How Many Games Are in the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals is the biggest stage of basketball, where two teams battle against one another for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. But how long will it take for them to decide the winner? To answer that, let’s take a look at how many games are in the NBA Finals.
The Standard Format
The standard format of the NBA Finals is a best-of-seven series. This means that if either team wins four games, they will be crowned the champions of the NBA. The games will be distributed as thus:
- Game 1: First team vs. Second team
- Game 2: Second Team vs. First Team
- Game 3: First Team vs. Second Team
- Game 4: Second Team vs. First Team
- Game 5 (if needed): First Team vs. Second Team
- Game 6 (if needed): Second Team vs. First Team
- Game 7 (if needed): First Team vs. Second Team
These games will be played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning that the first two and last two games are played at the home arena of the corresponding team. This is known as the home court advantage, which gives an edge to the team with the home court.
Playoffs and Tiebreaker Games
Sometimes a team will tie in the regular season in their division standings. In these cases, a tiebreaker game or two will be played to determine which team advances to the Playoffs. The Playoffs will consist of a series of games leading up to the Finals, and will be played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format just like the Finals. In total, there will be 8 to 16 Playoff games depending on if there are any tiebreaker games.
Total Games
The total number of games in the NBA Finals will thus be four to seven games, depending on if any tiebreaker games are necessary. The total ranging from 8 to 23 takes into account both the Playoff games and the Finals games. The amount of time needed for the NBA Finals to be completed will thus vary depending on how quickly the teams are able to win the four necessary games, but it typically takes two to four weeks.
That’s all there is to it! Now you know how many games are in the NBA Finals.
