The 2026 NBA playoffs are set to begin on Saturday, with the play-in tournament starting on Tuesday. The Oklahoma City Thunder, who secured the top seed in the Western Conference, are favorites to repeat as champions. The Eastern Conference, on the other hand, is a more competitive field, with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers all vying for top spots. The playoffs will be a thrilling run towards the NBA Finals, which begin on June 3 and will be broadcast by ABC.
The play-in tournament will determine the final playoff bracket, with the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds playing to determine which teams get to face the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in each conference. The Portland Trail Blazers and the Philadelphia 76ers have already clinched playoff spots, and the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs are also in the running. The playoffs will be a best-of-seven series, with the team with the better regular-season record in each series having home-court advantage.
The Eastern Conference bracket features the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Western Conference bracket includes the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers. The playoffs will be a thrilling run towards the NBA Finals, with the top teams battling it out for the championship.
The NBA Finals will begin on June 3 and will be broadcast by ABC. The schedule for the finals is as follows: Game 1 on Wednesday, June 3; Game 2 on Friday, June 5; Game 3 on Monday, June 8; Game 4 on Wednesday, June 10; Game 5 (if necessary) on Saturday, June 13; Game 6 (if necessary) on Tuesday, June 16; Game 7 (if necessary) on Friday, June 19.
The playoffs will be a thrilling run towards the NBA Finals, with the top teams battling it out for the championship. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers are all vying for top spots, and the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers are also in the running. The playoffs will be a thrilling run towards the NBA Finals, with the top teams battling it out for the championship.
