It is the appetizer before the NBA playoff main course. A redemption opportunity for NBA teams wallowing through an up-and-down season. Long-time followers of NBA podcaster Bill Simmons know it as the Entertaining-as-Hell Tournament. The NBA Play-In Tournament comes immediately after the 82-game slate, offering a playoff atmosphere for the eight teams involved. Here is your guide to how the NBA Play-In Tournament works.
March Madness in the NBA
The NBA Play-In Tournament is much like “The First Four” of the March Madness college tournament (Congratulations to the LSU Women and UConn Men for winning this year) with a slight twist. The top six seeds from the NBA’s Western Conference and Eastern Conference automatically qualify for the NBA Playoffs (four rounds of seven-game series to determine an NBA champion). Three-seed versus six-seed and four-seed versus five-seed are the set matchups, but the Play-In Tournament decides the rest.
The NBA Play-In Tournament
The teams that finish seventh and eighth play one game to determine who gets the seventh seed in the playoffs and faces the number two seed. The seventh-place team gets the home-court advantage in this one-game playoff. In this year’s Western Conference, for example, future Hall-of-Famer LeBron James and the seventh-place Los Angeles Lakers face the eighth-place Minnesota Timberwolves. The winner gets the seventh seed and travels to Memphis to meet the second-seed Grizzlies in the NBA Playoffs. The 7-8 matchup loser has one more chance to get in the big dance.
The 9-10 Matchup
The teams that finish ninth and tenth play one game to determine who gets to go to the final round of the NBA Play-In Tournament. The ninth-place team gets the home-court advantage, and the loser of this game is eliminated from NBA Playoff contention. The winner of the 9-10 matchup goes on the road to face the loser of the 7-8 matchup for one game that determines the eighth seed of the playoffs. The loser goes home. For example, if the Timberwolves lose to the Lakers and can rally their fractured team, they will face the winner between the ninth-place New Orleans Pelicans and tenth-place Oklahoma City Thunder.
Oh my Rudy Gobert just threw a punch at his own teammate Kyle Anderson pic.twitter.com/6GP5wwkCqW
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 9, 2023
Kudos to the Pelicans for persevering despite missing Zion Williamson for much of the season (my thoughts on Zion’s status). Kudos to the Oklahoma City Thunder for having a surprise season despite number two overall pick Chet Holmgren missing the season with a foot injury (Holmgren is recovering nicely). The eighth seed travels to Denver to face the Denver Nuggets.
The Eastern Conference
The seventh-place Miami Heat host the eighth-place Atlanta Hawks, with the winner taking the seventh seed and a date with the Boston Celtics. The loser will host the winner of the 9-10 matchup between the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls. That winner takes the eighth seed and goes to Milwaukee to face potential MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the mighty Bucks.
Why Is There an NBA Play-In Tournament
Money. Appeal. Media coverage. That’s the short answer. The purpose of the tournament is, first and foremost, revenue. AT&T sponsors it, so its official title is the AT&T NBA Play-In Tournament. Teams get an extra game or two to fill the seats – games with actual playoff ramifications. The tournament also offers additional publicity for the upcoming NBA Playoffs.
Secondarily, it keeps teams in the playoff hunt longer. Now games in late March and April still mean something for 90 percent of the league, and tanking is reduced. The old days would have seen most of the league race to the bottom of the standings so they could gather additional Victor Wembanyama ping-pong balls. Wembanyama is the French phenom considered the best draft prospect since LeBron James 20 years ago.
Wild day in the association:
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) April 9, 2023
Udonis Haslem scores 24
Cam Thomas scores 46
Kenny Lofton Jr. scores 42
Payton Pritchard puts up a 30-point triple-double
Theo Pinson triple-doubles
Rudy Gobert punches Kyle Anderson and gets sent home
Jaden McDaniels breaks his hand punching a…
The last tournament consideration is the opportunity for top seeds to rest and heal from injuries before the playoffs begin. The top six teams from each conference get as much as a week to recuperate. Paul George may return from his knee sprain to help his LA Clippers. James Harden can rest his sore Achilles tendon before the Philadelphia 76ers tip-off.
Let me know what you think of the NBA Play-In Tournament! Also, I have your NBA MVP Criteria if you need help with your MVP ballot.
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