When do the 2022 NBA Playoffs start? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
It's almost time for playoff basketball.
The 2021-22 NBA regular season came to an end on Sunday, and there's only a one-day break before the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament begins. Once the 16-team field is completely set, the 2022 NBA Playoffs will get underway.
Here’s what you need to know about the schedule for the NBA playoffs:
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When is the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament?
The 12 playoff teams will have a bit of an extended break before they take the court again due to the Play-In Tournament. The Play-In Tournament will run from April 12-15 to decide the Nos. 7 and 8 playoff seeds in each conference.
RELATED: What you need to know about the Play-In Tournament
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First, the seventh- and eighth-place teams will battle it out for the No. 7 seed, while the ninth- and 10th-place teams will face each other for the chance to play for the No. 8 seed. Then, the loser of the 7-8 matchup will face the winner of the 9-10 matchup with the eighth seed on the line.
The showdown between the Western Conference’s seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves and eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers is set for April 12 at 6:30 p.m. PT. Meanwhile, the West’s 9-10 matchup will feature the New Orleans Pelicans hosting the San Antonio Spurs on April 13 at 6:30 p.m. PT.
Over in the East, the No. 7 Brooklyn Nets will play the No. 8 Cleveland Cavaliers on April 12 at 4 p.m. PT, and the No. 9 Atlanta Hawks will face the No. 10 Charlotte Hornets on April 13 at 4 p.m. PT.
RELATED: How to watch the Play-In Tournament
When do the 2022 NBA Playoffs start?
The first round of the playoffs will start on April 16, the day after the play-in ends. All playoff series are best of seven and follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format where the higher seed has home court first.
The conference semifinals are scheduled to begin on May 2-3, with the possibility of being moved up to April 30-May 1 if first-round series end early.
The conference finals are set to get underway May 17-18, with the possibility of being moved up to May 15-16.
What is the schedule for the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs?
The NBA has released the schedule for Game 1 of each first-round series, with some tipoff times and broadcast details still TBD:
- No. 5 Utah Jazz at No. 4 Dallas Mavericks: April 16, 10 a.m. PT (ESPN)
- West's No. 7 seed at No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies: April 16, 12:30 p.m. PT (ESPN)
- No. 5 Toronto Raptors at No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers: April 16, 3 p.m. PT (ESPN)
- No. 6 Denver Nuggets at No. 3 Golden State Warriors: April 16, 5:30 p.m. PT (ABC)
- East's No. 8 seed at No. 1 Miami Heat: April 17, TBD (TBD)
- East's No. 7 seed at No. 2 Boston Celtics: April 17, TBD (TBD)
- No. 6 Chicago Bulls at No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks: April 17, TBD (TBD)
- West's No. 8 seed at No. 1 Phoenix Suns: April 17, TBD (TBD)
When do the 2022 NBA Finals start?
The Eastern and Western Conference champions will meet in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 2. Here’s a full look at the Finals schedule:
- Game 1: June 2
- Game 2: June 5
- Game 3: June 8
- Game 4: June 10
- Game 5 (if necessary): June 13
- Game 6 (if necessary): June 16
- Game 7 (if necessary): June 19
