Standings
NBA standings by conference and season. See playoff, play-in and postseason positions at a glance.
2025-26 Eastern Conference
Final Standings| Team | G | W | L | W/L% | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit Pistons | 82 | 60 | 22 | 0.732 | — |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 82 | 56 | 26 | 0.683 | — |
| 3 | New York Knicks | 82 | 53 | 29 | 0.646 | — |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 82 | 52 | 30 | 0.634 | — |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors | 82 | 46 | 36 | 0.561 | — |
| 6 | Atlanta Hawks | 82 | 46 | 36 | 0.561 | — |
| 7 | Philadelphia 76ers | 82 | 45 | 37 | 0.549 | — |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 82 | 45 | 37 | 0.549 | — |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | 82 | 44 | 38 | 0.537 | — |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 82 | 43 | 39 | 0.524 | — |
| 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 82 | 32 | 50 | 0.390 | — |
| 12 | Chicago Bulls | 82 | 31 | 51 | 0.378 | — |
| 13 | Brooklyn Nets | 82 | 20 | 62 | 0.244 | — |
| 14 | Indiana Pacers | 82 | 19 | 63 | 0.232 | — |
| 15 | Washington Wizards | 82 | 17 | 65 | 0.207 | — |
Playoff Picture
How the NBA Postseason Works
New to the NBA postseason? Here's everything you need to know — from how teams qualify, to how the champion is crowned.
Regular Season
The NBA has 30 teams split into two conferences — 15 in the East, 15 in the West. Every team plays 82 games. When the season ends, teams are ranked 1–15 within their conference by win-loss record. Seeds 1–6 automatically qualify for the playoffs. Seeds 7–10 enter the Play-In Tournament. Seeds 11–15 are eliminated.
The Play-In Tournament
Seeds 7–10 compete for the final two playoff spots in each conference. The 7th and 8th seeds play first — the winner goes straight to the playoffs as the 7th seed. The loser gets one more chance. The 9th and 10th seeds also play — the loser goes home. The two survivors then play each other: the winner becomes the 8th seed.
The Playoffs
Each conference has 8 teams seeded 1–8. The bracket is set: 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5. Every series is best-of-seven. The bracket progresses through the First Round, Conference Semi-Finals, and Conference Finals, producing one champion per conference.
The NBA Finals
The Eastern Conference champion meets the Western Conference champion in a best-of-seven series. The team with the better regular season record hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. The other team hosts Games 3, 4 and 6. This is known as the 2-2-1-1-1 format. The winner is crowned NBA Champion.
Champion
Champion
Home Court Advantage
The higher-seeded team hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 in any series. This is a significant advantage — winning on the road in a playoff series is considerably harder.
Postseason at a Glance
| Stage | Teams | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 30 | 82 games each |
| Play-In Tournament | 8 per conference (seeds 7–10) | Win-or-go-home |
| First Round | 8 per conference | Best of 7 |
| Conference Semi-Finals | 4 per conference | Best of 7 |
| Conference Finals | 2 per conference | Best of 7 |
| NBA Finals | 2 | Best of 7 |
| NBA Champion | 1 | — |