March Madness has arrived, but there's still a month left in the NBA regular season. Each of the 30 teams has about 15 games left, so there are still plenty of games left for most teams.
One notable exception is the Boston Celtics, who became the first team to qualify for the playoffs with their win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Boston enters Monday night's game with a 53-14 record and is running away with the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
The competition in the Western Conference is getting even more intense. At the top of the standings he has three teams positioned within one game of him, and each team is fighting to secure home court advantage for his bracket in the playoffs.
With less than a month left in the NBA regular season, here's how the playoffs look.
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NBA playoff standings
Now after the match on March 17th. The top six teams in each conference automatically advance to the playoffs. Teams from 7th to 10th place will qualify for the play-in tournament.
eastern conference
western conference
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NBA Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here's how the first round of the playoffs would play out in the East if the season ended after Sunday.
- 1st seed Boston Celtics vs. 8th seed (play-in tournament winner)
- 2nd seed Milwaukee Bucks vs. 7th seed (winner of play-in tournament)
- 3rd seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 6th seed Indiana Pacers
- 4th seed New York Knicks vs. 5th seed Orlando Magic
NBA Western Conference Playoff Bracket
Here are the matchups for the current standings in the Western Conference:
- 1st seed Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8th seed (play-in tournament winner)
- 2nd seed Denver Nuggets vs. 7th seed (play-in tournament winner)
- 3rd seed Minnesota Timberwolves vs. 6th seed Sacramento Kings
- 4th seed Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5th seed New Orleans Pelicans
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What is the NBA Play-In Tournament?
For the NBA Play-In Tournament, the current system in place for the 2021 playoffs allowed each conference to expand the playoff pool from eight to 10 teams. The 7th to 10th ranked teams in each conference at the end of the regular season will compete in a four-day tournament to determine the 7th and 8th seeds in the first round of the playoffs.
In one set of games, the seventh-place team in each conference will host the eighth-place finisher. The winner of each conference will earn the No. 7 seed within that bracket.
In another set of games, the ninth-place team in each conference will host the 10th-place team. The winners of those games will play the losers of the 7th vs. 8th place matchups to determine the No. 8 seed in their respective conferences.
This year's play-in tournament begins on April 16th and ends on April 19th. The first round of the NBA playoffs begins on April 20th.
NBA Eastern Conference play-in tournament matchups
Here's what the play-in situation currently looks like in the East.
- 7th place Miami Heat vs. 8th place Philadelphia 76ers
- 9th place Chicago Bulls vs. 10th place Atlanta Hawks
NBA Western Conference Play-In Tournament Matchups
Here's the current status of play-ins in Western countries:
- 7th place Dallas Mavericks vs 8th place Phoenix Suns
- 9th place Golden State Warriors vs. 10th place Los Angeles Lakers
When will the 2024 NBA Playoffs start?
The first round of the NBA Playoffs begins on April 20th. Depending on how quickly the first round pairings are determined, the conference semifinals will begin May 4-5 or May 6-7. The conference finals are scheduled to begin May 21-22, but could be moved to May 19-20 depending on the results of the conference semifinals.
The NBA Finals will begin on June 6th.
