With the completion of the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend, players and teams are preparing for the season's stretch run. We're now less than two months away from the postseason of the league's landmark 75th season.
How will things pan out? When do the 2022 NBA Playoffs begin? Find the answers to these questions below.
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When do the 2022 NBA Playoffs start?
The 2022 NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 16.
Before the playoffs get underway, the Play-In Tournament that decides the final two playoff teams in each conference will be held from April 12-15. This will be the third consecutive season that the NBA will conduct a Play-In Tournament, after first introducing the concept in the NBA "bubble" prior to the 2020 postseason.
The 2022 NBA Playoffs will be the first postseason since 2019 to begin in mid-April after beginning in October in 2020 and mid-May in 2021.
Projected playoff standings
At the 2022 NBA All-Star break, every team has played at least 57 games. To take a look at the standings in each conference at the break, click here.
Per ESPN's NBA BPI Playoff Odds, which estimate the likelihood for each team to make the playoffs and win the NBA title, here's how each conference is projected to look at the end of the 2021-22 regular season.
Eastern Conference
The most interesting projection in ESPN's NBA BPI Playoff Odds is the Celtics' title odds.
Boston's 14.0 percent title odds are second only to Phoenix's 17.8 percent and lead the East despite the Celtics being sixth in the standings. A huge reason for this is the team's recent form. At the All-Star break, Boston is one of the hottest teams in the league, having won nine of its last 10 and 16 of its last 21.
The projections see the Celtics going 14-8 over their remaining 22 games and potentially jumping from the sixth seed to third.
| Team | Projected Record | Record, seed as of Feb. 23 | Playoff odds | Title odds | |
| 1. | Miami Heat | 53-29 | 38-21, 1st | >99.9% | 10.0% |
| 2. | Chicago Bulls | 49-33 | 38-21, 2nd | 99.0% | 3.0% |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 49-33 | 36-24, 5th | 98.6% | 7.5% | |
| 4. | Philadelphia 76ers | 48-34 | 35-23, 3rd | 97.6% | 4.2% |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 48-34 | 35-23, 4th | 96.3% | 2.1% | |
| Boston Celtics | 48-34 | 34-26, 6th | 99.0% | 14.0% | |
| 7. | Toronto Raptors | 45-37 | 32-25, 7th | 86.1% | 2.3% |
| 8. | Brooklyn Nets | 42-40 | 31-28, 8th | 56.2% | 1.0% |
| 9. | Atlanta Hawks | 41-41 | 28-30, 10th | 40.8% | 0.8% |
| 10. | Charlotte Hornets | 39-43 | 29-31, 9th | 21.1% | 0.2% |
| 11. | Washington Wizards | 37-45 | 27-31, 11th | 4.4% | <0.1% |
| 12. | New York Knicks | 34-48 | 25-34, 12th | 0.9% | |
| 13. | Indiana Pacers | 30-52 | 20-40, 13th | <0.1% | |
| 14. | Orlando Magic | 22-60 | 13-47, 15th | ||
| 15. | Detroit Pistons | 21-61 | 13-45, 14th |
Western Conference
Despite being the second seed in the West at the break, the Warriors have the sixth-best title odds per ESPN's NBA BPI Playoff Odds, with the Suns, Jazz, Grizzlies, Nuggets and Mavericks ranking above them.
Utah, which went 8-12 in the 20 games leading into the All-Star break, not only has the second-best title odds in the West but the third-best overall at 7.9 percent.
| Team | Projected Record | Record, seed as of Feb. 23 | Playoff Odds | Title odds | |
| 1. | Phoenix Suns | 64-18 | 48-10, 1st | >99.9% | 17.8% |
| 2. | Golden State Warriors | 54-28 | 42-17, 2nd | >99.9% | 4.7% |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 54-28 | 41-19, 3rd | >99.9% | 7.2% | |
| 4. | Utah Jazz | 50-32 | 36-22, 4th | >99.9% | 7.9% |
| 5. | Denver Nuggets | 49-33 | 33-25, 6th | 99.4% | 7.7% |
| 6. | Dallas Mavericks | 48-34 | 35-24, 5th | 99.2% | 5.1% |
| 7. | Minnesota Timberwolves | 43-39 | 31-28, 7th | 78.8% | 1.5% |
| 8. | LA Clippers | 41-41 | 30-31, 8th | 75.4% | 2.6% |
| 9. | Los Angeles Lakers | 38-44 | 27-31, 9th | 26.8% | 0.3% |
| 10. | Portland Trail Blazers | 35-47 | 25-34, 10th | 5.1% | <0.1% |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 35-47 | 23-36, 12th | 9.2% | 0.1% | |
| 12. | San Antonio Spurs | 34-48 | 23-36, 11th | 6.0% | <0.1% |
| 13. | Sacramento Kings | 30-52 | 22-38, 13th | 0.2% | |
| 14. | Oklahoma City Thunder | 26-56 | 18-40, 14th | <0.1% | |
| 15. | Houston Rockets | 23-59 | 15-43, 15th |
The other noticeable takeaway is the Pelicans. Currently 12th, the Pelicans have the best odds among the Trail Blazers and the Spurs to seal the 10th spot, the final seed to qualify for the Play-In Tournament.
