance during the regular season. Each conference sends ten teams into postseason contention, with the top six teams automatically securing a playoff place.

Teams ranked 7th to 10th then enter the NBA Play-In Tournament, where they compete for the final two playoff spots in each conference. The 7th and 8th-seeded teams play each other for a direct playoff place, while 9th faces 10th in an eliminator, with the winner of that going on to face the loser of 7th vs 8th for the final playoff spot.

Once the play-in tournament is complete, the remaining eight teams in each conference advance to the NBA Playoffs, where they are seeded based on their regular season record.

The NBA Play-In Tournament is a mini knockout stage held before the playoffs to determine the final two playoff teams in each conference. Introduced in the 2020 season, it involves the teams that finish 7th to 10th in the regular season standings in each conference.

The 7th and 8th-placed teams face off, with the winner securing the 7th seed in the playoffs. The 9th and 10th-placed teams then play in an elimination game, with the loser knocked out.

The winner of that game goes on to face the loser of the 7th vs 8th matchup, with the final playoff place and 8th seed up for grabs.

NBA playoff seeding is based on a team’s regular season record within its conference. Once the play-in tournament is complete, the eight remaining teams in each conference are ranked from 1 to 8.

The team with the best record is given the No. 1 seed, with the remaining teams ordered accordingly down to the No. 8 seed. Seeding is important because it determines playoff matchups and home-court advantage.

Higher-seeded teams face lower-seeded teams in each round and host more games in a best-of-seven series. If teams finish with the same record, a series of tiebreakers is used to determine their final position, starting with head-to-head results and conference record.

The NBA Playoffs are played across four rounds, with each round decided by a best-of-seven series, meaning teams must win four games to progress.

Matchups are determined by seeding, with higher-seeded teams facing lower-seeded teams in each round. Each playoff series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format, with the higher-seeded team hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7.

Play-In Tournament

Western Conference

• Phoenix Suns (7) 110-114 Portland Trail Blazers (8)

• LA Clippers (9) vs Golden State Warriors (10)

• Phoenix Suns vs 9th/10th winner

Eastern Conference

• Philadelphia 76ers (7) vs Orlando Magic (8)

• Charlotte Hornets (9) 127-126 Miami Heat (10)

• 7th/8th loser vs Charlotte Hornets

First Round

The First Round features all eight seeded teams in each conference, with matchups as follows:

• Seed 1 vs Seed 8

• Seed 2 vs Seed 7

• Seed 3 vs Seed 6

• Seed 4 vs Seed 5

Western Conference first round

• Oklahoma City Thunder vs 8th seed

• San Antonio Spurs vs Portland Trail Blazers

• Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves

• LA Lakers vs Houston Rockets

Eastern Conference first round

• Detroit Pistons vs 8th seed

• Boston Celtics vs 7th seed

• New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks

• Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors

Conference Semi-Finals

The winners of the First Round progress to the Conference Semi-Finals, where teams continue to be matched based on seeding, with the highest remaining seed facing the lowest remaining seed.

Conference Finals

The two remaining teams in each conference meet in the Conference Finals, with the winners crowned Eastern and Western Conference champions.

NBA Finals

The Eastern and Western Conference champions meet in the NBA Finals to compete for the championship. The Finals are played as a best-of-seven series, with the team holding the better regular season record awarded home-court advantage.

• Make sure to check the seeding

• Watch for teams in strong form heading into the playoffs

• Lower seeds can be dangerous in a best-of-seven series

• Star players often decide playoff series

View the latest basketball odds here.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.