[ESPN] NBA considering re-seeding conference finalists, postseason play-in

The play in is a good idea only if they reduce the number of games in the regular season -- in normal time, not because of the pandemic.

I've always felt that playing so many games in the regular season that eliminates less than half of the teams is just a waste of time. That's why there are so many meaningless regular season games. Either play a short regular season with a large playoffs field (like football) or a long regular season with a small playoffs field (like baseball). As of now, the long regular season and long post season just wear players down and increase injury risks for games that don't really matter.

 

When 22 out of 32 teams are in the "playoffs"
I guess that is anti TANKING policy

Rocket River

 

Yeah Mark, I'd be terrified of playing the Warriors too.

 

IT'S WORKING!

 

It makes some sense what he is saying. At this point, the conferences don’t make as much sense. Time in the next few years just to do a top 16 and the play in is just plain entertaining. We can finally get the hint of the march madness feel of one game changing everything and do it to feed into the playoffs without disrupting the current system too much. Love that silver is open to all these changes and doing it fast

 

Once again, made sense for the bubble and the situation. Makes 0 sense now and is still stupid af. This will be the last time they have this

 

Separate East/West playoffs is more efficient for travel, though. Moving back n forth between 4 time zones in the early rounds seems unnecessary burden on the players, and can effect quality of play. That was actually the original reason for the 2-3-2 format established in the Magic v Bird era.

 

Damn, keeping it real Stein. Can't sit on your hands at vote time and then throw a fit when things don't work out.

 

Pet peeve of mine is when ppl make an argument by exaggerating. It’s just two game-days for each conference spread over 4 days, with two teams (eventual 7th seeds) only playing one game. I can’t find an actual schedule for each day, but I’m going to guess conferences are staggered days with one having two games on the 18th, and the other on the 19th, with no b2b scenarios for any team.

Alternatively, they might do both 7-8 games on first day, to reward losers with more rest for elimination round, but that would cause day3 to have no games, to avoid any B2Bs for the 9/10 winners

In any event, the 7/8 winners are set for 3 rest days before game day of their real playoff. The eventual 8th seed will only have one day rest, though.

 

Extra games to get more ad money and pseudo-adds more games to a 72-game schedule. Gives the 9th and 10th seeded teams a chance to make the playoffs.

You should only be mad if you're the 7th and 8th seeded teams since there's an extra obstacle. For fans of basketball, there's more basketball to watch. For NBA owners, there's more money to be had.

I can't see how it makes zero sense. Neither from a business perspective nor from a fan's perspective. Why would the NBA stop doing this?

 

Because players are whining about it...and I do mean whining. You don't want to play in the play-in tourney then simply win more games.

I do like the idea. It's kept the regular season far more competitive and has kept teams like the Wizards away from tanking completely. Instead of Curry resting some injury you have him trying to put up 40 a night.

But I favor the play-in for those reasons. Yeah it's not 'fair' to the 7th and 8th seed but honestly IDGAF about the 7th and 8th seeds feeling on this matter. I think it is in general more fair since there is that cushion there for teams that had to deal with injuries or problems have a shot at turning their season around.

 

I kinda get it with the shortened season. Next year I hope it's gone.

 

giving the 9th and 10 seeded LOSER teams is pointless. Why in the world should anyone give af about giving them a chance. You're rewarding losing. that's just dumb af. You don't deserve the opportunity. Then people around the league all complain about injuries and playing too many games. So lets just add more games. You've had 72 games to prove you can be a actual playoff team. That's more than enough.

Nah for fans who like to watch actual winning basketball, a play in to give sorry teams a chance to make the playoffs when they've had that chance all year is just dumb. For years, we were already talking about how the top seeds just blow by these bottom seeds in the opening rounds which are snore fests, and now you want to give even worse teams a chance to get in. Yeah makes 0 sense

You're talking about money as if 1/2 games is such a better not miss opportunity for money. It isn't. Not even close

The NBA is definitely going to stop doing this after this year. And I'm willing to bet money on that because it's so stupid outside a non situational bubble type emergency where the season was cut short and much less games were played

 

You’re not wrong, but I think @YOLO ’s point is it make zero competitive sense. Since this was never done for any shortened lockout season, so essentially you’re making the case for expanding playoffs in general.

whereas opponents of this are making a case that it makes zero sense from a competitive standpoint with lack of doing this during lockouts as precedent.

and keep in mind how it affects the lottery. The playin tourney determines lottery position, too. That’s stupid af, moving forward.

 

We'll see what type of entertainment and ratings the play-in games produce. Can't see them canceling it if it produces or even if a superstar like Curry reaches the playoffs only because of the play-in games.

 

Easily saw/see it being done with after this year. And when someone like Lebron speaks as negatively about it as he just did, yeah it's a wrap

 

Let me just start this by saying your points are all valid. However...

Imo, rewarding losing would be like giving a playoff berth to every single team in the conference. Then the only reason to try and win games would be for a favorable first-round matchup. I'm of the mindset that this gives the 9th and 10th seeds a chance to "right the wrongs" that happened in the regular season. After all, no one goes through a season and actively tries to be only the 9th or 10th seed. That would be stupid.

Take Curry and Morant, for example. GSW is currently 9th and MEM is currently 8th. Both teams go as their PGs go. Curry and Morant have suffered injuries that caused them to miss a significant amount of time; if those two had been healthy all season, MEM and GSW would probably be higher in the standings. Debatable? Yes, of course. But the play-in tournament helps with that. If the season ended yesterday, GSW would have to beat the Spurs and then the winner between Blazers/Grizzlies. Curry vs Derozan and then Curry vs Lillard/Morant. As a fan of the NBA, that's fun.

In the East, let's say Westbrook and Beal win against the Pacers. Then the duo would either go against Lamelo or Tatum/Brown. That's also fun as hell.

You're stating that players complain about injury and that they're playing too many games. This is all true, and every drive (much less every game) might cause an ACL tear or an ankle sprain or an injury to some degree. That's all completely valid. But at the same time, like you said, this play-in tourney is only...1-3 extra games. It's not like you're asking your team/players to play two best-of-7 series JUST to get into the playoffs.

"You've had 72 games to prove..." Yes, this is true, to a degree. Take the Wizards, for example. This was basically a washed season for them, even by midseason. Now, they seem to be peaking at the right time, going 12-3 in their last 15 games. As of right now, the Hornets (8th seed) have won 1 more game than the 9th-seeded Pacers and 2 more games than the 10th-seeded Wizards. If the Hornets are deserving of making the playoffs, they'll be in the playoffs.

You're not taking bottom-of-the-barrel teams like the Rockets and the Pistons and giving them a chance to upset the Nets or Suns or Nuggets before the playoffs even start. You're giving the playoffs a chance to have the best 8 teams from each conference. If the 9th and 10th seeded teams in each conference lose, then it's clear they didn't deserve to be in the playoffs. If the 7th seeded team loses to the 8th seeded team and then to the winner of the 9th/10th seeded team, then the 7th seeded team didn't deserve to be in the playoffs.

The only reason I see the NBA abolishing this format is because LeBron has now spoken out about it, and his voice definitely carries weight. But where was LeBron's vocal opinion on this when the Lakers weren't in danger of needing to play in the tourney?

This could be a soft test by the NBA to expand the playoffs. I dunno.

I just really like the idea of the play-in tourney. If your team really is that good / really deserves to be in the playoffs, then you should have no problem beating teams that have a worse record than you.

 

Max and Perk really made a great point regarding it.

Games are still relevant right now...a lot of games are relevant every night. Usually, by this time, most games are not. Top seeds are locked down and players are resting. The idea that Lebron is complaining about it is kind of the point because he can't rest meaningless games because he's trying to avoid the play-in. If there's no play-in, guys are resting now. Lebron included, he's feeling pressure to come back because he wants nothing to do with having two bad games and then being out of the playoffs, no one does.

I think we see a lot of the same complaints the MLB got when they added the wildcard and the wildcard has been great for the MLB. No way they get rid of it now.

Yeah, this is the dumbest thing about it. The final standings at the end of the regular season should determine lottery...I think it's a better anti-tank measure if it is possible to be in the playoffs AND play the lottery , that rewards never giving up on the season unless you are the 1-4 teams (Like the Wolves, Rockets, Pistons) that's clear have 0 shot of doing anything by all-star break.

 

You've had an entire year to right your wrongs, so yeah I'll definitely disagree. If your team had to deal with injuries, that isn't anyone else's fault. It's on that team to find a way to overcome that. If you can't then so be it. Get better as a team and get healthier. They may not have tried to get the 9th/10th seed, but if you happen to be there for whatever, you definitely need to be better. There are not 20 playoff caliber teams in the NBA.

Correction to your if the season ended yesterday. GS would have to the beat the Spurs and then the loser of Blazers/Grizzlies to get in as the 8th seed. So not only is GS playing a 10 seeded team under .500, they'll also play another losing team that just loss. Pretty common loser theme going on here. You're speaking entirely of way too many 1 vs 1 matchups when in reality they aren't. The common casual fan couldn't probably name over half the team Derozan plays with in SA and pretty much everyone outside of Curry on GS plus Green's animated antics are irrelevant. Can't say there's much excitement there. East teams pathetically under .500. yeah easy pass. Enough said. Yeah it's bottom barrel teams that have no shot of being competitive. If i preferred your player matchup logic, I'd choose KAT, DLo, Edwards and let them play but I have no interest in watching a 20 win team this year