2025 NBA Playoffs: Schedule, teams, format & more

Explore everything you need to know about the 2025 NBA Playoffs including schedule, format, history and more.

2025 NBA Playoffs start date

The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday 19th April following the conclusion of the Play-In Tournament and end with the NBA Finals in June.

2025 NBA Playoffs teams

Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Boston Celtics
3. New York Knicks
4. Indiana Pacers
5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Detroit Pistons
7. Orlando Magic
8. Atlanta Hawks/Miami Heat

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Houston Rockets
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Memphis Grizzlies/Dallas Mavericks

2025 NBA Playoffs schedule

First round matches start on Saturday 19 April and will end on Sunday 4 May.

The Conference Semifinals will begin on 5-6 May but can be moved to 3-4 May, if the prior round is completed early.

After that is the Conference Finals which are set to commence on 20-21 May, though they can also be moved to 18-19 May if the previous round is completed early.

The NBA Finals will begin on Thursday 5 June.

NBA Finals schedule

Game 1: Thursday 5 June
Game 2: Sunday 8 June
Game 3: Wednesday 11 June
Game 4: Friday 13 June
Game 5 (if necessary): Monday 16 June
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday 19 June
Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday 22 June

NBA Playoffs format

After the 82-game regular season concludes and the Play-In tournament is completed, eight teams from each conference will battle it out for supremacy in the NBA Playoffs.

The first round matches are seeded and teams will face off in a best-of-seven series to advance.

All four rounds of the Playoffs are best-of-seven series but the teams are not reseeded after each round.

The team with the better regular season record will have home advantage, with each series played out in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning the team with the better regular season record will have one more home match if the series reaches Game 7.

In each conference, the winner of the No.1 seed v No.8 seed will play the winner of the No.4 seed and No.5 seed. The winner of the No.2 seed v No.7 seed will encounter the winner of the No.3 seed v No.6 seed.

The last two remaining teams in each conference will face off in the Conference Finals and the winners of those matches will meet in the NBA Finals.

NBA Playoffs history

Boston Celtics claimed their 18th title in 2024 to become the most successful team in NBA history.

The year prior, the Denver Nuggets defeated Miami Heat to win their first NBA title in franchise history last year.

Los Angeles Lakers are one behind the Celtics with 17 titles, while the Golden State Warriors have been the most dominant victory in the last decade, reaching the NBA Finals in six seasons and clinching the title in four of those.

As of 2024, there have been 41 Eastern Conference champions compared to 37 from the Western Conference.

Most NBA titles

	Titles	Finals appearances
Boston Celtics	18	23
Los Angeles Lakers	17	32
Golden State Warriors	7	12
Chicago Bulls	6	6
San Antonio Spurs	5	6
Philadelphia 76ers	3	9
Detroit Pistons	3	7
Miami Heat	3	7