Playoff format: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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Like the NFL, the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL) also uses one-game single-elimination playoffs, and has used them almost exclusively since the 1973 season. In the CFL, six teams qualify for the playoffs, divided into two divisional brackets of three teams each.{{efn|name=CFL}} The second-place teams in each division host the division semi-final, while the division winners each receive a bye to the division final. The division final winners play in the [[Grey Cup]]. The only exception to a strict single-elimination format since the early 1970s was in 1986 (for that season only), when the league amended its playoff format to allow a fourth-place team in one division to qualify in place of a third-place team with a worse record. That year, when only two [[Canadian Football League East Division|East Division]] teams qualified—compared to four [[Canadian Football League West Division|Western]] teams{{mdash}}the rules mandated the two Eastern teams play a two-game total-points series over two weekends (the two-game total point series was used as the CFL's playoff format prior to 1973), while the four Western teams played a single-elimination playoff over the same timeframe. The CFL eventually amended this format into the present "crossover rule" in 1997 so as to allow a qualifying fourth-place team to compete as the third-place team in the other divisional bracket, thereby preserving the first-place byes.
In both the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|men's]] and [[NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|women's]] [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[college basketball]] tournaments, there are 68 teams seeded into four brackets of 16 teams each. Prior to the first round, eight teams (4 No. 16 seeds and 4 other seeds) play a play-in game to gain entry into the "main" bracket. In the first round, the No. 1 team plays the No. 16, the No. 2 plays the No. 15, and so on. Theoretically, if a higher-ranked team always beats a lower-ranked team, the second game will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.; the third will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 4, No. 2 vs. No. 3; the fourth will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 2. The brackets are fixed, meaning teams are not re-seeded between rounds.
[[Major League Baseball]] expanded its [[Major League Baseball postseason|playoffs]] in 2022, going from 10 teams to 12 by adding a third wild-card team in each league ([[American League|AL]] and [[National League (baseball)|NL]]). The division winner with the worst record & three wild-card teams now play a best-of-three wild-card series at the higher seed (third game if needed) to determine which clubs advance to the best-of-five division series to meet the two teams with the best overall records in their respective league.
In both the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|men's]] and [[NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|women's]] [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[college basketball]] tournaments, 68 teams are seeded into four brackets of 17 teams each. There's a play-in game before the first round involving No. 16 hosting No. 17. In the first round, the No. 1 team plays the Nos. 16-17 winner in each bracket, the No. 2 plays the No. 15, and so on. Theoretically, if a higher-ranked team always beats a lower-ranked team, the second game will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.; the third will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 4, No. 2 vs. No. 3; the fourth will be arranged No. 1 vs. No. 2. The brackets are fixed, meaning teams are not re-seeded between rounds.
In [[association football]], the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] uses single-elimination knockout rounds after a round-robin group stage. The [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] and [[Europa League]] do the same, except each single-elimination round consists of a [[two-legged tie]], with the winner determined by [[Playoff format#Total points series (aggregate)|aggregate score]]. Most European domestic cups (e.g. the [[FA Cup]] in England or the [[DFB-Pokal]] in Germany) use hybrid systems with various round-robin and single-elimination stages. [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) uses a single-elimination format for their [[MLS Cup Playoffs|playoffs]]; since [[2023 Major League Soccer season|2023]], all rounds are conducted as single games, except the conference quarterfinals, which is best-of-three series. [[Liga MX]] in [[Mexico]], which splits its season into [[Apertura and Clausura|two phases]], uses playoffs known as the ''Liguilla'' to determine the champions of each phase. Unlike the MLS system, all ''Liguilla'' matches are two-legged ties. [[Australia]]'s [[A-League]] introduced a six-team knockout playoff, known locally as a "finals series", in the [[2012–13 A-League|2012–13 season]]. Unlike the MLS playoffs or Liga MX ''Liguilla'', the A-League finals series uses one-off matches throughout, culminating in the [[A-League Grand Final]]. This format is a departure from norms in football codes in Australia; previously, the A-League used a [[#Top six system|hybrid elimination system]] that allowed top teams in the regular season to lose one finals match but still win the tournament. The [[Philippines Football League]]'s inaugural [[2017 Philippines Football League|2017 season]] also featured a playoff finals known as the final series.<ref name=finalized>{{cite web |title=PFL Finals Series Cast Finalized |url=http://pff.org.ph/2017/11/29/pfl-finals-series-cast-finalized/ |publisher=Philippine Football Federation |access-date=July 10, 2020 |date=November 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122115544/http://pff.org.ph/2017/11/29/pfl-finals-series-cast-finalized/ |archive-date=January 22, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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* Final: Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2
Although the [[Indian Super League]] follows the [[UEFA champions league]] style of two legs in their semi finals.
The [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]], since 2022, does their playoffs this way: the top eight clubs, no matter the conference, qualify. The quarterfinals are best-of-three and in a 2–1 format; thereafter, all rounds are best-of-five in a 2–2–1 format.
===Example===
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==Stepladder==
The "stepladder", named because the bracket resembles a [[step ladder]], is a variation of the single-elimination tournament; instead of the No. 1 seed facing the No. 16 seed in the first round, the bracket is constructed to give the higher seeded teams [[bye (sports)|bye]]s, where the No. 1 seed has bye up to the third (or fourth) round, playing the winner of game between the No. 8 seed and the No. 9-versus-No. 16 winner. This setup is seldom used in a best-of-''x'' series, as it may yield long waits for the teams winning the bye, while the teams that played in the earlier rounds would be spent when they reach the later rounds.
===In sports leagues===
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The video game [[League of Legends]] has a competition that often uses the stepladder system. The [[League of Legends Pro League]] uses a double stepladder for its playoffs, giving the first seeds of each conference (Western and Eastern) a bye to the semifinals, the second seeds of each conference a bye to the quarterfinals, and the third seeds a one-game advantage against the fourth seeds in the first round. The [[League of Legends Pro League]], [[League of Legends Championship Series]] and [[League of Legends Master Series]] also use a stepladder bracket (in this case referred to as "The Gauntlet") to determine each league's third representative at the [[League of Legends World Championship]].
The video game ''[[Rocket League]]'' had a competition that used the stepladder system. The [[Rocket League Championship Series]] (RLCS) Winter Split in the 2022–23 season used a [[Round-robin tournament|Round Robin]] group stage where places 2 and 3 would go to round 1 of the [[playoffs]], while first place would go to the quarterfinals. The RLCS Season 8 World Championship also used a stepladder bracket. There were 2 groups of 6, and they were [[double elimination]]. The groups were also stepladders. 4 teams started in the Winner's Quarterfinal, while 2 teams started in the Winnerwinner's Semifinalsemifinal. If a team won the Winnerwinner's Finalfinal, they went to the semifinal of the playoffs. If they got second (by losing the Winnerwinner's Finalfinal), or won the Loserloser's Finalfinal, they would go to the quarterfinal.
=== Example ===
TheSee [[2023 BigWest EastCoast Conference men's basketball tournament]]:
{{10TeamBracket-StepladderToSF
{{8TeamBracket-Stepladder
| RD1='''First round''' <br/>Sunday Thursday, SeptemberMarch 10,2 2023
| RD2='''QuarterfinalsSecond round''' <br/>Monday Friday, SeptemberMarch 11,3 2023
| RD3='''SemifinalsThird round''' <br/>Tuesday Saturday, SeptemberMarch 12,4 2023
| RD4='''FinalSemifinals''' <br/>Wednesday Monday, SeptemberMarch 6 2023
| RD5='''Championship''' <br/> Tuesday, March 7
| RD1-seed02seed01=168
| RD1-team01='''Portland'''
| RD1-team02=[[DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball|DePaul]]
| RD1-score02score01=67'''92'''
| RD1-seed01seed02=9
| RD1-team02=San Diego
| RD1-team01='''[[2011–12 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]'''
| RD1-score01score02='''81'''74
| RD1-seed04=12
| RD1-team04= [[2011–12 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team|St. John's]]
| RD1-score04=59
| RD1-seed03=13
| RD1-team03= '''[[2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team|Pittsburgh]]'''
| RD1-score03='''73'''
| RD2RD1-seed02seed3=97
| RD2RD1-team02team3='''ConnecticutPacific'''
| RD2RD1-score02score3='''7184'''
| RD1-seed4=10
| RD2-score01=67<sup>OT</sup>
| RD1-team4=Pepperdine
| RD2-seed01=8
| RD1-score4=71
| RD2-team01=[[2011–12 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team|West Virginia]]
| RD2-seed04=13
| RD2-team04=Pittsburgh
| RD2-score04=52
| RD2-seed03=5
| RD2-team03=#13 '''[[2011–12 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team|Georgetown]]'''
| RD2-score03='''64'''
| RD3RD2-seed02seed01=95
| RD2-team01='''BYU'''
| RD3-team02=Connecticut
| RD2-score01='''82'''
| RD3-score02=55
| RD3RD2-seed01seed02=1 8
| RD2-team02=Portland
| RD3-team01=#2 '''[[2011–12 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team|Syracuse]]'''
| RD2-score02=71
| RD3-score01='''58'''
| RD3-seed04=5
| RD2-seed3=6
| RD3-team04=#13 Georgetown
| RD2-team3='''San Francisco'''
| RD3-score04=70
| RD2-score3='''80'''
| RD3-seed03=4
| RD2-seed4=7
| RD3-team03= '''[[2011–12 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team|Cincinnati]]'''
| RD2-team4=Pacific
| RD3-score03='''72'''<sup>2OT</sup>
| RD2-score4=63
| RD3-seed01=4
| RD3-team01=Loyola Marymount
| RD3-score01=63
| RD3-seed02=5
| RD3-team02='''BYU'''
| RD3-score02='''73'''
| RD3-seed03=3
| RD3-team03=Santa Clara
| RD3-score03=87
| RD3-seed04=6
| RD3-team04='''San Francisco'''
| RD3-score04='''93*'''
| RD4-seed01=1
| RD4-team01=#2'''Saint SyracuseMary’s'''
| RD4-score01=68'''76'''
| RD4-seed02=45
| RD4-team02='''Cincinnati'''BYU
| RD4-score02='''71'''69
| RD4-seed03=2
| RD4-team03='''Gonzaga'''
| RD4-score03='''84'''
| RD4-seed04=6
| RD4-team04=San Francisco
| RD4-score04=73
| RD5-seed01=1
| RD5-team01=Saint Mary's
| RD5-score01=51
| RD5-seed02=2
| RD5-team02='''Gonzaga'''
| RD5-score02='''77'''
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> denotes overtime period
==Double elimination==
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}}
===Top -five system===
{{main|Top -five play-offs}}
McIntyre's first modification was an expansion to five teams. In this format, the first-round matches No. 2 v No. 3 and No. 4 v No. 5, with the No. 1 seed receiving a bye into the second round. The 4–5 match is played to eliminate one team, while the 2–3 match is played to determine which match they will play in the second round.
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The [[SANFL]] is the only league using this system today, it has been used in the past by the VFL and several rugby league competitions, most notably the short-lived [[Super League (Australia)|Super League]] of Australia and the present-day [[Super League]] in the UK and France. Many lower-level leagues in both Australian rules and rugby league still use the system.
A variation of the five -team playoff system has been used by the [[Big Bash League]] since its [[2019–20 Big Bash League season|2019-20 seaeson]]. In the first round, the fourth- and fifth-ranked teams play each other and the winner goes to the next round as fourth while the loser is eliminated. Then, four-way playoffs will start (1 vs 2 and 3 vs winner 4–5 match.)
====Example====
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==Best-of formats==
The "best-of" formats refer to a head-to-head competition where the two competitors compete to first win the majority of the games allotted to win the "series". If a competitor wins a majority of the games, the remaining games are not played (unless the maximum number of games in the series are played). This is a modification of the single-elimination tournament to allow more matches to be held. Moreover, if it can be said that if one competitor has a higher probability of winning a single game (and game results are [[i.i.d.]]), the likelihood that this competitor wins the series increases when more games are played. For example, if team A has a 70% chance of defeating team B in a single game, its probability of winning a best-of-three series against B is 78.4%, and its probability of winning a best-of-seven series is about 87.4%.
===One win advantage===
In a modification of the best-of-three, -five, or -seven game format, leagues may award a ''one win advantage'' where the higher seed has the advantage, where the team with this advantage needs to win one less game than their opponent to advance. In essence, one team is given a ''de facto'' 1–0 lead in a playoff series. This format is prominently used in the [[Philippines]], where it is commonly known as the "twice-to-beat advantage". It was first applied in the finals of the scholastic [[UAAP Basketball Championship|UAAP basketball]] and [[UAAP Volleyball Championship|volleyball championships]] in 1979. It has been applied to the UAAP's semifinals since 1994, and was later adopted by their [[National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines)|NCAA counterparts]] and other associations in their mandatory scholastic competitions. The professional [[Philippine Basketball Association]], its semi-professional [[PBA D-League|D-League]], volleyball's [[Premier Volleyball League]] and the inactive [[Philippine Super Liga]] have adopted the format for the quarterfinal rounds of their conference playoffs.
An amendment to the UAAP rules in 2008 gave the undefeated team (the team that won all group-stage games) a [[bye (sport)|bye]] up to the finals, possessing an automatic 1–0 lead in a best-of-five series, or a beat ''three-times-to-beat advantage''. The "twice-to-beat advantage" was adopted by the Philippine NCAA in 2009 for the undefeated team that had a finals berth, but would be abolished by both leagues in 2016, wherein the finals was played in a regular best-of-three format.
A similar situation also existed in later versions of the [[Argus finals system]] used commonly in [[Australian rules football]] competitions in the early part of the 20th century: later versions of the system had a right of challenge for the minor premier (the team on top of the ladder) if they lost the Semi-Final or the Final, meaning that the minor premier had to be beaten twice for another team to win the premiership. In the event that the same team played the minor premier in the Semi-Final or the Final and in the Grand Final, the right of challenge became equivalent to the minor premier holding a 1–0 lead in a best-of-three series.
In [[Nippon Professional Baseball]], the [[Climax Series]] second stage, where the top team in the regular season faces the winner of the playoff between the second and third place teams, uses a one-win advantage for a six-game playoff (which is a best-of-seven). In this case, the top seed needs only to win three games, while the lower seed must win four games to advance to the [[Japan Series]].
In the [[KBO League]] in South Korean baseball, the No. 4 team in the Wild Card game, or the first round of its postseason, has 1–0 lead in the best-of-three series, and can advance with a single win or tie, while the No. 5 team has to win twice in order to advance.
Described as a "best-of-two" series in the resumption of the [[2019–20 NBA season]], if the ninth-ranked team is within four [[games behind]] the eighth-ranked team after the seeding games are done, [[play-in game]]s will be held between the two teams. Here, the eighth-ranked team has to win just once while the ninth-ranked team has to beat the eighth-ranked team twice in a row to qualify to the playoffs proper.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NBA bubble, explained: A complete guide to the rules, teams, schedule & more for Orlando games|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/nba-bubble-rules-teams-schedule-orlando/11mh3awdx9uh1xo1lmvr8c8xr|access-date=August 1, 2020|website=www.sportingnews.com|language=en-ca}}</ref> The [[Memphis Grizzlies]] finishing ninth, half-a-game behind the [[Portland Trail Blazers]], necessitated the play-in game.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 14, 2020|title=Dame, Blazers survive Nets to nab play-in berth|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29658229/damian-lillard-trail-blazers-escape-win-vs-nets-reach-play-round|access-date=August 15, 2020|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Loop |first=Nate |title=NBA Playoffs 2020: Grizzlies vs. Blazers Play-In Game Schedule, Live Stream |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2904720-nba-playoffs-2020-grizzlies-vs-blazers-play-in-game-schedule-live-stream |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Jonathan |date=2020-08-13 |title=NBA Play-in Game Rules: How Does Playoff Tournament Work in Bubble? |url=https://heavy.com/sports/2020/08/nba-play-in-game-tournament-rules-bubble-playoff/ |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Heavy.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Jonathan |date=2020-08-15 |title=NBA Play-in Game: What Happens if Blazers-Grizzlies Win or Lose? |url=https://heavy.com/sports/2020/08/nba-play-in-game-grizzlies-blazers-lose-win/ |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Heavy.com}}</ref> The Blazers eliminated the Grizzlies in game one to advance to the playoffs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers - Game Recap - August 15, 2020|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401236333|access-date=August 15, 2020|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref>
===Best-of-three playoff===
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====In North American competitions====
The first use of the best-of-three playoff was in [[Major League Baseball]].{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} The [[National League (baseball)|National League]] authorized a [[pennantList of Major League Baseball playofftie-breakers|playoff]] to be held if two teams ended the season in a tie for first place; the [[American League]] used a single game in this situation. From {{Mlby|1969}} to {{MLBy|2021}}, both leagues have used only a one-game playoff as a tie-breaker if only one team can advance; since {{MLBy|2022}}, a criterion based on regular-season performance is used. Since {{Mlby|1995}}, a tie-breaker based on regular-season performance can be used only to seed teams.
Since {{MLBy|2022}}, the [[Wild Card Series]] sees the 3rd seed hosts the 6th seed and the fourth playing the 5th, and the two higher seeds play at home for all three games, the third if needed.
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The [[World Cup of Hockey]], organized by the NHL, used a best-of-three format in the final round in [[1996 World Cup of Hockey|1996]] and [[2016 World Cup of Hockey|2016]], as did the [[Canada Cup]].
Until 2009, the [[WNBA]] forced the team with the higher record to travel to the lower seed's home court for game 1, then played the final game(s) at home. Because of this perceived inequity, in [[2010 WNBA season|2010]], the league switched to a more traditional odd-even format, where the higher seed will play the first and (if needed) third games at home. ComeStarting in [[2022 WNBA season|2022]], this will beis used in the league quarterfinals. In [[2005 WNBA season|2005]], the league changed the [[WNBA Finals]] to a best-of-five format. By [[2016 WNBA season|2016]], the league semifinals matched this format.
NCAA Division I baseball uses the best-of-three format in the second round and the final round of its 64-team championship tournament. Starting in 1999, when the tournament expanded from 48 teams (eight regionals of six teams each) to 64 teams (sixteen regionals of four teams each), the NCAA introduced the "super regional", in which the 16 regional winners play in eight best-of-three series, with the eight series winners advancing to the [[College World Series|Men's College World Series]] (MCWS). If a regional winner is also a national seed (one of the top eight seeds of the 64 first-round teams), it is guaranteed to host the super regional. If no national seed makes a particular super regional, the NCAA puts hosting rights up for bidding between the competing schools. In 2003, the MCWS changed from a one-game final to a best-of-three series.
[[Major League Soccer]] has the conference quarterfinals in a best-of-three round, with the higher seed playing the odd games, game three if needed.
From approximately the founding of the [[West Division (CFL)|Western Interprovincial Football Union]] in 1936 until the early 1970s, multi-game playoffs series were a regular fixture of professional [[Canadian football]] playoffs. Over the years, both the WIFU (later the [[Canadian Football League West Division|Western Football Conference]]) and the [[Interprovincial Rugby Football Union]] (later the [[Canadian Football League East Division|Eastern Football Conference]]) used a combination of best-of-three series, three-game total points series, and two-game total points series to determine both conference final participants and conference champions. The [[Grey Cup]] championship itself has always consisted of a single game.
From approximately the founding of the [[West Division (CFL)|Western Interprovincial Football Union]] in 1936 until the early 1970s, multi-game playoffs series were a regular fixture of professional [[Canadian football]] playoffs. Over the years, both the WIFU (later the [[Canadian Football League West Division|Western Football Conference]]) and the [[Interprovincial Rugby Football Union]] (later the [[Canadian Football League East Division|Eastern Football Conference]]) used a combination of best-of-three series, three-game total points series, and two-game total points series to determine both conference final participants and conference champions. The [[Grey Cup]] championship itself has always consisted of a single game. The last best-of-three playoff series (in what by then had evolved into the present-day [[Canadian Football League]] in 1958) consisting of two autonomous conferences was the 1971 Western Conference Final. Since 1972, the West has used one-game playoffs. The Eastern Conference (which by that time had abolished the best-of-three format in favor of two-game total points series) adopted one-game playoffs for the 1973 season.
====Competitions held outside North America====
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The Philippine [[Premier Volleyball League]], uniquely, uses a best-of-three series to determine the third-place team at the end of its conferences' playoffs rather than one game, as did its predecessor Shakey's V-League.
====One win advantage====
In a modification of the best-of-three, -five, or -seven game format, leagues may award a ''one win advantage'' where the higher seed has the advantage, where the team with this advantage needs to win one less game than their opponent to advance. In essence, one team is given a ''de facto'' 1–0 lead in a playoff series. This format is prominently used in the [[Philippines]], where it was first applied in the finals of the scholastic [[UAAP Basketball Championship|UAAP basketball]] and [[UAAP Volleyball Championship|volleyball championships]] in 1979. It has been applied to the UAAP's semifinals since 1994, and was later adopted by their [[National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines)|NCAA counterparts]] and other associations in their mandatory scholastic competitions. The professional [[Philippine Basketball Association]], its semi-professional [[PBA Developmental League|D-League]], volleyball's [[Premier Volleyball League]] and the inactive [[Philippine Super Liga]] have adopted the format for the quarterfinal rounds of their conference playoffs.
An amendment to the UAAP rules in 2008 gave the undefeated team (the team that won all group-stage games) a [[bye (sport)|bye]] up to the finals, possessing an automatic 1–0 lead in a best-of-five series, or a beat ''three-times-to-beat advantage''. The beat "twice-to-beat advantage" was adopted by the Philippine NCAA in 2009 for the undefeated team that had a finals berth, but would be abolished by both leagues in 2016, wherein the finals was played in a regular best-of-three format.
A similar situation also existed in later versions of the [[Argus finals system]] used commonly in [[Australian rules football]] competitions in the early part of the 20th century: later versions of the system had a right of challenge for the minor premier (the team on top of the ladder) if they lost the Semi-Final or the Final, meaning that the minor premier had to be beaten twice for another team to win the premiership. In the event that the same team played the minor premier in the Semi-Final or the Final and in the Grand Final, the right of challenge became equivalent to the minor premier holding a 1–0 lead in a best-of-three series.
In [[Nippon Professional Baseball]], the [[Climax Series]] second stage, where the top team in the regular season faces the winner of the playoff between the second and third place teams, uses a one-win advantage for a six-game playoff (which is a best-of-seven). In this case, the top seed needs only to win three games, while the lower seed must win four games to advance to the [[Japan Series]].
In the [[KBO League]] in South Korean baseball, the No. 4 team in the Wild Card game, or the first round of its postseason, has 1–0 lead in the best-of-three series, and can advance with a single win or tie, while the No. 5 team has to win twice in order to advance.
Described as a "best-of-two" series in the resumption of the [[2019–20 NBA season]], if the ninth-ranked team is within four [[games behind]] the eighth-ranked team after the seeding games are done, [[play-in game]]s will be held between the two teams. Here, the eighth-ranked team has to win just once while the ninth-ranked team has to beat the eighth-ranked team twice in a row to qualify to the playoffs proper.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NBA bubble, explained: A complete guide to the rules, teams, schedule & more for Orlando games|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/nba-bubble-rules-teams-schedule-orlando/11mh3awdx9uh1xo1lmvr8c8xr|access-date=August 1, 2020|website=www.sportingnews.com|language=en-ca}}</ref> The [[Memphis Grizzlies]] finishing ninth, half-a-game behind the [[Portland Trail Blazers]], necessitated the play-in game.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 14, 2020|title=Dame, Blazers survive Nets to nab play-in berth|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29658229/damian-lillard-trail-blazers-escape-win-vs-nets-reach-play-round|access-date=August 15, 2020|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Loop |first=Nate |title=NBA Playoffs 2020: Grizzlies vs. Blazers Play-In Game Schedule, Live Stream |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2904720-nba-playoffs-2020-grizzlies-vs-blazers-play-in-game-schedule-live-stream |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Jonathan |date=2020-08-13 |title=NBA Play-in Game Rules: How Does Playoff Tournament Work in Bubble? |url=https://heavy.com/sports/2020/08/nba-play-in-game-tournament-rules-bubble-playoff/ |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Heavy.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Jonathan |date=2020-08-15 |title=NBA Play-in Game: What Happens if Blazers-Grizzlies Win or Lose? |url=https://heavy.com/sports/2020/08/nba-play-in-game-grizzlies-blazers-lose-win/ |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Heavy.com}}</ref> The Blazers eliminated the Grizzlies in game one to advance to the playoffs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers - Game Recap - August 15, 2020|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401236333|access-date=August 15, 2020|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref>
===Best-of-five playoff===
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===Best-of-seven playoff===
{{see also|Game seven}}
A '''best-of-seven playoff''' is a head-to-head competition between two teams, wherein one must win four games to win the series. Four is chosen as it constitutes winning a majority of the seven games played. If one team wins the series before reaching game 7seven, all others are ignored. It is not necessary for the four games to be won [[Whitewash (sport)|consecutively]]. [[Tie (draw)|Draws]] are not permitted, even in sports where they usually would be; play continues until there is a winner.{{efn|name=japan}} This ensures that a series will never require more than seven games.{{efn|name=dark}}
The schedule is arranged so that the team with [[home advantage]]—the team that had the better regular-season record plays the first game and the decisive seventh game (if necessary) at home. Most best-of-seven series follow a "2–3–2" format or a "2–2–1–1–1" format; that is, in a 2–3–2 series, the first two games are played at the home venue of a team with the home-field advantage (the first "2"), the next three games (the "3", including game 5, if necessary) are played at the home of the team without it, and the final two games (the last "2", if necessary) are played at the home of the team with the advantage. In a "2–2–1–1–1" format, the first two games are played at the team with the better record venue (the first "2"), the next two at the team with the worse record (the next "2"), and then alternating venues for the fifth, sixth and seventh games (the next three "1"s), if necessary. An "odd–even" format is used in the postseason tournaments of the [[Liiga]] in Finland and the [[Swedish Hockey League]].
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In [[9-ball]], a player must win a certain number of racks to win a match. In the [[WPA World Nine-ball Championship]], nine racks are needed to win in the early stages, ten to eleven in the latter stages, and seventeen in the final. As with snooker, if one player wins nine frames before all seventeen are played, all others are ignored.
In [[chess]], the World Chess Championship uses a best-of-fourteen-games format, with the winner needing to attain 7.5 points or more. If both players are tied after 14 games, tiebreaks with rapid time format are used.
==Total points series (aggregate)==