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The NBA postseason has two connected stages: the Play-In Tournament and the 16-team NBA Playoffs. The system can be confusing because teams finishing seventh through 10th in each conference are still alive after the regular season, but they have not all secured traditional playoff spots yet.
This guide explains who qualifies automatically, how the Play-In determines the final seeds, and what happens once the main playoff bracket begins.
How many teams are involved in the NBA postseason?
Each conference sends six teams directly into the NBA Playoffs. The teams finishing seventh through 10th enter the Play-In Tournament and compete for the final two playoff seeds in that conference.
That means 20 teams remain involved immediately after the regular season: 12 already qualified for the playoffs and eight more participating in the Play-In.
Which teams automatically make the NBA Playoffs?
The teams that finish first through sixth in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference standings earn guaranteed playoff berths. They do not participate in the Play-In Tournament.
The first six seeds are therefore locked before the Play-In begins. Seeds seven and eight are filled by the Play-In results.
How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?
The Play-In uses the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th-place teams in each conference.
No. 7 vs. No. 8
The No. 7 team hosts the No. 8 team. The winner becomes the conference’s No. 7 playoff seed. The loser is not eliminated and gets one more opportunity.
No. 9 vs. No. 10
The No. 9 team hosts the No. 10 team. The loser is eliminated. The winner advances to another Play-In game.
The final game for the No. 8 seed
The loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game hosts the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game. The winner claims the conference’s No. 8 playoff seed. The loser is eliminated.
The structure rewards the teams that finished seventh and eighth because they have two chances to qualify, while the ninth and 10th-place teams must win twice.
What happens after the Play-In?
Once each conference has its seventh and eighth seeds, the main 16-team playoff bracket is complete: eight teams in the East and eight in the West.
In the first round, the No. 1 seed faces No. 8, No. 2 faces No. 7, No. 3 faces No. 6 and No. 4 faces No. 5. Winners advance through the conference semifinals and conference finals, and the Eastern and Western Conference champions meet in the NBA Finals.
Are NBA playoff series single elimination?
No. The main NBA Playoffs use best-of-seven series. A team must win four games to advance from a series. That differs from the Play-In, where individual games determine advancement or elimination under the format described above.
Why did the NBA add the Play-In?
The Play-In extends meaningful competition around the final playoff positions and gives teams just outside the traditional top eight a defined path into the bracket. It also creates an advantage for finishing seventh or eighth because those teams need only one Play-In win, while ninth and 10th-place teams must survive two games.
Example of the path from No. 10 to the playoffs
A team that finishes 10th has the hardest route. It must first beat the No. 9 team, then beat the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game. Only after those two wins does it become the No. 8 seed in the main playoff bracket.
Example of the path from No. 7
A seventh-place team has the shortest Play-In route. Beat No. 8 and it immediately becomes the No. 7 seed. If it loses, it gets a second chance against the winner of the 9-10 game for the No. 8 seed.
The easiest way to remember the format
- Seeds 1-6: automatically in the playoffs.
- Seeds 7-8: one win gets them in; they have two chances.
- Seeds 9-10: must win twice; one loss eliminates them.
- After Play-In: eight teams per conference enter the best-of-seven playoff bracket.
Sources and verification
This explainer was verified against NBA.com’s official postseason and Play-In materials on September 6, 2026. The NBA officially adopted the Play-In as a full-time part of the playoff structure in 2022, and current NBA materials continue to use the No. 7-10 format described above.
Primary references: NBA.com — About the NBA and NBA.com — Play-In Tournament format.
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Featured image: LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR / Unsplash. Generic basketball imagery; it does not depict a specific NBA playoff game.