2026 NBA playoffs

The NBA playoffs are more than just a tournament; they're the thrilling culmination of an entire season, where 16 teams battle it out for the coveted Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. The 2026 edition promises unprecedented excitement, not only on the court but also off it, with new media deals transforming how fans experience every dunk and buzzer-beater. Get ready for a postseason where legends are made and dreams are realized, all under the bright lights of a freshly broadcasted era. A revamped media landscape, featuring new broadcast partners and streaming options, will dramatically change how fans watch the 2026 NBA playoffs. The innovative play-in tournament adds an intense, high-stakes layer of competition, giving more teams a shot at making the final playoff bracket. From enduring dynasties to surprising contenders, the 2026 playoffs will showcase a dynamic mix of established powerhouses and emergent talents vying for ultimate glory.

Source: Wikipedia

AI Summary

A revamped media landscape, featuring new broadcast partners and streaming options, will dramatically change how fans watch the 2026 NBA playoffs.
The innovative play-in tournament adds an intense, high-stakes layer of competition, giving more teams a shot at making the final playoff bracket.
From enduring dynasties to surprising contenders, the 2026 playoffs will showcase a dynamic mix of established powerhouses and emergent talents vying for ultimate glory.

The Road to the Championship

The 2026 NBA playoffs mark the grand finale of the National Basketball Association's 2025–26 season. Starting on April 18th, this postseason tournament will unfold over several weeks, culminating in the 2026 NBA Finals—where only one team will hoist the championship trophy.

The Path to Playoff Glory

Each conference sends eight teams into the playoff bracket. The top six teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences earn direct qualification, with their seeding determined by their regular season winning percentage. In cases of identical records, the NBA's precise tiebreaker rules come into play.

But what about teams ranked 7th through 10th? That's where the thrilling play-in tournament shakes things up. This mini-tournament, adopted in 2021, injects an extra layer of drama, forcing teams on the bubble to fight for their playoff lives.

Here's how it works: the 7th and 8th seeds play a 'double-chance' game; the winner secures the 7-seed. The loser then faces off against the winner of an elimination game between the 9th and 10th seeds, with the victor claiming the final 8-seed. This format ensures intense basketball right from the start.

Once the 16 teams are set, the playoffs proceed with a fixed bracket—no reseeding occurs between rounds. Every series is a best-of-seven, meaning the first team to win four games advances. The home-court advantage generally goes to the higher-seeded team, following a 2–2–1–1–1 game format across all rounds, including the NBA Finals.

Early Qualifiers and Contenders

Even before the regular season concludes, some teams clinch their playoff berths, signaling their dominance. For instance, the Oklahoma City Thunder were the first to secure their spot on March 17, 2026, showcasing an impressive season. It's important to note that while division titles are celebrated, they don't directly influence playoff seeding.

The playoff picture is fluid until the very end of the regular season, typically April 12th. Furthermore, the 7th and 8th seeds in each conference remain undecided until the play-in tournament, held from April 14th to 17th, wraps up. The suspense truly builds up to the final buzzer!

Eastern Conference Landscape

In the Eastern Conference, perennial contenders and rising stars vie for supremacy. The Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks showcased strong seasons, securing top spots, with the Celtics extending their impressive playoff streak.

Seed	Team	Record	Clinched
1	Detroit Pistons	55–21	March 20
2	Boston Celtics	50–25	March 29
3	New York Knicks	48–28	March 30
4	Cleveland Cavaliers	47–29	
5	Atlanta Hawks	43–33	
6	Toronto Raptors	42–33	
†	Philadelphia 76ers	41–34	
†	Orlando Magic	40–35	
†	Miami Heat	40–36	
†	Charlotte Hornets	40–36

Western Conference Showdown

Out West, the competition is just as fierce. The Oklahoma City Thunder led the charge, securing both a playoff berth and the best record in the conference early on. The San Antonio Spurs made a significant return, ending a long playoff drought, while the Lakers and Nuggets continued their consistent runs.

Seed	Team	Record	Clinched
1	Oklahoma City Thunder	60–16	March 17
2	San Antonio Spurs	57–18	March 19
3	Los Angeles Lakers	50–26	March 31
4	Denver Nuggets	48–28	March 31
5	Minnesota Timberwolves	46–29	
6	Houston Rockets	46–29	
†	Phoenix Suns	42–34	
†	Los Angeles Clippers	39–37	March 31
†	Portland Trail Blazers	39–38	March 29
†	Golden State Warriors	36–39	March 29

Notable Streaks and Surprises

The 2026 playoffs highlight a mix of sustained excellence and changing fortunes. The Boston Celtics continue their remarkable run with a twelfth consecutive playoff appearance, the longest current streak in the NBA. On the other hand, the San Antonio Spurs return to the postseason for the first time since 2019, much to the delight of their fans.

However, not all teams had a fortunate season. The Indiana Pacers, defending Eastern Conference champions, surprisingly missed the cut, as did the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time since 2016. Several teams, including the Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, and Chicago Bulls, faced multi-year playoff droughts, demonstrating the league's ever-shifting competitive landscape.

A New Era for NBA Media

The 2026 postseason ushers in a groundbreaking era for NBA media, marking the first playoffs under brand-new 11-year broadcasting agreements. These deals, forged with the ESPN family of networks, NBC Sports, and Amazon Prime Video, promise to reshape how fans consume playoff basketball.

One of the most significant changes is that all first-round playoff games will now be exclusive national broadcasts. This means an end to regional coverage for these initial matchups, ensuring every game receives a broader, unified audience across the country.

Under these new agreements, Amazon Prime Video steps into the fold, streaming a substantial number of games—between nine and 17 in the first round, and five to nine in the second. Meanwhile, ESPN/ABC will feature approximately 18 games, and NBC Sports will produce a robust 22 to 34 games in the first two rounds, with a significant portion airing on NBC's main channel.

When it comes to the Conference Finals, NBC holds the rights for the Western Conference this season, while ESPN/ABC will cover the Eastern Conference. The ultimate prize, the NBA Finals, remains exclusively on ABC, continuing its impressive streak of 24 consecutive years as the sole broadcaster of the championship series.

Fans also have expanded streaming options. Peacock will stream all games broadcast by NBC, while ESPN DTC will provide streaming access to all games airing on ESPN and ABC, ensuring that playoff action is accessible across various digital platforms.

Powered by Google

For the fifth consecutive year, the NBA playoffs are officially presented by Google. This expanded sponsorship now encompasses the broader 'Google' branding, moving beyond the specific 'Google Pixel' brand of previous years. You'll see Google's presence everywhere—from on-court logos to digital properties and even during commercial breaks across all broadcast partners.

Article

2026 NBA playoffs

The 2026 NBA playoffs is the upcoming postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2025–26 season. The playoffs will begin on April 18 and will end with the conclusion of the 2026 NBA Finals.

Overview

Updates to postseason appearances

• The Oklahoma City Thunder will make the playoffs for the third consecutive season. • The San Antonio Spurs will make the playoffs for the first time since (/wiki/2019NBAplayoffs). • The Detroit Pistons will make the playoffs for the second consecutive season. • The Boston Celtics will make the playoffs for the twelfth consecutive season, the longest such streak in the NBA. • The Denver Nuggets will make the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. • The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers will make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. • The Indiana Pacers will miss the playoffs for the first time since (/wiki/2023NBAplayoffs). They were the defending Eastern Conference champions from (/wiki/2025NBAplayoffs). • The Memphis Grizzlies will miss the playoffs after making the postseason the previous year. • The Milwaukee Bucks will miss the playoffs for the first time since (/wiki/2016NBAplayoffs). • The New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. • The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season. • The Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls will miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. • The Washington Wizards will miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

Format

2026 NBA playoffs

Eight teams from each conference participated in the playoffs. The top six teams in each conference, based on winning percentage, directly qualified for the playoffs; the seeding order of those teams was also based on winning percentage. If two or more teams had the same record, standard NBA tiebreaker rules were used.

The NBA Board of Governors adopted a format starting in (/wiki/2021NBAplayoffs) to have a play-in tournament involving the teams ranked 7th through 10th in each conference. The 7th place team and 8th place team participated in a "double-chance" game, with the winner advancing to the playoffs as the 7-seed. The loser then played the winner of the elimination game between the 9th place and 10th place teams to determine the playoff's 8-seed. The NBA's regular playoff format then proceeded as normal. Furthermore, the winner of the match between the loser of the 7/8 game and the winner of the 9/10 game always plays on day 2 of the NBA playoffs to allow that team at least a day of rest.

Each conference's bracket was fixed with no reseeding. All rounds were a best-of-seven series; a series ended when one team won four games, and that team advanced to the next round. All rounds, including the NBA Finals, were in a 2–2–1–1–1 format with regards to hosting. In the conference playoffs, home-court advantage went to the higher-seeded team (number one being the highest). For the NBA Finals, home-court advantage went to the team with the better regular season record, and, if needed, ties were broken based on head-to-head record, followed by intra-conference record.

Playoff qualifying

2026 NBA playoffs

On March 17, 2026, the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. While noted in the below tables, division titles have no bearing on seeding.

The below tables reflect current playoff positioning and are subject to change through the end of the regular season (April 12). Seeds 7 and 8 in each conference are not finalized until the first-stage play-in tournament is completed (April 14–17).

Eastern Conference

<table><thead><tr><th>Seed</th><th>Team</th><th>Record</th><th>Clinched</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Play-in berth</td><td>Playoff berth</td><td>Division title</td><td>Best record in conference</td><td>Best record in NBA</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Detroit Pistons</td><td>55–21</td><td>—</td><td>March 20</td><td>March 31</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Boston Celtics</td><td>50–25</td><td>—</td><td>March 29</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>New York Knicks</td><td>48–28</td><td>—</td><td>March 30</td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Cleveland Cavaliers</td><td>47–29</td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td></td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Atlanta Hawks</td><td>43–33</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Toronto Raptors</td><td>42–33</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>†</td><td>Philadelphia 76ers</td><td>41–34</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>†</td><td>Orlando Magic</td><td>40–35</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>†</td><td>Miami Heat</td><td>40–36</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>†</td><td>Charlotte Hornets</td><td>40–36</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr></tbody></table>

† Teams ranked 7 through 10 will participate in the play-in tournament to determine seeds 7 and 8.

Western Conference

<table><thead><tr><th>Seed</th><th>Team</th><th>Record</th><th>Clinched</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Play-in berth</td><td>Playoff berth</td><td>Division title</td><td>Best record in conference</td><td>Best record in NBA</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Oklahoma City Thunder</td><td>60–16</td><td>—</td><td>March 17</td><td>March 18</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>San Antonio Spurs</td><td>57–18</td><td>—</td><td>March 19</td><td>March 23</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Los Angeles Lakers</td><td>50–26</td><td>—</td><td>March 31</td><td>March 31</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Denver Nuggets</td><td>48–28</td><td>—</td><td>March 31</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Minnesota Timberwolves</td><td>46–29</td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Houston Rockets</td><td>46–29</td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>†</td><td>Phoenix Suns</td><td>42–34</td><td></td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>†</td><td>Los Angeles Clippers</td><td>39–37</td><td>March 31</td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>†</td><td>Portland Trail Blazers</td><td>39–38</td><td>March 29</td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>†</td><td>Golden State Warriors</td><td>36–39</td><td>March 29</td><td></td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr></tbody></table>

† Teams ranked 7 through 10 will participate in the play-in tournament to determine seeds 7 and 8.

Media coverage

2026 NBA playoffs

This is the first postseason of new 11-year deals with the ESPN family of networks, NBC Sports and Amazon Prime Video. All first-round playoff games will now be exclusive national games, and there will no longer be regional broadcasts.

Amazon Prime Video will stream between nine and 17 first-round playoff games, and between five and nine second-round playoff games. ESPN and ABC will have approximately 18 games in the first two rounds. NBC Sports will produce between 22 and 34 games in the first two rounds, with at least half of them airing on NBC.

As per the alternating rotation, NBC will have the Western Conference Finals this season, while ESPN/ABC will have the Eastern Conference Finals. ABC has exclusive coverage of the NBA Finals for the 24th straight year.

Peacock and ESPN DTC will also stream all NBC and ESPN/ABC games, respectively.

Sponsorship

2026 NBA playoffs

For the fifth straight year, the playoffs is officially known as the "2026 NBA Playoffs presented by Google." During the expanded sponsorship agreement with Google where it expanded the sponsorship from the "Google Pixel" brand in favor of the general Google branding, this sponsorship provides the logo branding inside the venues and in official digital properties on-court, as well as commercial inventory during ABC, ESPN, NBC, Amazon Prime Video telecasts of the playoff games.