Before the start of the play-offs, the seventh and eighth seeds are determined in the NBA play-in tournament. Here is how many teams are participating in this competition.
There’s about a month left in the 2022-23 NBA regular season, which means the focus will shift to the playoffs. From there, eight teams from each conference will compete for a spot in the NBA Finals. Then, they will face the champion of the opposing conference during the NBA Finals, to try to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.
It’s no longer the top eight teams in each conference that make the NBA playoffs. Rather, it’s the top six, while the No. 7 and 8 seeds are determined in the NBA Prep Tournament.
For those wondering how many teams will fight for the seventh and eighth seeds, we have the answer for you.
How many teams will participate in the NBA qualifying tournament?
The teams that placed 7th through 10th in each conference will participate in the four-team play-off tournament.
The winner of the matchup between the 7th and 8th teams will be the seventh seed in their respective conference. As for match n°9 against n°10, the winner will be opposed to the loser of match n°7 against n°8. The winner of this game will be the eighth seed in their respective conference.
After the qualifying tournament is complete, the No. 7 seed will face the No. 2 seed and the No. 8 seed will face the No. 1 seed from their respective conference in the first round.
Since the four-team play-off tournament format came into effect in the 2020-21 season, none of those who got the No. 7 and 8 seeds have ever made it past the first round.
For the 2022-23 season, the play-in tournament officially begins on April 11 and ends on April 14, which is between the end of the regular season and the start of the NBA Playoffs.
