The NBA playoffs are arguably the most exciting basketball games to watch in the world. A total of 20 teams compete in a seven-game series in hopes of making it to the finals to win a championship. An NBA championship is the most important and respected accolade a player can win.
To begin the playoffs, the league starts with the play-in tournament. The play-in tournament consists of the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth seeds competing for a spot to play in the actual playoffs. The play-in tournament is a fairly new concept that has only been running for a few years so far. The tournament makes the players work extra hard in hopes of winning and earning a spot in the playoffs. Fans seem to love this new implementation and tune in to the games.
In the East and West, the seventh and eighth seeds play each other, as well as the ninth and tenth seed playing each other. The seventh and eighth seed winner automatically earns their spot in the playoffs facing the second seed in the first round. They only have to win one game because of them being the higher seeds out of the group. The ninth and tenth seeds then play each other and face the loser of the seventh and eighth seeds. The winner of that game will then play the number one seed in the playoffs. Overall, the play-in tournament is very competitive and a great addition to the NBA.
In the Eastern Conference, there are six solidified teams to make the playoffs as of right now. Those teams are The Cleveland Cavaliers in the one seed, The Boston Celtics, who are also the previous champion,s in the second seed, The New York Knicks in third seed, Indiana Pacers in the fourth seed, The Detroit Pistons in the fifth seed and lastly the Milwaukee Bucks in the sixth seed. This is a very competitive conference, and there are some surprises that fans are noticing in the seeding. Everyone thought the reigning champions would be the first seed again, although the Cleveland Cavaliers are ahead by four wins. Another surprise is the Detroit Pistons. They went from having the worst record in the NBA to becoming the fifth seed and completely flipping the culture around.
In the Western Conference, there are another six teams guaranteed to make the playoffs as of right now. In the first seed is the Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by the Houston Rockets in the second seed. The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets are the third and fourth seeds, followed by the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves in the fifth and sixth seeds. The Oklahoma City Thunder is a very talented young team, the average age is around 24 years old. A surprising placing in this conference is the Houston Rockets. They are also a younger team who are thriving by securing young stars to lead the way for them. They surprisingly made it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.
Overall, this year’s playoff runs are going to be very exciting to watch as a fan and fun as a player. Both conferences are fairly evenly matched, and the competition is at a peak in the NBA currently.
