When Do the NBA Playoffs Start?

The NBA regular season is entering its second half after an exciting All-Star Game where it was actually illegal to play any defense. It will soon be knockout time — a magical place where people fall asleep on their couches and awake to find a Charmed rerun already in progress. Below is a primer on the NBA playoffs, which have expanded and changed timelines over the years, but always deliver the same great action.

What follows is a breakdown concerning everything you need to know about the start of the NBA postseason.

When Do the NBA Playoffs Start?

The NBA postseason will get underway with the play-in tournament from April 16-19. The final 16 teams will begin their series on April 20 and those will continue until the NBA Finals begin on June 6.

Have the Playoffs Always Started in April?

No. If you go back to the 1950s and 1960s, the playoffs routinely started in March. The first year the NBA playoffs began in April was 1975.

How Many Games Are in a Playoff Series?

Since 2020, two teams from each conference, seeded No. 9 and No. 10, have played a single-elimination game. The winner of that plays the loser of the single-elimination contest between the No. 7 and No. 8-seeded team in a do-or-die game for the right to play the No. 1 seed. All series from that point forward are best-of-seven.

When Did the NBA Switch to Best-of-7 Series? 

The NBA has used a best-of-seven in the Finals since 1947. Before 1984 and the expansion to 16 playoff teams, the league used best-of-three and best-of-five series before the championship. From 1984 to 2002, the first round of the playoffs was best-of-five as well. In 2003, the NBA made all playoff series best-of-sevens.

What is the NBA Play-In Tournament?

As mentioned above, the NBA Play-In Tournament was introduced in 2020. It features the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th-seeded teams. The 9 and 10 seeds playing a single-elimination game after the conclusion of the regular season. The 7 and 8 seeds play a win-and-in game, in which the winner will cement their place in a first-round, seven-game series against the No. 2 seed in their conference. The loser of that game will play the winner of the 9-10 matchup in a do-or-die situation; the winner will earn a spot in the first round against the No. 1 seed in their conference.

In short: at the end of the season, the teams who finished 7th-10th in the standings all have to play and win games in order to qualify for the postseason.

That's just about all you need to know about the 2024 NBA playoffs as the regular season comes to a close.