As the CBA's 30th regular season concludes, the final standings as well as the format for this year's playoffs have been set.

Guangsha easily claimed first place with a five-game cushion over Shanxi, while Beijing, Liaoning, Xinjiang, and Shandong all finished with records of 32-14, and their rankings came down to tiebreakers. Guangdong edged Qingdao for seventh place based on head to head results, followed by Zhejiang, Shanghai, Beikong, and Nanjing.

So in the playoffs, first place Guangsha will await the opening round winner between Qingdao and Zhejiang, while three-time defending champions Liaoning prepare to face either last year's runners-up Xinjiang or postseason debutants Nanjing. On the other side of the draw, second seeds Shanxi will wait for the Guangdong vs Shanghai winner, while Beijing get ready to meet either Shandong or Beikong. The playoffs will start on Friday with the first round featuring those four best of three series.

(Cover image: Liaoning and Shandong players in action during the CBA regular season in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, March 31, 2025. /CBA)