How the Playoffs Work
As the winter season progresses, the NBA – or National Basketball Association – gets closer and closer to playoff season. The playoff season is the first round of elimination in the NBA season. The top 8 teams in the eastern and western conferences make it to the playoffs. The rest of the teams are out and will not get a chance to win the finals. Once the playoffs have begun, each team will be matched up to another team and they will compete in a 7 game series. The winner will advance and the loser will be out. This will continue until there is only 2 teams left. Then, the finals begin. The playoffs are expected to start on April 19 2025.
Top 16 Teams in the N.B.A Currently
East Coast:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Boston Celtics
3. New York Knicks
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Detroit Pistons
7. Orlando Magic
8. Miami Heat
West Coast:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Memphis Grizzles
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Houston Rockets
6. LA Clippers
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Dallas Mavericks
NBA Finals Predictions
While the NBA Finals is still quite some time away, there have been some teams that have shown that they could make it all the way. The top two teams in the East and the West are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. These teams are the most likely to make it to the finals. But, the Los Angeles Lakers have jumped up the rankings due to a recent trade. The Lakers traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Dončić. Even though the Boston Celtics have shown a decrease in their games won, many people believe they can still win the NBA Championship.
Works Cited
Fox.com. www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/nba-playoff-picture-bracket.
Fox.com. www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/2024-25-nba-finals-odds-team-futures.
NBA.Com. www.nba.com/standings?GroupBy=conf&Section=ab. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Sports Illustrated. www.si.com/nba/how-many-teams-make-the-nba-playoffs-a-look-at-the-past-present-of-playoff-expansion#:~:text=Now%2016%20teams%20would%20make,2%2D3%2D2%20format.
