How long are the NBA playoffs? Exploring details of the format

The long 82-game NBA season is nearly at its conclusion, and the playoffs are right around the corner.

Load management and frustration with stars sitting out will stop as each game will be of heightened importance. The top 10 teams in each conference will have a chance to compete for it all, with the teams which finish between seventh and 10th place in each conference kicking things off in the play-in tournament.

The bottom five teams in each conference will be eliminated and turn their attention to the June 22 NBA draft and other offseason moves. The other 20 remaining teams will stay alive.

The play-in tournament will begin on Tuesday. The seventh and eighth seeds play each other, with the winner getting the No. 7 seed. The loser will play the winner of the game between the teams which finished ninth and 10th for the No. 8 seed.

The opening round of the playoffs will begin on April 15th.

Each seven-game series will take place from here, with the second round set to begin at the start of May. The conference finals are scheduled to begin on May 16, with the NBA Finals on pace for a June 1 start.

The playoffs will last through the middle of June with Game 7, if necessary, scheduled to wrap up on June 18. The NBA will also move up the timeline of the playoffs a few days if the opening series wraps up early.

Who will win the NBA playoffs?

The Milwaukee Bucks (58-22) enter the playoffs as the favorites to win the title at roughly +250 odds and hold the NBA's best record. The Boston Celtics (55-25) are next up at +350 odds.

In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns are the favorites to win the conference and come in third in title odds at +500. The Denver Nuggets have the fourth-best title odds at +800, while the Philadelphia 76ers round out the top five at +1000 odds.

The Western Conference race is still wide up open with only the top four seeds set in stone with roughly three games to play. Fifth through 10th place have yet to be determined, with only three of 15 teams eliminated from playoff contention.

It is at this point in the season in which everything is at stake and each team will attempt to seize the moment. The legacy of a number of players is set to change, and only one team will achieve its title goal.