By The NBA (National Basketball Association is one of the major leagues in North America. Established in 1946, the NBA consists of a total number of 30 teams from different states in the USA and Canada. During the regular season of the NBA, which typically runs from October to April, each team plays 82 games. At the end of each season, the highest-ranking teams from each conference qualify for theĀ NBA playoffs to compete for the championship title. Now the question arises: how many teams make the NBA Playoffs that we are going to discuss further in the article.Ā
Since its establishment, there have been major changes in the structure and the format of the NBA playoffs. For example, changes in the number of qualifying teams, adjustments to the playoff bracket format, and the introduction of the play-in tournament. Moreover, for deciding how many teams make the NBA Playoffs 2023, the three-point tracker system is introduced. It is spectrum software that will track the moment of each player in real time.Ā
How Many Teams Make The NBA Playoffs? Structure SimplifiedĀ
A total of 16 teams participate in the NBA playoffs every season, with eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference. Throughout the regular season, i.e., from October to April, teams within each conference are ranked based on their overall win-loss ratio. The top six teams from each conference qualify for the NBA playoffs based on their respective ranks. A play-in tournament introduced in NBA Playoffs 2020 determines the remaining four playoff spots. This tournament is reserved for teams that finished seventh to tenth in the regular season of the NBA
This adjustment means that a total of 20 teams qualify for the postseason. Four of these get eliminated within the play-in tournament, and the remaining 16 advance to the NBA playoffs. This is the basic criteria followed to decide how many teams make the NBA Playoffs.
Format of NBA Playoffs
How many teams make the NBA Playoffs is decided at the end of each regular season, where the No. 7 seeds compete against the No. 8. Similarly, the No. 9 seed competes against the No. 10 in each conference. The 7 vs. 8 game winner secures the spot as the No. 7 playoff seed for their conference. However, the loser of this game still has an opportunity to advance to the playoffs.
Following the 7 vs. 8 matchups, the losing team faces off against the winner of the 9 vs. 10 game. The winning team earns No. 8 and the final seed in their conference.
However, the teams that finished 9th and 10th during the regular season must win two consecutive games to claim the 8th seed and qualify for the playoffs. Similarly, the teams in the seventh and eighth positions need to win just one game to gain a place in the NBA Playoffs.Ā
While a total of 16 teams advance to the NBA playoffs, the last four spots are decided through the play-in tournament system.
As per the NBA rules, how many teams make the NBA Playoffs is decided in 4 major roundsĀ
- First Round
- Conference Semi-final round
- Conference FinalsĀ
- NBA FinalsĀ
First RoundĀ
In the first round of playoffs, the top-ranked team plays with the last team on the table. The structure follows:Ā
- No. 1 vs No. 8
- No.2 vs No.7
- No.3 vs No.6
- No.4 vs No.5
Conference Semi-Finals RoundĀ
The four teams that win the best-of-seven series in each conference advance to the Conference Semifinals.
Conference Finals RoundĀ
At this stage, only two teams will remain in each conference. These two teams will play against each other in the Conference Finals round to earn a place in the NBA Finals.
NBA FinalsĀ
Now we know how many teams make the NBA playoffs. Here is the Final Showdown, where only one team from the Eastern Conference and one from the Western Conference will compete for the trophy. The team that achieves four wins first becomes the NBA Champion.Ā
The NBA Final 2024 started on Friday, 7 June 2024, and will be played till Sunday, 23 June 2024. You can watch the NBAĀ finals live on Jio TV IN India.Ā
NBA Playoffs 2024 ScheduleĀ
NBA Playoffs 2024Ā were played from April 20, 2024, to 5 May, 2024. However, the NBA Play-In tournament started on April 17 and ended on April 20. How many teams make the NBA Playoffs will be decided based on their performance during the Play-in tournament.Ā
The NBA Play-In tournament gives the seventh and eighth seed two chances to secure their place in the NBA Playoffs.Ā However, the ninth and tenth seed must win two consecutive games to qualify for the playoffs.Ā
If we look at the current NBA scenario, here are the rankings of the teams expected to qualify for the NBA Playoffs 2024. However, these rankings can change depending on how many teams make the NBA Playoffs at the end of the season.Ā
Eastern Conference Rankings
- Boston Celtics
- New York Knicks
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Miami Heat
- Chicago Bulls
- Atlanta Hawk
Eastern Conference Bracket
- Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat ( Celtics Won 4-1)
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic (Cavaliers Won 4-3)
- Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers ( Pacers WOn 4-2)
- New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers ( Nicks Won 4-2)
Western Conference Rankings
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Denver Nuggets
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- LA Clippers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Phoenix Suns
- Los Angeles Lakers
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Sacramento Kings
- Golden State Warriors
Western Conference BracketĀ
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix SunsĀ
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans
- LA Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets vsĀ Los Angeles Lakers
After the Playoffs and conference finals, the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics made the final cut and advanced to the NBA finals. After a hard-fought five games, the Boston Celtics were able to clinch the 2024 NBA championship. This is the Boston Celtics’ 18th NBA title, making it the team with the most NBA titles in the organization’s history. The last championship the Celtics won was in 2008, marking an end to a 16-year losing streak. Celticsā Jaylen Brown became the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.
