Following on from the NBA All-Star break, fans are now voicing their palpable excitement and anticipation towards the impending playoffs which is sure to pit some of the league’s best teams and players against each other.
The current 2023/24 NBA regular season has already provided fans with numerous extravagant outings and matchups between some of the league’s brightest talents.
Fans have been treated to a plethora of highlight dunks, memorable individual performances and nail-biting endings which has now set the stage for what is sure to be a tremendous postseason of NBA action that gets underway in the coming months.
Advancing into the NBA playoff picture is no easy task for any team as they face numerous adversaries throughout the course of the regular season where major star players are expected to rise to the occasion and help their team progress through to the postseason.
During the playoffs, every team’s game and style can change to a much more competitive outlet as they may choose to prioritize other parts of their game in an effort to see off any worthy opponents.
The 2023/24 playoffs are already shaping up to be one of the most memorable in recent years due to the unpredictability of which teams are likely to progress through to the postseason from their respective conference as well as the amount of star power that could likely be on display for all basketball fans to enjoy and bet on by viewing the latest NBA playoffs odds.
- How does the NBA playoffs format work?
There are plenty of sure-fire title contenders that are expected to make an appearance in the postseason this year, whilst there are also plenty of other teams that are still attempting to stage a late push to achieve a playoff berth or a spot in the play-in tournament.
Across both the Eastern and Western Conferences, any team that achieves a final season seeding between first and sixth will automatically progress into the playoffs.
Other teams can achieve a playoff appearance if they finish between seventh and tenth which enters each respected team into the play-in tournament, where they can advance as a lower seed if they can beat the other teams that finished in a play-in spot.
Every team that qualifies for the playoffs will compete in a seven game series to decide who advances to the next round which eventually culminates with the final two sides from both conferences facing off in the conference championship series.
The winners from both series then compete in the NBA finals where the winner from a best of seven series will claim the illustrious Larry O’Brien championship and will be declared as the 2024 NBA World Champions.
- Which teams are the biggest threat in the playoffs?
According to the latest NBA playoffs odds, the Boston Celtics are entering the postseason as the league’s most feared opposition as Joe Mazzulla’s side now seem solely intent on bringing an 18th championship banner to the TD Garden.
The Celtics had already possessed one of the league’s best teams in recent years but had further elevated their status as sure-fire championship contenders following the acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason to partner All-Star duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Outside of the Celtics, many bookmakers have also sighted that the Denver Nuggets could pose a significant threat to anyone in the playoffs as they are raring to become one of the few teams to repeat as champions.
The Nikola Jokic led Nuggets have plenty of championship experience and versatility on both ends of the court which keeps Denver in firm championship contention.
In the Eastern Conference, both the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers remain in the playoff race as major title contenders as well as the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers who could surprise many fans with a deep playoff run this postseason.
Over in the West, there are many teams that are fighting to claim the one seed which includes the aforementioned Denver Nuggets as well as the LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder.
All four of these established teams have their own unique brand of star power and experience which will certainly be highly valued in the playoffs against some of the many Western Conference powerhouses.
Outside of these major teams that are expected to make an appearance in the playoffs this year, there are also plenty of other contenders that could make a surprise push towards playoff contention before the end of the season.
These include the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat from the Eastern Conference, as well as the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, LA Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns from the West.
Overall, there is plenty of basketball that is still due to be played in the closing stages of the 2023/24 regular season which will ultimately defy which teams are able to advance into the postseason and which teams will be eliminated, setting up a playoff picture that will have fans excited for more NBA action.
