<Li> This was also the first time a team was swept in the NBA Finals since 2007 . Like in 2007, the Cleveland Cavaliers were also the team that got swept in the 2018 NBA Finals . </Li> <P> Within each conference, the eight teams with the most wins qualify for the playoffs . The seedings are based on each team's record . </P> <P> Each conference's bracket is fixed; there is no reseeding . All rounds are best - of - seven series; the team that has four wins advances to the next round . All rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2--2--1--1--1 format . Home court advantage in any round does not necessarily belong to the higher - seeded team, but instead to the team with the better regular season record . If two teams with the same record meet in a round, standard tiebreaker rules are used . The rule for determining home court advantage in the NBA Finals is winning percentage, then head to head record, followed by record vs. opposite conference . </P> <P> On March 7, 2018, the Toronto Raptors became the first team to clinch a playoff spot . On March 30, 2018, the Houston Rockets clinched the Western Conference ending a three - year run by the Golden State Warriors as the top seed . The Rockets clinched the best record in the NBA a day later on March 31, 2018 . For the first time since the 1996--97 NBA season, two teams played their last game against each other for the 8th and final spot in the playoffs . The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets 112--106 in overtime to clinch the final playoff seed in the West . This also ended Minnesota's 13 - year drought without a playoff appearance having last played in 2003--04 season . For the first time since the 2010--11 NBA season, the Los Angeles Clippers would miss the postseason following a loss to the Denver Nuggets on April 7, 2018 . This is the first time since 1960 that none of the teams from Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago made the playoffs . </P>

What determines home court in the nba finals
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