While the play-in tournament consists of single games, play-off rounds are decided by a best-of-seven series.

In each conference, the match-ups are decided by seedings.

Eastern Conference: Boston Celtics (1) v 8th Seed; NY Knicks (2) v 7th Seed; Milwaukee Bucks (3) v Indiana Pacers (6); Cleveland Cavaliers (4) v Orlando Magic (5)

Western Conference: Oklahoma City Thunder (1) v 8th Seed; Denver Nuggets (2) v 7th Seed; Minnesota Timberwolves (3) v Phoenix Suns (6); LA Clippers (4) v Dallas Mavericks (5)

The first round is followed by the conference semi-finals, then the conference finals, with the winners of each conference meeting in the NBA Finals.