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How many teams make the NBA playoffs each year and what are the criteria for making it to the playoffs?
Ciku Njuguna
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:24 PM
Annually, the National Basketball Association organizes a post-season tournament with the sole aim of unveiling its champion. Rounds of elimination bring together eight squads for the ultimate basketball showdown. Dig in here to learn more about how the playoffs work and how many teams make the NBA playoffs.
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How do NBA teams qualify for playoffs? This article will dive deep into the criteria guiding each round of elimination between teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences. Stick around to find out more about what to expect for the NBA playoffs in 2023.
How many teams make the NBA playoffs from each Conference?
Out of the 30 squads playing in the league, 16 will face off in the NBA playoffs. Six squads from each Conference gain direct entry to the playoffs while an additional two advance from the play-in tournaments.
How many teams make the NBA playoffs in each division?
Recent changes to playoff regulations denied Division winners a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. Depending on their win-loss stats, squads from each division have a chance to appear in the top eight from each conference. However, Division winners feature in the guidelines as the second tiebreaker after using head-to-head stats.
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How do the teams make it to the NBA playoffs?
First, squads in each Conference are categorized by their win-loss records. Six squads with the highest records are then ranked into seeds (1-6). Ties between squads with the same win-loss records are broken using their head-to-head stats followed by whether the team leads in its division.
The first six teams from each conference earn direct spots in the tournaments. However, the seventh to tenth seeds enter the play-in tournament for chances to participate in the games.
What seeds play each other in the NBA play-in tournament?
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There are three games in the NBA play-in tournament. In Game 1, the seventh and eighth seeds (7/8) play against each other. The winner of the Game I play-in tournament automatically joins the playoffs as the seventh seed.
In Game 2 of the tournament, the ninth and tenth seeds (9/10) face off, and the winner enters Game 3 of the tournament. However, the loser gets eliminated from the tournament and enters the NBA draft lottery.
In Game 3, the winner of the ninth and tenth seed (9/10) play-in match plays against the loser of the seventh and eighth seed (7/8) match. The winner of the match is guaranteed a spot in the playoffs as its eighth seed while the loser enters the draft lottery.
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How many teams can make the NBA playoffs?
In total, eight teams from the Eastern and Western conferences advance to the tournaments where four rounds are played. This makes 16 squads that first compete at the conference level before reaching the finals. Before the end of the tournament, each team plays in seven basketball matches.
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How does NBA playoff seeding work?
In each conference, the squad with the highest win-loss record occupies the number one seed. The sequence follows in the same way for all eight teams. This creates a playoff bracket that guides the tournament matches.
What is the NBA playoff format? Here is a summary of squad matchups for the first round of basketball matches in each conference.
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Squad | Squad | |
Number 1 seed | vs | Number 8 seed |
Number 2 seed | vs | Number 7 seed |
Number 3 seed | vs | Number 6 seed |
Number 4 seed | vs | Number 5 seed |
Following the first round, here is how the NBA semifinal bracket works. Have a look at the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals bracket.
Squad | Squad | |
Winner of 1/8 | vs | Winner of 2/7 |
Winner of 3/6 | vs | Winner of 4/5 |
How many teams are in the NBA Finals? Two winners of the semifinals enter the conference finals before advancing to the finals. In the finals, the Eastern Conference champions clash in the ultimate basketball match against the Western Conference champion.
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How many teams make the NBA playoffs this year?
16 participating teams are expected to meet at the playoffs in 2023, however, the teams have not been officially determined. According to the league's official statement, the playoff schedule and brackets will be announced on the 14th of April 2023 on the league's schedule website. Here are predictions for teams likely to appear on the NBA playoff bracket in 2023.
Seed | Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
1 | Boston Celtics | Denver Nuggets |
2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Memphis Grizzlies |
3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Sacramento Kings |
4 | Brooklyn Nets | Los Angeles Clippers |
5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors |
6 | Miami Heat | Dallas Mavericks |
7 | Play-in winner | Play-in winner |
8 | Play-in winner | Play-in winner |
It is easy for fans to know how many teams make the NBA playoffs each year given the well-known brackets format. However, fans will have to wait a little longer to find out which teams will appear in the 2023 playoff tournaments.
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READ ALSO: NBA Western Conference divisions and the teams in each division
Sportsbrief recently published an article listing all the teams in the NBA's Western Conference divisions. The article goes further to discuss the history of the conference, its squads, records, and achievements.
Click on the link above to discover more about the Western Conference standings in 2023.
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