The 2024 NBA playoffs will officially start on Saturday with four games on the schedule. But before diving into the postseason, let’s look at some of the questions that might be bugging some basketball fans.
How many games will there be in this year’s playoffs?
First and foremost, the NBA Play-In Tournament does not count for the postseason. The only thing that would count from the tournament is the four teams who will make it to the playoffs as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each conference.
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The minimum number of playoff games in the 2024 NBA playoffs is 60. It can only happen when all 15 postseason series from the first round to the NBA Finals all end in sweeps. It has never happened before, so fans will watch more than 60 games this year.
As for the maximum number of games this postseason, it’s 105 and it will only occur if all 15 playoff matchups go to distance and reach Game 7. Just like the minimum, 105 games played in a postseason has never occurred in history.
Which East teams are in the 2024 NBA playoffs?
The Boston Celtics earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after a dominant display this season. They will face either the Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
The New York Knicks clinched the second spot in the East on the final day of the regular season. The Milwaukee Bucks dropped to the third spot after struggling for a couple of weeks to end the campaign. The Knicks are set to battle the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers, while the Bucks will get the No. 6 Indiana Pacers.
In the No. 4 spot are the Cleveland Cavaliers and they are matched up against the upstart Orlando Magic who finished fifth. The Magic made the postseason for the first time since 2020, but they have not won a series since 2020 conference semifinals.
Which West teams are in the 2024 NBA playoffs?
It took the final day of the regular season to determine the top six spots in the West. The OKC Thunder clinched the No. 1 spot and will face the winner of the New Orleans Pelicans-Sacramento Kings play-in matchup.
The Denver Nuggets’ quest to win back-to-back championships starts against the No. 7 LA Lakers. The two met in the conference final last year, but the Nuggets swept them in four highly contested games.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a date with the Phoenix Suns. The Timberwolves might have the higher seed and the homecourt advantage, but the Suns are the favorite to win the series.
And finally, the LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are set to face each other again in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in five seasons. The Mavs lost both series, but Luka Doncic now has Kyrie Irving on his side.
Edited by Juan Paolo David
