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The 2022 NBA playoffs are around the corner, with the play-in tournament taking place April 12-15 before the playoffs begin April 16. There are now 20 teams eligible for postseason play with the introduction of the play-in tournament.
How many teams are in the NBA playoffs?
16 of the 20 teams make the playoffs. 12 of those 16 teams are confirmed ahead of the play-in tournament and are seeded 1-6 in each conference based on record. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, followed by a division winner tiebreaker. Even though division winners aren’t guaranteed a playoff spot, there’s some value in having that title. The No. 1 seed plays the No. 8 seed, 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6 and 4 plays 5. The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds are determined by the play-in tournament.
The winner of the 1-8 matchup plays the winner of the 4-5 matchup in the second round, while the winner of the 2-7 series plays the winner of the 3-6 series. The second round winners then move to the conference finals, and the conference winners meet in the 2022 NBA Finals, which begins June 2.