NBA Playoffs Tickets

NBA Playoffs 2023

Featuring the best teams across the NBA, the NBA Playoffs are the ultimate proving ground for the best players in the league. Playing well in the playoffs can shape the legacy of any player, and can turn good teams into legendary teams.

The 2023 Play-In Tournament will take place April 11-14. The 2023 NBA Playoffs will then begin April 16. Conference semifinals begin May 1-2 and Conference Finals begin May 16-17. Game 1 of the NBA Finals will take place June 1.

NBA Playoffs Format

The first edition of the NBA Playoffs took place in 1946, and was originally an interesting way to crown a champion. Under the original playoff format, the winners of the Eastern and Western Divisions would square off in a best-of-seven series, with the winner advancing to a championship series against the winner of a four team bracket made up of the third through sixth placed teams in the league. In a way, it could be argued that being in spots three through six was more beneficial than being a division champion, as your road to the Finals featured less rigorous competition.

After a short period of time honoring that format, the NBA moved to a format closer to what they use in the present day. This updated format required teams to reach the NBA Finals by winning a division championship, with the best teams in the Eastern and Western divisions put into their own playoff brackets to determine two finalists.

Eventually, the NBA Playoffs were expanded to feature eight teams from the Eastern Conference and eight teams from the Western Conference, with each team needing to win three best-of-seven rounds to reach the NBA Finals. Once the Eastern and Western Conference champions have been crowned, they play in the best-of-seven NBA Finals for the right to be called NBA champions.

Where the NBA Playoffs take place depends on who qualifies for the playoffs in a given season. On top of that, the seeding of each team heading into the playoffs determines who has home court advantage on a series by series basis. Seedings are determined by regular season record, and the better a team's regular season record is, the higher that team is are seeded within its conference.

Best NBA Playoffs Moments

There have been no shortage of memorable individual performances during the history of the NBA Playoffs, along with plenty of games that will live forever in NBA history. When it comes to individual performances, it is hard to ignore the consistent greatness that Michael Jordan and LeBron James have brought to the table in their postseason careers. Jordan's ability to hit clutch shots, including his game winning jumpers over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz, live in league history. Meanwhile, James' prowess on both offense and defense have created plenty of all-time great moments of their own.

When it comes to amazing NBA Playoff series, the rivalries of the 1990s did a great job of creating drama that has lived long beyond their era. The New York Knicks found themselves in the middle of a number of those heated battles, engaging in epic series almost annually with the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers.

When are the NBA Playoffs and Finals?