NBA playoff format history
Every shape the NBA postseason has taken since the BAA's first season in 1946-47, and the draft lottery's own changes, because the two have always pulled on each other. Each was checked against two independent publishers on 2026-09-11, listed at the bottom. Where a detail only had one reading it was left out rather than guessed, and the one date the sources disagree on is left as a disagreement.
The timeline at a glance
Seasons
Field
Qualifying
1946-47 to 1947-48
6 teams
The top three in each of two divisions. The two division winners met straight away in a best of seven semifinal; the second and third place teams played best of three quarterfinals and a best of three semifinal to produce the other finalist.
1948-49
8 teams
The top four in each division. Division semifinals and division finals were both best of three, then a best of seven Finals.
1949-50
12 teams
The top four in each of three divisions. Two best of three rounds inside each division produced three division champions; one of those drew a bye while the other two played a best of three for the second place in the Finals.
1950-51 to 1952-53
8 teams
The top four in each of two divisions again. Division semifinals best of three, division finals now best of five, Finals best of seven.
1953-54
6 teams
The top three in each division played a double round robin, home and away against each other, to eliminate one team; the surviving two met in a best of three division final.
1954-55 to 1965-66
6 teams
The top three in each division. First place sat out while second and third played a division semifinal, then met the winner in the division final.
1966-67 to 1969-70
8 teams
The top four in each division, no bye: first played fourth and second played third in the division semifinals.
1970-71 to 1973-74
8 teams
Four teams from each conference, drawn from the two divisions inside it, playing conference semifinals and conference finals before the Finals.
1974-75 to 1975-76
10 teams
Five teams per conference. A new best of three first round matched the fourth and fifth seeds, and the winner met the top seed while the top three seeds waited.
1976-77 to 1982-83
12 teams
Six teams per conference. The two division winners in each conference got a bye; the other four played a best of three first round.
1983-84 to 2001-02
16 teams
Eight teams per conference, everyone plays the first round. First round best of five, every later round best of seven.
2002-03 to 2003-04
16 teams
Eight per conference, all four rounds best of seven.
2004-05 to 2014-15
16 teams
Eight per conference: each division winner plus the best remaining records, with a division winner guaranteed a seed no lower than a fixed floor whatever its record: a top three seed in 2004-05 and 2005-06, a top four seed from 2006-07 until the rule was dropped.
2015-16 to 2019-20
16 teams
The eight best records in each conference, seeded one to eight by record, with no automatic berth and no protected seed for a division winner.
2020-21 onward
16 teams
The top six in each conference go straight in. Seventh through tenth play a play-in: seventh hosts eighth for the seventh seed, ninth hosts tenth with the loser out, then the loser of the first game hosts the winner of the second for the eighth seed.
Season by season
1946-47 to 1947-48: The BAA: six of eleven
The top three in each of two divisions. The two division winners met straight away in a best of seven semifinal; the second and third place teams played best of three quarterfinals and a best of three semifinal to produce the other finalist.
1948-49: Eight teams, two short rounds
The top four in each division. Division semifinals and division finals were both best of three, then a best of seven Finals.
1949-50: Three divisions, twelve teams, one bye
The top four in each of three divisions. Two best of three rounds inside each division produced three division champions; one of those drew a bye while the other two played a best of three for the second place in the Finals.
1950-51 to 1952-53: Back to two divisions and eight teams
The top four in each of two divisions again. Division semifinals best of three, division finals now best of five, Finals best of seven.
1953-54: The round robin year
The top three in each division played a double round robin, home and away against each other, to eliminate one team; the surviving two met in a best of three division final.
1954-55 to 1965-66: Six teams, a bye for first place
The top three in each division. First place sat out while second and third played a division semifinal, then met the winner in the division final.
1966-67 to 1969-70: Expansion brings back eight
The top four in each division, no bye: first played fourth and second played third in the division semifinals.
1970-71 to 1973-74: Two conferences of two divisions
Four teams from each conference, drawn from the two divisions inside it, playing conference semifinals and conference finals before the Finals.
1974-75 to 1975-76: A first round for the fourth and fifth seeds
Five teams per conference. A new best of three first round matched the fourth and fifth seeds, and the winner met the top seed while the top three seeds waited.
1976-77 to 1982-83: Twelve after the ABA merger
Six teams per conference. The two division winners in each conference got a bye; the other four played a best of three first round.
1983-84 to 2001-02: Sixteen teams, no byes, best of five first round
Eight teams per conference, everyone plays the first round. First round best of five, every later round best of seven.
2002-03 to 2003-04: Every round best of seven
Eight per conference, all four rounds best of seven.
2004-05 to 2014-15: Division winners protected in the seeding
Eight per conference: each division winner plus the best remaining records, with a division winner guaranteed a seed no lower than a fixed floor whatever its record: a top three seed in 2004-05 and 2005-06, a top four seed from 2006-07 until the rule was dropped.
2015-16 to 2019-20: Seeded by record alone
The eight best records in each conference, seeded one to eight by record, with no automatic berth and no protected seed for a division winner.
2020-21 onward: The play-in tournament
The top six in each conference go straight in. Seventh through tenth play a play-in: seventh hosts eighth for the seventh seed, ninth hosts tenth with the loser out, then the loser of the first game hosts the winner of the second for the eighth seed.
The draft lottery
The lottery exists because of the playoffs: once a team knows it is out, the only thing left to play for is the draft, and the league has spent sixty years trying to make losing on purpose not worth it. Every rule below is a different answer to that one problem.
1966: The coin flip
From 1966 through 1984 the worst team in each division, and from 1970-71 each conference, flipped a coin for the first overall pick, and the loser picked second. Every other team drafted in reverse order of record. It kept the two worst teams from being certain of the top pick, and did nothing about the incentive to be one of those two.
1985: Envelopes in a drum
In 1985 the seven teams that missed the playoffs each had an envelope in a hopper, every one with the same chance, and the order they were drawn was the draft order for the first seven picks. The Knicks came out first and took Patrick Ewing. After the first lottery or two the rule was changed so the draw decided only the first three picks, with the rest of the non-playoff teams drafting in reverse order of record.
1990: Weighted chances
From the 1990 lottery the draw was weighted. Eleven teams took part, and the worst record held eleven of the 66 chances, the second worst ten, down to a single chance for the best team that missed the playoffs. The draw still decided three picks, so the worst team could fall no lower than fourth.
1994: A thousand combinations
In 1993 Orlando, which had missed the playoffs at 41-41, won the first pick with one chance in 66, about 1.5 percent, the second year running it had won the lottery. From 1994 the draw used fourteen numbered balls and four number combinations: 1,001 are possible, 1,000 are assigned, and the worst team held 250 of them, a 25 percent chance of the first pick, up from 16.7 percent. The pool later grew to fourteen teams, the size it kept until the 2027 change below.
2019: Three teams at fourteen percent
Approved in September 2017 and first used in 2019: the three worst records each hold 14 percent of the combinations for the first pick, down from 25, 19.9 and 15.6, and the draw decides four picks rather than three, so the worst team can fall as low as fifth. It was the league trying to make the bottom of the standings less worth reaching, without giving up on rewarding a bad season at all.
2027: The 3-2-1 lottery
Approved on 28 May 2026 and in force from the 2027 draft: sixteen teams in the lottery rather than fourteen. Teams that miss both the playoffs and the play-in get three balls each, except the three worst records, which are labelled draft relegated, lose a ball and hold two apiece, with a promise of no worse than the twelfth pick. The ninth and tenth placed play-in teams get two balls, and the two teams that lose the seventh versus eighth play-in game get one. The three worst teams have gone from the best odds in the room to worse than the teams just above them, which is the whole point.
What the games play
NBA Front Office plays the current format and nothing older: the top six in each conference go straight in, seventh through tenth play the real play-in, and the sixteen that come out of it play four best of seven rounds. Its draft has no lottery. NBA My Career hands the rookie a draft slot from how good the prospect is, with no lottery odds behind it, and NBA Conquest has no draft at all, so none of the three models the odds described above.
Questions people ask
How many teams make the NBA playoffs?
Sixteen, eight per conference, since the 1984 playoffs. Since 2021 the top six in each conference qualify outright and the seventh through tenth placed teams play a play-in for the last two seeds, so twenty teams are still alive when the regular season ends, but only sixteen enter the bracket.
When did the first round become best of seven?
The 2003 playoffs. From 1984 to 2002 the first round was best of five, and before that, from 1975, it was best of three. Every round has been best of seven since 2003, which is why a champion needs sixteen wins.
Do division winners still get a top seed?
No. From the 2015-16 season the eight playoff teams in each conference are seeded purely by record. Between 2004-05 and 2014-15 a division winner was guaranteed a seed no lower than a floor whatever its record, a top three seed for the first two seasons and a top four seed after that, which is how a 51 win Portland team took the fourth seed in the West in 2015 with the sixth best record in the conference.
How does the NBA draft lottery work now?
Through the 2026 draft: fourteen non-playoff teams, fourteen numbered balls, four drawn at a time, 1,000 of the 1,001 possible combinations shared out by record, with the three worst teams holding 14 percent each and the draw deciding the first four picks. From the 2027 draft the pool grows to sixteen teams because the two No. 8 seeds that come through the play-in stay in it, and the three worst records hold two balls each against three for the teams just above them.
Where this comes from
Every change above rests on at least two independent publishers agreeing: Wikipedia's playoffs, season and lottery pages cross-checked against NBA.com's own history pieces and press releases, ESPN, FanSided, TickPick, Land of Basketball and Sports Illustrated. Basketball Reference, Wikipedia's 1985 draft lottery page and two CBC stories were attempted and blocked, so none of them is cited. NBA.com dates the lottery's cut to three picks to 1986 and Wikipedia to 1987; the page says neither. 31 sources across 7 publishers, last checked 2026-09-11.
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