The decisive phase begins in the NBA on Saturday. We answer the most important questions about the start of the playoffs in the best basketball league in the world.
Who is the big favorite for the title?
The Boston Celtics, as defending champions, will again be one of the great candidates for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy this year. The experiences of the previous years help, but a disadvantage could be that the Celtics are dependent on their class beyond the triple line. In the final rounds, the opponents no longer give as much room for litters from a distance as in the many regular season.
The second top favorite are the Oklahoma City Thunder with the German Center Isaiah Hartenstein. The highly talented team has developed into a top team in recent years, has become significantly stronger after reaching the conference semi-final last year. “OKC” has both an MVP candidate with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an excellent mix in a team with strong shooters, good defenders and stability under the basket.
Are the Los Angeles Lakers ripe for the championship?
Luka Doncic and LeBron James are perhaps the best duo of the league, but it is questionable whether they are already so well recorded that they can already lead to the title. Doncic is getting better and better in his new team after his spectacular trade (came in exchange against Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks), but there are still voting difficulties – although Doncic and James in particular always provide highlights.
However, both are also known for being able to be able to play very special achievements in the decisive games. Doncic and James were also mainly responsible for ensuring that the Lakers secured third place with four wins from five games in the NBA end sprint in the strong west. With the Minnesota Timberwolves around superstar Anthony Edwards, Los Angeles awaits a real hard chunk – clear it out of the way, everything is possible.
Which team can cause a surprise?
The experts in the United States still trust the Golden State Warriors, who had to qualify over the play-ins, a lot-especially since top player Stephen Curry got the side with Jimmy Butler (came from the Miami Heat) a real playoff specialist. However, there is a team that does not all have on the piece of paper that is even higher with the US commentators: the Los Angeles Clippers.
With eight wins in a row, the city rival of the Lakers in the final sprint has secured the direct ticket for the playoffs and goes to them as the most formed team in the NBA. This is mainly due to the fact that superstar Kawhi Leonard is again in outstanding constitution after his lengthy injury problems, from which his co-star James Harden also benefits. In addition, Ivica Zubac (16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds on average) and Norman Powell (21.8 points) play the best season of their career by far.
What opportunities do the Wagner brothers and Dennis Schröder have?
Schröder found his luck with the Detroit Pistons after his trade theater (four changes in 24 hours). The captain of the German national team plays an important role in one of the most interesting teams in the NBA – however, the team’s great talent should not be enough to get particularly far. Experience is missing and achieving the playoffs (for the first time since 2019) is a great success. The pistons could be expected again in the coming years.
Dennis Schröder has been playing at the Detroit Pistons since February 2025.
The Orlando Magic around Franz Wagner and his injured brother Moritz (cannot play because of a cruciate ligament tear in the playoffs) caused a sensation with their strong performance in the play-ins against the Atlanta Hawks (120: 95) and impressively secured their place in the final rounds. There is now a duel with the Boston Celtics, in which the Magic are very clear outsiders. To survive this round, a lot has to come together.
How many victories does a team need for the triumph?
Before the NBA finals there are still three rounds in which the teams, who won the first four games of their duel (Best of 7), prevail. After the 82 games in the regular season, the teams in the playoffs have to adjust to up to 28 more games, whoever wins 16 of them, can ultimately put the trophy in the air.
When do the respective rounds take place?
On Saturday (April 19, 2025) the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers open the NBA playoffs, on the 5th/6th May then the second round is scheduled. The two winners in the west and east will be from 20./21. May determined in the Conference Finals, which will take place up to seven endgames for the title from June 5th to 22nd.
The dates of the NBA finals:
- Game 1: June 5, 2025
- Game 2: June 8, 2025
- Game 3: June 11, 2025
- Game 4: June 13, 2025
- Game 5: June 16, 2025
- Game 6: June 19, 2025
- Game 7: June 22, 2025
The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy
Can you see the games live on TV?
In Germany, games on TV on ProSieben Maxx are transferred on weekends and in the live stream on ran.de. The streaming service DAZN shows one game a night a night in the first two playoff rounds in the first two playoff rounds, from the Conference Finals all games. There is also the possibility to look at the entire playoffs via the NBA League Pass.