At the conclusion of the regular season, the top six teams from both conferences automatically qualify for the playoffs in the NBA. Since 2023, the play-in tournament has been used to determine the final two playoff spots. The franchises ranked 7th through 10th in each conference take part in a mini-tournament, with the 7th and 8th seeds and the playoff qualification that goes with it on the line. In total, 16 of the 30 teams take part in the postseason.
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How Many Teams Qualify for Playoffs in NBA 2024?
Thanks to the addition of the play-in tournament, a total of 20 teams take part in post-season festivities before 16 teams qualify for the conventional playoffs. A total of 16 teams have made the playoffs every season since 1984, when the NBA switched from a 12-team playoff format. Prior to that, the NBA playoffs featured as few as six champion hopefuls, and the current total of 16 teams in the playoffs and 20 teams, including the play-in tournament, are the most in league history.
How Many Teams from Each Conference Make it to the NBA Playoffs?
The NBA is split into the Eastern and Western Conference, with the two conference champions squaring off in the NBA Finals. A total of eight teams from each conference make the NBA playoffs, and they have to emerge from their conference for a chance to compete in the Finals. This requires winning three straight 7-game series against your intra-conference opposition. This number has remained consistent since the 1984 season, but the playoff landscape has changed significantly. It was much easier to qualify for the playoffs in 1984, as only seven teams missed the playoffs league wide compared to the 14 teams that sit out the final stages of the season today.
How Are NBA Playoff Series Structured?
The NBA Playoff series are structured in a standard best-of-7 format, with home-court advantage going to the higher-seeded team from the regular season. The series begins with a pair of home games for the higher-seed team, with the hope of grabbing a crucial 2-0 lead in the series. When the higher-seeded team uses their home-court advantage to take a critical lead, they win the series a whopping 92.7% of the time. They then go on the road for games 3 and 4 before hosting game 5 and 7 from the comfort of their home-court. Considering the higher seed team is often the stronger franchise, and they get an extra home game if necessary, it’s no surprise that the home team has won a staggering 65% of NBA playoff games in the last 40 years.
After the first round, how many teams that are still in the NBA playoffs are cut in half, with just 8 quarter finalists remaining? The remaining competitors are reseeded from top to bottom, with the top and bottom seeds squaring off, while the two middle seeds make up the other conference semi-final. The format of home and road games remains the same, with the top seed getting Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 at home. While the top seeds often win the opening rounds, the league has seen their fair share of low seeds make deep playoff runs. The Miami Heat famously made the Finals in 2023 as the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, taking down the 1st, 2nd, and 5th seed before eventually falling to the Denver Nuggets in the Finals.
Franchises have to win four straight best-of-7 series to lift the NBA championship, with the first three coming in their own conference, before taking on the other conference champion in the Finals.
Which Teams Make it to the NBA Playoffs?
As the season winds down, the playoff picture and bracket will become much clearer. The top 6 teams will qualify for the NBA playoffs from each conference, with 7th through 10th battling it out for the remaining two spots. As of now, the league-leading Boston Celtics are the only team to clinch their playoff spot, but that elite club will soon be filled with playoff hopefuls as the weeks wind down to the April 14th season finale. The question of how many teams are in the NBA playoffs 2024 will soon be answered, and the crucial jockeying in the standings will go a long way in determining the playoff path for the championship hopefuls.
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