Over the years, the NBA playoffs have seen significant changes. Evolving with the league itself, initially the playoffs were a much smaller, shorter affair—which was reflective of the size and influence of the league.
By the 1960s and 70s, the NBA was expanding and as such the league needed a new playoff structure both to include more franchises and to generate more revenue. Still, this playoff system wasn’t too similar to what we have today.
In the 1980s, the NBA continued to add franchises, but at a much slower rate. However, the playoff system continued to see refinements. These included the introduction of the 2-3-2 format in the NBA Finals to combat the high cost of travel.
In the mid-2000s, we began to see the makings of the current playoff format. The NBA expanded the first round, split the conferences into three divisions and introduced a rule where division winners were guaranteed home court in the first round.
The latest and one of the largest changes implemented came in 2021, when the league adopted the Play-In Tournament to determine the Nos. 7, 8, 9 and 10 seeds.
In short, there have been plenty of changes, made routinely by the NBA to ensure that the league remained competitive, maximized revenue and made the largest national impact possible.
How Many Teams Currently Make the NBA Playoffs?
In 2025, 20 NBA teams will make the playoffs. Technically, the NBA treats the Play-In Tournament as a separate entity from the playoffs, which would mean 16 teams make the playoffs.
However, in practice, the play-in games are just an extension of the playoffs. As a result, two-thirds of the league qualifies for the playoffs.
This was done to increase competitiveness down the stretch, as many fans were unhappy with teams tanking and star players sitting out of games. The play-in hasn’t totally solved those problems, but it has given teams on the cusp motivation as plenty of teams from the play-in have made significant postseason runs.
A Look at NBA Playoff Expansion Over the Years
After the Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, the new NBA was a league with three divisions. The top four in each division made the playoffs, resulting in 12 teams qualifying. However, this wouldn’t last long.
By 1955, the NBA had just eight teams. So the top three teams in each division made the playoffs, with each division utilizing a double “round robin” format. After playing four round robin games and eliminating one team, the divisional round was a best-of-three and the finals were a best-of-seven.
In 1961, the division semifinal round became a best-of-seven series. By 1967 this series would return to a best-of-five.
By the mid-1970s, the NBA would have 22 franchises. As a result, the playoff field expanded. Each conference would have five teams get in (10 total). The top three seeds in each conference would receive byes, with the No. 4 vs No. 5 series being the first round (best-of-three).
In 1977, the field was expanded again, to feature 12 total teams. The top two seeds in each conference received byes.
The mid-1980s saw another expansion. Now 16 teams would make the playoffs and the first round was expanded to a best-of-five series. To combat the rising cost of travel, the NBA Finals adopted a 2-3-2 format.
This format would hold for roughly 20 years, until the NBA began to refine it and mold it into the current system.
The mid-2000s saw a bevy of changes take place, including expanding the first round to a best-of-seven series, guaranteeing that division winners had home-court advantage and then a change guaranteeing that the top four teams based on record would have home-court.
In 2020, the NBA tested a play-in system in the “Bubble.” This allowed teams that typically were just outside of the playoffs to compete for an opportunity to qualify.
The league liked the concept so much that it was fully adopted for the 2021 season. Now the No. 7 through No. 10 seed in each conference would compete for the final two playoff spots.
How Does the NBA Play-In Tournament Work?
The No. 7 and No. 8 seed in each conference will play one game, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed. The loser gets another opportunity to qualify, by playing the winner of the No. 9 and No. 10 game.
The loser of the No. 7 and No. 8 game hosts the winner of the No. 9 and No. 10 game. The winner of this game becomes the No. 8 seed while the loser enters the NBA draft lottery.
How the NBA Playoff Format Differs from Other Leagues
With 20 teams making the playoffs, the NBA has the largest playoff field of any of the four major U.S. sports leagues.
MLB’s postseason includes 12 teams, 14 teams make it into the NFL playoffs and 16 teams enter the NHL playoffs.
Many criticize the NBA for having such a large field, arguing that it does the exact opposite as it is intended: It trivializes the regular season and rewards mediocrity.
However, it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon.
How Teams Are Seeded in the NBA Playoffs
Teams are seeded in each conference by their record in the regular season. The only re-seeding that takes place in the NBA is at the conclusion of the play-in games, depending on the outcome.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Many Teams Make the NBA Playoffs? A Look at the Past & Present of Playoff Expansion.