The 2024 NBA playoffs will 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 doesn’t 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.
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 end in sweeps. It has never happened before, so fans will likely watch more than 60 games this year.
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As for the maximum number of games this postseason, it’s 105, which will only occur if all 15 playoff matchups go the distance, i.e. reach Game 7. Just like the other extreme, 105 games played in a postseason has never occurred.
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 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 third after struggling for a couple of weeks to end the campaign. The Knicks 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, who go up against the upstart Orlando Magic, who finished fifth. The Magic made the postseason for the first time since 2020 but have not won a series since 2020, when they were the conference semifinalists.
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 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 homecourt advantage, but the Suns are the favorites.
Finally, the LA Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks 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 has Kyrie Irving on his side now.
Edited by Juan Paolo David
