NBA Playoffs 2022 Bracket: Complete Guide to Matchups and Championship Path

As a lifelong basketball analyst who's followed every twist and turn of the NBA postseason for over a decade, I've got to say the 2022 playoffs delivered one of the most unpredictable championship paths we've seen in modern basketball history. The bracket unfolded like a carefully scripted drama, with underdogs rising and favorites stumbling when it mattered most. What struck me most was how seemingly minor moments in early rounds ended up shaping the entire championship landscape - something we witnessed not just in the NBA but across global basketball leagues.

I remember watching that crucial PBA game between Ginebra and Magnolia while tracking the NBA first-round matchups, and being struck by how similar championship dynamics play out across different leagues. When Ginebra's rookie committed that costly foul on Rome Dela Rosa leading to a three-point play that gave Magnolia a 78-67 lead with exactly two minutes remaining, it essentially iced the game. That single defensive lapse at 2:00 mark turned what could have been a competitive finish into a decisive 11-point victory. These momentum-shifting moments mirror what we saw in the NBA playoffs - like when Jordan Poole's late-game heroics against Memphis in Game 1 set the tone for Golden State's entire championship run. The timing is everything - two minutes might seem like plenty of time, but in playoff basketball, it's practically an eternity when momentum shifts.

Looking at the Western Conference bracket, I genuinely believed Phoenix would cruise to the Finals after their 64-win regular season. They had the experience, the depth, and what appeared to be championship chemistry. But Dallas exposed them in spectacular fashion during that Game 7 blowout, winning by 33 points in what became one of the most shocking playoff eliminations I've witnessed. Meanwhile, Golden State's path through Denver, Memphis, and Dallas demonstrated the value of championship DNA - they won three close-out games on the road, which is incredibly difficult in today's NBA. Their defensive rating of 106.2 throughout the playoffs doesn't fully capture how locked in they were during crucial moments.

The Eastern Conference told an equally compelling story. Milwaukee's loss to Boston in seven games came down to the thinnest of margins - literally one or two possessions across the entire series. I still think if Khris Middleton doesn't get injured, we're looking at a completely different Finals matchup. Boston's journey through Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Miami was arguably more challenging than Golden State's path, requiring them to win multiple elimination games. Their defensive switchability and Jayson Tatum's emergence as a true superstar transformed them from a .500 team in January to championship contenders.

What fascinates me about analyzing playoff brackets is how championship paths are often determined by these micro-moments - whether it's a rookie's defensive mistake in the PBA or Steph Curry's third-quarter explosion in Game 4 of the Finals. The 2022 championship ultimately went to the team that best understood how to manage momentum swings, something Golden State perfected over their dynasty years. They won three road close-out games during their run, including that critical Game 5 in Boston where they overcame a 16-point deficit. Watching them raise the Larry O'Brien trophy felt like witnessing the culmination of a perfectly executed playoff journey - one where experience, talent, and timing aligned at exactly the right moments.