How many games are in an NBA playoff first-round series?

Series Structure

The NBA first-round playoff series is a best-of-7 format, meaning the first team to win 4 games advances to the second round. The series does not always go the full 7 games. If one team wins 4 games before 7 games are played, the series ends immediately. For example, a series could end 4-0, 4-1, 4-2, or 4-3.

Home Court Advantage

The team with the better regular season record (higher seed) gets the home court advantage in the first round. This means they play more games at home. The standard game schedule follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning the higher-seeded team plays 2 games at home first, then the teams go to the lower-seeded team's home for 2 games, and if necessary, they alternate home games for the final 3 games.

Possible Game Outcomes

The shortest first-round series would be 4 games, if the higher-seeded team wins all 4 games (4-0 sweep). The longest possible series would be 7 games, if the teams split wins evenly until one team finally wins the series 4-3. Most first-round series last between 5-6 games on average.