Playoff example in NBA
How are playoffs decided?
Participants are divided into pairs based on the playoff regulations. Most often, the pairings depend on how the participants placed in the overall ranking or preliminary stage. For example, in the UEFA Champions League, a first-place team from one group faces a second-place team from another.
One or more matches are played to determine the winner of each pairing depending on the tournament format.
Playoffs in different sports
How playoffs work varies by sport.
Football playoff
In football, playoffs are an obligatory part of international cup tournaments for national teams and clubs. A group stage is held before the elimination games, with teams are divided into several groups of four. The top performers make it to the playoffs, and the lesser teams are eliminated or drop into a less prestigious tournament.
In the Champions League, the top two teams advance to the playoffs. The third team plays playoff games to make it into the Europa League, and the fourth team wraps up its time in European cups.
Depending on the tournament, teams play one or two matches in the playoff stage.
- World and European Championships use a system of 1 game playoffs.
- 2-match playoffs form part of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, where the team that scores more advances to the next round. If there's no winner, then the referee adds extra time, then a penalty shootout.
At the national level, playoffs are a part of cup competitions, like the DFB or FA Cup. They do not have a group stage, and teams are distributed according to the tournament bracket in the league they play in. For example, in the FA Cup, teams from lower divisions start in qualifying rounds, while Premier League clubs start from the 1/32 finals.
Playoffs are rare in national championships. One exception is the American MLS. First, teams play a regular round robin with points for wins and draws. Then when all the matches are completed, the top 12 clubs start the playoff series. This system is identical to hockey tournaments.
The English Championship is a hybrid. Teams from the first two places go directly to the Premier League, and third place goes to the winner of a playoff between the 3rd-6th place teams.
Hockey and basketball playoff
All popular hockey and basketball tournaments are held in two stages: the regular season and playoffs. Playoff participants are based on team performance during the regular hockey season. Elimination games are played up to several wins. The first team to reach the required number of wins advances to the next stage, and the losing team is eliminated. For example, in the KHL, NHL and NBA, teams play up to four wins, and in the Czech hockey championship, they play up to three or four, depending on the stage.
Difference between playoffs and regular season
Tennis
All major tennis tournaments are held as playoffs. The tournament grid is formed based on the athlete's place in the overall rating of the federation: the ATP for men, and WTA for women.
Why are playoffs needed?
The Olympic system makes tournaments more interesting to watch.
Playoffs add excitement to tournaments. The cost of defeat is higher, and teams are at risk of being eliminated in every game. Therefore, in playoff tournaments, there are fewer matches where teams play without motivation.Elimination games help average-performing participants a chance to advance further. One or two matches is not very many, and even an average team can come together and beat a stronger opponent. Therefore, in tournaments with playoffs, upsets are common.
In national championships, where playoffs start after the regular stage, there is more unpredictability. The leader during the regular stage does not guarantee themselves the gold, as they can play poorly in the playoffs and be eliminated quickly.
Playoffs limit the number of eliminations.
For example, in the MLS, teams are divided into conferences based on their home city. During the regular season, clubs often play with teams from their own conference so they do not have to make long trips from one side of the country to the other. The best teams from each conference compete for places in the playoffs.What's the difference between a playoff and play-in?
A play-in is a playoff where the winners make it to the playoffs.
The term is used mainly in basketball. The play-in was introduced in the NBA after the resumption of the 2019/20 season was interrupted due to COVID-19. Organisers were faced with a problem: due to the pandemic, there were fewer matches in the regular season, so they had to make sure teams were fairly distributed in the playoffs. So they held a play-in between teams from the 8th and 9th places. After the initial success, they decided to keep the play-in as part of the NBA.
In the 2020/21 season, 8 Western and Eastern conference teams from 7th to 10th places participated in the play-in.In football, there are play-ins in two European international tournaments: the Europa League and Conference League. For example, teams that finish third in the Champions League play clubs from second place in the Europa League group stage. The winners make it to the 1/8 finals of the EL, and the losers are eliminated from European cups.