The 2025 NBA playoffs are here, the full first-round schedule is set and the best-of-seven series are kicking off on Saturday. Sixteen teams remain in the playoff picture as the Heat and Grizzlies claimed the No. 8 seeds in the East and West, respectively, on Friday in the Play-In Tournament. Four first-round series get started today: Pacers vs. Bucks, Nuggets vs. Clippers, Knicks vs. Pistons and Lakers vs. Timberwolves.The other four series -- Thunder vs. Grizzlies, Celtics vs. Magic, Cavaliers vs. Heat and Rockets vs. Warriors -- will play Game 1 on Sunday.The postseason has become the NBA's second season. All of the drama from the 2024-25 NBA regular season -- the blockbuster trades, the stunning coach firings, the social media and player podcast feuds, the increasingly dangerous celebrations of Ja Morant -- is in the rearview mirror. It was just prologue, the setup before the real story began. Now we're here. The 2025 NBA playoffs are at hand, and they're primed to be some of the most competitive the league has seen in quite some time. The field, at least for now, is reasonably healthy. Aside from the ones that have missed most of the year (sorry, Philadelphia), the stars are seemingly ready to go. The standings were as tight as ever. Entering the final week, there was a five-way tie in the Western Conference standings. Clippers vs. Warriors was the final game of the regular season, and it sent Los Angeles to the playoffs and Golden State to the play-in.While a few obvious favorites stand out, the playoff field is, generally, pretty open. You could talk yourself into eight or nine legitimate contenders. The Thunder (who are the championship favorites with +180 odds at FanDuel) and Cavaliers were the two best teams all season long, but the Celtics enter the postseason as the reigning champs.In the coming weeks, the field will be whittled down to the best of the best. We'll be with you every step of the way. Below is the schedule for the 2025 NBA playoffs.
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