As the 2026 NBA Playoffs tip off on Saturday, here’s a look back at the most frequent postseason matchups in league history.
The best time of year to be a sports fan is finally upon us, as the NBA and Stanley Cup Playoffs both begin on Saturday – all in the midst of a jam-packed weekend of action in MLB as well.
For as long as I’ve been a sports fan, these are just about my favorite weeks to take in across the entire year – even including the madness that October baseball brings. With a total of 16 best-of-seven matchups between the NBA and NHL, fans are gifted with wall-to-wall high leverage action for a couple weeks in late April.
The playoffs particularly feel like a reprieve for basketball fans, who have weathered what has arguably been one of the more uneventful regular seasons in recent memory – with the 20-team postseason field set in stone weeks before the Play-In Tournament began.
As the 10 clubs who weren’t in a position to make a playoff run doubled down on tanking in hopes of a high pick at this summer’s draft, what were usually intense, high-stakes games with playoff berths or positions on the line turned into late-season snoozers as fans awaited mid-April.
Finally, that time is here – and the playoff field itself remains wildly entertaining. The Boston Celtics will look to avenge their devastating loss last year that was punctuated by an Achilles injury to Jayson Tatum, with the now-healthy C’s and the Detroit Pistons seen as the top two contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, the West is rife with storylines as always. The Oklahoma City Thunder look poised to repeat as champions. Victor Wembanyama and this generation of the San Antonio Spurs won’t only be making their playoff debut, but will be doing so as a heavily-favored No. 2 seed with as good of a chance as anyone to go all the way.
And of course, for the older fans in the room, we’re given perhaps a parting gift from the last generation of basketball stars, with Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets taking on an ailing Los Angeles Lakers team that is now solely led by 41-year-old LeBron James – who has reportedly floated retiring after this season.
One thing that always enhances playoff drama is the specific postseason history between two sides, with each year being a chance to add another chapter to that history.
That is most clear with the first-round matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, which represent the most common playoff meeting in NBA history, as well as one of the most common matchups in the postseasons of all North American professional sports.
Spanning several different eras of both teams’ histories, rivalries are often born and intensified in the playoffs – with each year serving as a beautiful opportunity for a new rivalry to blossom.
With basketball fans around the world anxious for what awaits in this next chapter, here’s a look at the matchups that have occurred at least 12 times in NBA playoff history:
1. Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics: 23 matchups, Boston leads 15-8
Boston wins: 1953, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1981, 1985, 2002, 2012, 2018, 2020, 2023
Philadelphia wins: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1967, 1977, 1980, 1982. 2026
2. New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics: 15 matchups, New York leads 8-7
New York wins: 1951, 1952, 1953, 1972, 1973, 1990, 2013, 2025
Boston wins: 1955, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1984, 1988, 2011
3. (tie) Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks: 13 matchups, Boston leads 11-2
Boston wins: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1983, 1986, 1988, 2008, 2012, 2023
Atlanta wins: 1958, 2016
3. (tie) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns: 13 matchups, Los Angeles leads 8-5
Los Angeles wins: 1970, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2000, 2010
Phoenix wins: 1990, 1993, 2006, 2007, 2021
4. (tie) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers: 12 matchups, Los Angeles leads 10-2
Los Angeles wins: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2020
Portland wins: 1977, 1992
4. (tie) Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers: 12 matchups, Boston leads 9-3
Boston wins: 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, 2008
Los Angeles wins: 1985, 1987, 2010
4. (tie) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons: 12 matchups, Los Angeles leads 9-3
Los Angeles wins: 1950, 1953, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1988
Detroit wins: 1955, 1989, 2004
4. (tie) Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs: 12 matchups, Los Angeles leads 8-4
Los Angeles wins: 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008
San Antonio wins: 1995, 1999, 2003, 2013
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