The 2025 NBA playoffs are set to begin this Saturday, promising fans an exciting postseason after an unforgettable regular season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, after a historically dominant season, secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Hot on their heels are the Boston Celtics, the reigning champions, seeded second and led by Jayson Tatum and the Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder are poised for a strong playoff run. They claimed the number one seed for the second consecutive season, spearheaded by MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The final Western Conference seedings were decided on the last day of the regular season, with the Minnesota Timberwolves securing the sixth seed and avoiding the play-in tournament.
Before these top seeds begin their playoff journeys, the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference will be determined in the play-in tournament, starting this Tuesday.
Following the conclusion of the play-in tournament on Friday, the sixteen-team NBA playoffs will commence on Saturday with four games, and another four games on April 20th. Eight teams from each conference will compete in best-of-seven series in the first round to advance. All playoff rounds are best-of-seven, and teams are not re-seeded after each round. The team with the better regular-season record in each series will have home-court advantage, hosting Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 (if needed) in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
Comprehensive coverage of the NBA playoffs will be provided through the 2025 NBA Finals, which begin on June 5th.
Eastern Conference First Round Matchups
TBD
Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. TBD (8)
Game 1: Play-in winner at Cleveland
Game 2: Play-in winner at Cleveland
Game 3: Cleveland at play-in winner
Game 4: Cleveland at play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Cleveland
Game 6 (if necessary): Cleveland at play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Cleveland
TBD
Boston Celtics (2) vs. TBD (7)
Game 1: Play-in winner at Boston
Game 2: Play-in winner at Boston
Game 3: Boston at play-in winner
Game 4: Boston at play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Boston
Game 6 (if necessary): Boston at play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Boston
New York Knicks (3) vs. Detroit Pistons (6)
Game 1: Detroit at New York
Game 2: Detroit at New York
Game 3: New York at Detroit
Game 4: New York at Detroit
Game 5 (if necessary): Detroit at New York
Game 6 (if necessary): New York at Detroit
Game 7 (if necessary): Detroit at New York
Indiana Pacers (4) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (5)
Game 1: Milwaukee at Indiana
Game 2: Milwaukee at Indiana
Game 3: Indiana at Milwaukee
Game 4: Indiana at Milwaukee
Game 5 (if necessary): Milwaukee at Indiana
Game 6 (if necessary): Indiana at Milwaukee
Game 7 (if necessary): Milwaukee at Indiana
Western Conference First Round Matchups
TBD
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. TBD (8)
Game 1: Play-in winner at Oklahoma
Game 2: Play-in winner at Cleveland
Game 3: Oklahoma at play-in winner
Game 4: Oklahoma at play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Oklahoma
Game 6 (if necessary): Oklahoma at play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Oklahoma
TBD
Houston Rockets (2) vs. TBD (7)
Game 1: Play-in winner at Houston
Game 2: Play-in winner at Houston
Game 3: Houston at play-in winner
Game 4: Houston at play-in winner
Game 5 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Houston
Game 6 (if necessary): Houston at play-in winner
Game 7 (if necessary): Play-in winner at Houston
Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
Game 1: Timberwolves at Lakers
Game 2: Timberwolves at Lakers
Game 3: Lakers at Timberwolves
Game 4: Lakers at Timberwolves
Game 5 (if necessary): Timberwolves at Lakers
Game 6 (if necessary): Lakers at Timberwolves
Game 7 (if necessary): Timberwolves at Lakers
Denver Nuggets (4) vs. LA Clippers (5)
Game 1: Clippers at Nuggets
Game 2: Clippers at Nuggets
Game 3: Nuggets at Clippers
Game 4: Nuggets at Clippers
Game 5 (if necessary): Clippers at Nuggets
Game 6 (if necessary): Nuggets at Clippers
Game 7 (if necessary): Clippers at Nuggets
