The 2025 NBA Playoffs
- Editor Ellis
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Cleveland Cavaliers enter an NBA postseason as the top-seed in the Eastern Conference as it chases a second NBA title.
As the top-seed in the East, the Cavs will not know their first round opponent until after this week’s Play-In Tournament. The Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Miami Heat are the four teams competing for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference and one of them will play Cleveland in the first round.
The Cavs will face the winner of the third play-in game between the loser of the Magic-Hawks game on Tuesday and the winner of the Bulls-Heat game on Wednesday. Cleveland’s first playoff game will be played on either Saturday or Sunday.
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The winner of Cleveland’s first round series would play the winner of the Indiana Pacers-Milwaukee Bucks series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
2025 NBA Playoff Bracket
Eastern Conference
No. 1-seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Play-In Game 3 winner
No. 4-seed Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5-seed Milwaukee Bucks
No. 3-seed New York Knicks vs. No. 6-seed Detroit Pistons
No. 2-seed Boston Celtics vs. Play-In Game 1 winner
Western Conference
No. 1-seed Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Play-In Game 3 winner
No. 4-seed Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5-seed Los Angeles Clippers
No. 3-seed Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6-seed Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 2-seed Houston Rockets vs. Play-In Game 1 winner
Amassing over 60 wins, the Cavaliers put together arguably their greatest regular season in franchise history. Spearheaded by All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, Cleveland became the first team to have three separate 10-game winning streaks in a regular season.
When do the NBA playoffs start?
The 2025 NBA playoffs tip off on Saturday, April 19, with Game 1 of four first-round series being held.
The remaining four series will play Game 1 on Sunday, April 20.
How to watch the NBA playoffs and NBA Finals
The NBA playoffs will air on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV. The exact partners for each series and game are still to be determined.
For the 23rd consecutive season dating back to 2003, the NBA Finals will be broadcasted on ABC.
