Playoffs – Basketix Lexicon

It’s the moment every basketball fan eagerly awaits each year. The regular season (RS) is over, time to get serious. Starting in April, the basketball world goes into a frenzy… The playoffs begin. A frantic race for the title that we simply have to tell you about, on both the European and American stages.

What are the playoffs?

The playoffs are the final phases of a season. After a rhythmic and intense regular season, the teams with the best records qualify for the rest of the competition, giving them the opportunity to fight for the title. The level of play increases, the atmosphere becomes heavy, the fans go wild, no one wants to surrender—in short, madness takes over our sport for two months of absolutely insane intensity. But in the end, there can be only one. (Hi Denis)

So, what is the format?

Every league has its own format. But since there are hundreds of different ones, we are going to explain the three most common formats. Let’s start with the NBA.

In the big league, at the end of the regular season, the top 6 teams in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs, while those ranked between 7th and 10th place play what is called a “play-in.” We invite you to check out the article we wrote on that topic to learn more. At the end of this mini-tournament, we get a 16-team bracket: 8 in the West and 8 in the East. The Western teams face each other, while the Eastern teams do the same, in best-of-7 series. It is therefore necessary to win 4 games to advance to the next round.

In the NBA, in the first round, the 1st seed faces the 8th, the 2nd faces the 7th, etc., with spots 1 through 4 giving them the advantage of hosting first and finishing the series at home if a decisive Game 7 were to be played. At the end of this first round, four teams per conference advance to the semifinals. The winner of the 1st vs. 8th series will face the winner of the 4th vs. 5th, while the winner of the 2nd vs. 7th matchup faces the winner of the 3rd vs. 6th series. The two teams winning their semifinals then access the Conference Finals to decide who will represent the West and the East in the NBA Finals.

In Europe, the format is quite similar to the American model, although there are a few differences. At the end of the RS, the Euroleague functions like the NBA. The top 6 teams automatically qualify, while teams ranked between 7th and 10th place face off in a play-in to snag the two remaining tickets for the playoffs. Once the eight teams are decided, it’s done like in the US: First against eighth, second against seventh, etc… BUT in a best-of-5 format. 3 wins are needed to pass to the next round, namely the Final Four, which follows the March Madness model. To put it simply, during the “F4,” there is no more room for error. The four qualified teams face off following seeding rules. The best seed faces the lowest, and seed 2 faces seed 3, and everything plays out in a single game. The winners go to the final, the losers play the 3rd place game. As simple as that.

In France, on the Betclic ELITE side, it’s a bit like the NBA. The top 6 go straight to the playoffs and a play-in is organized between the teams ranked 7th to 10th. From that moment on, the French model follows the American model to the letter, except that the matchups are played in BO3 for the quarterfinals (2 wins to reach the semis) then in BO5 starting from the semis (3 wins needed to qualify for the final + 3 wins needed to win the title).

The Best “Playoff Campaigns” in NBA History

1. New York Knicks (1999)

A performance we thought we’d never see again in history. The 1998/1999 season was one of the most turbulent in the league. Marked by a massive player strike (lockout), the regular season was shortened and the New York Knicks qualified by the skin of their teeth for the playoffs with the 8th best record in the Eastern Conference (27W-23L). A more than uncomfortable position since in the first round, the Miami Heat—the first seed—stood in their way. The experts were unanimous: New York was going to get destroyed. But against all odds, the Knicks pushed the Heat to a decisive fifth game—some NBA playoff series were played in BO5 during the 90s—and qualified for the conference semifinals, before making short work of the Atlanta Hawks. In the Conference Finals, the Big Apple franchise met an old acquaintance: the Indiana Pacers. Their biggest rivalry since the 1994 playoffs. And just when everyone saw the Knicks continuing their great momentum, Patrick Ewing, the greatest New York legend, partially tore his Achilles tendon, ending his season. A injury that was going to ruin all hopes of a final for New York… Just kidding, they completely turned the situation around to win against Indiana and reach the NBA Finals for the 4th time in their history. Nevertheless, weakened by injuries, the beautiful New York epic stopped dead against the San Antonio Spurs, who were on a mission. A campaign that went down in history, with New York becoming the first franchise ever to reach the NBA Finals while seeded 8th… Their last one to date.

2.Dallas Mavericks (2011)

The achievement of a lifetime, of a man who did everything to deliver a title to the franchise of his heart. In 2011, Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks had a big regular season allowing them to climb to 3rd place in the Western Conference, before crushing everything in their path in the playoffs. In the first round, Dallas got rid of Portland with some difficulty (4-2)… Just enough time to get into rhythm. After that, the Mavs swept the Lakers (4-0) before thrashing the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were still learning the ropes (4-1). Boss-level playoffs that allowed Rick Carlisle’s men to reach the NBA Finals against… the Miami Heat. The remake of 2006. Remember, the Heat had snatched the first title in their history thanks to a Dwyane Wade from another planet. Well, this season, the task was even harder. The Heat, led by their legendary trio Wade-James-Bosh, were the overwhelming favorites. But the German big man was about to disgust the Floridians. 41 points in Game 1 and stat lines each more impressive than the last. XXL performances allowing them to lock down the Heat and gift the Texans the first and only title in their history. Dirk Nowitzki, after 13 years spent with the Mavs, collapsed in tears. He did it. He took his revenge and offered the most beautiful gift to his beloved franchise, all while taking the Finals MVP trophy. Simply monstrous.

3.Toronto Raptors (2019)

The greatest run in history, without any debate (okay, I’m exaggerating a little). More seriously, no one could predict that the Raptors were going to pull off one of the most surprising seasons of all time. In the summer of 2018, Toronto made the bold choice to part ways with DeMar DeRozan after 9 seasons in Canada, in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. A difficult decision to make, but ultimately necessary to create new momentum in Toronto. After a big regular season, the Canadians finished 2nd in the Eastern Conference… Before setting off on a legendary run. In the first round, Kyle Lowry and his teammates easily prevailed against an unenterprising Orlando Magic (4-1). But in the semi-finals, Philadelphia stood in their way. A masterful series that went to a decisive 7th game, concluded by a legendary buzzer-beater from Kawhi Leonard (4-3). The first buzzer-beater in history during a Game 7. I’m not going to lie to you, the commentator’s “GAME, SERIES, TORONTO HAS WON” still echoes in all my dreams. A crazy series to get perfectly confident in order to shut down the Milwaukee Bucks and a too-lonely Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Conference Finals (4-2). That’s it, after numerous failures due to a certain number 23 playing in Cleveland colors, Toronto broke the curse. The Canadians were in the finals, but it was the Golden State Warriors, double defending champions, who stepped up aiming for a historic three-peat. But Kawhi Leonard couldn’t care less. The Raptors offered the world one of the most beautiful collective performances of all time in this series, marked by the blossoming of Fred VanVleet, the true X-factor of these Finals. Unfortunately, this final was somewhat marred by Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury in Game 5 and Klay Thompson’s torn ACL at the very end of Game 6 just when the Warriors could have forced a Game 7 in Toronto with a win. Nevertheless, the story remains beautiful. For his first season with his new team, Kawhi gave the Canadians the first title in franchise history (4-2), his second personally, all while being elected Finals MVP.

4.Miami Heat (2023)

Maybe not the most beautiful campaign, but surely the craziest. In 2023, Miami pulled off a real feat. On the verge of being eliminated during the play-in, Miami barely made it out, accessed the playoffs thanks to their 8th seed, and met the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. A confrontation that will go down in the annals. Jimmy Butler, the Floridian franchise player, jumped out of the box and delivered an insane series to eliminate Milwaukee, the second biggest favorite, in the very first round! He notably scored 96 points combined in Game 5 and 6 (we’ll let you enjoy those 3 minutes of G5, a true turning point of the series). Miami created an earthquake. Everyone was in shock, and the Heat kept their momentum going. In the conference semifinals, the Floridians eliminated the New York Knicks to rally to the Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. A powder-keg matchup between two teams known for not liking each other at all. And the least we can say is that it kept all its promises. While Miami led 3 games to 0, Jaylen Brown addressed the Heat players on the eve of Game 4 dropping this line: “Don’t let us get one.” And he was right. Winner of Game 4 on the Heat’s floor, Boston woke up and snatched a decisive Game 7 after a completely crazy Game 6, concluded by a Derrick White buzzer-beater. But, unfortunately for the C’s, the energy spent to catch up in the series proved fatal in Game 7. Miami managed to win in Massachusetts (4-3) and reached the NBA Finals for the second time in 4 seasons. However, the beautiful story ended there. Facing Denver Nuggets who were far too strong for the NBA this season, led by their fiery duo Jokic – Murray, Caleb Martin’s teammates completely unraveled and saw no light against the Colorado franchise (4-1). A run that nonetheless entered the history books, as the Floridian franchise became the second 8th-seeded team in its conference to join the NBA Finals in history… alongside the 1999 Knicks!

The most beautiful series in the history of Paris Basketball

Aaaaaaah, time to recall good memories. During the 2023/2024 playoffs, Paris surely experienced the most beautiful series in its history during the Betclic ELITE semifinals against ASVEL. While we had just eliminated Cholet Basket in the quarterfinals, the team from Villeurbanne stood in our path. A completely crazy series, which went to a decisive Game 5 to meet AS Monaco in the final. An ultimate showdown that will go down in French basketball history. While the two teams were neck and neck at the dawn of the final minute, Paris took a small three-point lead on free throws before following up with a huge defensive stop. 30 seconds to play, Paris ball. TJ Shorts let the clock run, then passed the rock to Nadir who pulled out a massive side-step from outer space to free himself for an open shot on the wing, but completely off-balance… You probably know the rest. Nadir scored and made the Adidas Arena rock in the most insane frenzy. A completely crazy end to the game punctuating one of the best series in the entire history of French basketball.