Overview of the 2025 NBA Playoffs

The 2025 NBA Playoffs are still some time away, but it’s a perfect moment to examine what the playoff landscape looks like as of now.

Current Playoffs Structure

Seeds 7-10 are set to battle in the NBA Play-In Tournament for a chance to reach the first round of the playoffs. Here’s an outline of the playoff positioning if the season were to conclude today *:

Eastern Conference Seeding

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Boston Celtics
3. New York Knicks
4. Orlando Magic
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Miami Heat
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Atlanta Hawks
10. Chicago Bulls

Current Matchups

• (1) Cavaliers vs. (8) Winner of play-in
• (2) Celtics vs. (7) Winner of play-in
• (3) Knicks vs. (6) Bucks
• (4) Magic vs. (5) Pacers

Western Conference Seeding

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Houston Rockets
3. Memphis Grizzlies
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Los Angeles Clippers
7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. Minnesota Timberwolves
9. Sacramento Kings
10. Phoenix Suns

Upcoming Dates for the NBA Playoffs

• April 15-18: NBA Play-In Tournament (ESPN, TNT)
• April 19: First Round of NBA Playoffs start (ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV)
• May 5-6: Conference Semifinals begin (ABC, ESPN, TNT)
• May TBD: Conference Finals commence (ABC, ESPN, TNT)
• June 5: NBA Finals kickoff (ABC)

*As of January 14, 2025