NBA PLAYOFF SIMULATOR
Take our projected seeds or set your own, then play the 2027 play-in and playoffs game by game with real rosters.
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What a simulated postseason looks like
Every play-in game and every game of every series runs through the same possession-by-possession engine as the NBA game simulator, with the 2026-27 rosters. No series is settled by one weighted coin, so it turns on the things that turn real ones: a cold shooting night, a star in foul trouble, Game 7 on the road.
We played 120 brackets from the October 2026 projection to see how it behaves. The higher seed won 70% of first-round series. A No. 8 knocked out a No. 1 nineteen times in 240 tries, about 8%; the NBA has seen it six times since the field went to 16 teams in 1984. A No. 1 seed won the title in 81 of the 120 runs, the Thunder in 50.
Playoff games are played the way coaches play them: nine-man rotations, about three more minutes for starters, slower and tighter games, louder buildings and more shots for the stars. Game 7s go eight deep. Home court is 2-2-1-1-1, and the Finals open in the building of the team with the better record.
Seeding the bracket
The default seeds come from our 2026-27 projection, the one behind the season simulator and the draft lottery simulator: the 82-game schedule played several times by the engine with current rosters. Seeds 7 to 10 go to the play-in.
Until the play-in tips off you can tap any seed and put another team from that conference there; a team already in the bracket trades places with it. Random season reseeds from one quick simulated year instead. Every result comes from a seed number, so a shared link replays the same bracket and each Watch link replays that exact game.
Odds from 1,000 playoffs uses whatever seeds are on the board and a quick model fitted to the engine's projected records.
Projected 2027 NBA playoff bracket
Seeds from our 2026-27 projection (updated 12 October 2026). * = decided in the play-in.
East
- 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs 8* Miami Heat
- 4 Boston Celtics vs 5 Philadelphia 76ers
- 3 Detroit Pistons vs 6 Orlando Magic
- 2 New York Knicks vs 7* Toronto Raptors
Play-in: Raptors vs Heat for the 7 seed; Hornets vs Wizards, winner plays the 7-8 loser for the 8 seed.
West
- 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 8* Minnesota Timberwolves
- 4 San Antonio Spurs vs 5 Los Angeles Lakers
- 3 Houston Rockets vs 6 Golden State Warriors
- 2 Denver Nuggets vs 7* Memphis Grizzlies
Play-in: Grizzlies vs Timberwolves for the 7 seed; Trail Blazers vs Suns, winner plays the 7-8 loser for the 8 seed.
2027 NBA playoff odds
From 20,000 simulated play-ins and playoffs starting from the projected seeds above.
| Team | Seed | Make playoffs | Conf. finals | Finals | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Thunder | W1 | 100% | 76% | 54% | 42% |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | E1 | 100% | 63% | 46% | 20% |
| Denver Nuggets | W2 | 100% | 46% | 18% | 11% |
| Houston Rockets | W3 | 100% | 42% | 17% | 10% |
| New York Knicks | E2 | 100% | 37% | 15% | 3.9% |
| Detroit Pistons | E3 | 100% | 34% | 13% | 3.7% |
| San Antonio Spurs | W4 | 100% | 14% | 5.8% | 2.5% |
| Boston Celtics | E4 | 100% | 16% | 7.9% | 1.8% |
| Philadelphia 76ers | E5 | 100% | 16% | 7.8% | 1.7% |
| Los Angeles Lakers | W5 | 100% | 7.6% | 2.5% | 1.0% |
| Orlando Magic | E6 | 100% | 17% | 5.1% | 1.0% |
| Toronto Raptors | E7 | 81% | 9.2% | 2.5% | 0.5% |
| Golden State Warriors | W6 | 100% | 6.8% | 1.3% | 0.4% |
| Memphis Grizzlies | W7 | 82% | 3.9% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| Miami Heat | E8 | 76% | 5.9% | 1.7% | 0.2% |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | W8 | 77% | 3.0% | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Charlotte Hornets | E9 | 25% | 1.2% | 0.4% | <0.1% |
| Washington Wizards | E10 | 18% | 0.5% | 0.1% | <0.1% |
| Phoenix Suns | W10 | 19% | 0.2% | <0.1% | <0.1% |
| Portland Trail Blazers | W9 | 22% | 0.3% | <0.1% | <0.1% |
FAQ
How does the play-in tournament work?
In each conference the 7 seed hosts the 8 seed and the winner is the 7 seed. The 9 seed hosts the 10 seed and the loser goes home. The loser of 7 vs 8 then hosts the winner of 9 vs 10, and that winner is the 8 seed.
Who has home court in the Finals?
The team with the better regular-season record, whatever its seed. With projected seeds that is the projected record shown next to each team; with random-season seeds it is the record from that season.
Are injuries part of the simulation?
No. Every player is available for every game, so a bracket shows how the rosters match up at full strength. To test a star playing hurt or a mid-game injury, open one matchup in the game simulator and use its game conditions.
Is this the real 2027 playoff bracket?
Not yet. The 2026-27 season has not been played, so the seeds are our projection. They will move to the real standings once the season is under way.
Can I watch a playoff game?
Yes. Open a series to see every score, then press Watch to replay that exact game in the game simulator with its box score and key plays.
Is the NBA playoff simulator free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no sign-up. It is an independent fan tool, not affiliated with the NBA, and the results are for fun, not betting.