The winner will take on either the Dallas Mavericks or the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, with Dallas currently holding a 3-2 lead over OKC. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics await their opponent for the East finals after eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference finals for the third consecutive season following their 4-1 series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Who gets to face Boston next? Either the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers.

Each team must win their best-of-7 series to advance. All four rounds of the NBA playoffs are best-of-7, and teams are not reseeded after each round. The team with the better regular-season record in each series will have home court advantage for that series.

Both conferences conduct the playoffs in the traditional bracket format. All rounds are best-of-seven series. Series are played in the 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while their opponent hosts games 3, 4, and 6, with games 5, 6 and 7 being played if needed.