Play On, Playas: NBA Play-In Games A Needed Distraction For Fan Bases That Need It
More meaningful basketball was played across the league in the waning days of this NBA regular season than any other to come before it. And that will continue for the eight teams in the Play-in.
The existing playoff format in the NBA, prior to 2021, already made for more haves than have-nots. Sixteen haves every year to be exact, to 14 have-nots.
Sixteen teams always make the playoffs in the NBA, more than half the league. So its reasonable to be a franchise that settles in that middle third of the league — the Indiana Pacers and Portland Trailblazers of the league — and have that be the primary aspect of your identity.
Maybe every other generation teams like that formulate a true contender for a year or three, but then they fall back to that purgatory-like state of 47 to 52 wins on the regular, No. 4 to 8 playoff seeds and draft picks somewhere in the 13 to 22 range — good enough to get you consistent rotational talent and maybe even a star or two if those typically negligent general managers above them (after all, why are they in the lottery so often?) fail in identifying talent in the lottery.
But with this year’s play-in tournament — the full extension of years of planning by NBA commissioner Adam Silver to add more intrigue to the end of the Association’s regular season — these “Midgard,” or just “mid,” teams have engaged in playoff-like play and planning since just after the all-star break thereabouts. Typically such long-term out-looking has belonged solely to the top seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences — who will win the races for home court advantage? Who will win 60 games? 70?
And with this being a year where the mostly “handsome, not sexy” mountain time zone teams in Phoenix and Utah have run things in the West, while the still “lets wait and see” Sixers maintained control in the East, this was a fine year for the risky experiment of a near week full of play-in games to take place.
Sure, most of you reading this may just have gotten a hold of how this play-in thing will work out thanks to the hero we neither wanted nor needed (salute, Da Kid Gowie) in the video above, but the anticipation, much like J Cole’s album rollout, was exquisite.
All the way up to the very last day of the regular season games were being played that impacted all the seeding from Nos. 4 on down to the 10 spot on both coasts. Hardly a franchise in the league was safe from over-analysis and conspiratorial (yet, still, arguably competitive) takes online, but disregarding that (as one always should), more great, meaningful basketball was played for more fans across the league in the waning days of this NBA regular season than any other to come before it. And that will continue for the eight teams that’ll play in the play-in tournament starting in about an hour and a half from this writing.
Who Should Win
If I wasn’t too broke to even open the two betting apps on my phone, I’d go with Washington to overtake Boston for the seventh seed and Charlotte to play-in to the final game against Boston (though maybe I’d stick to the Hornets playing within the +3 line instead of betting them outright). From there, those Celtics would straighten up just enough to back off Charlotte and keep No. 8, setting up what could be Cs most forgettable effort in its long playoff history against Philly.
In the West, the game we’re all here for — Lakers vs. Warriors — will end up providing both the final spots, but not until a classic initial play-in that makes all early risers pain in discomfort over whether to stay-up or stay off social media until they watch the game on DVR from their most discreet window on their work computer. The Warriors will win, btw, while we get to exalt in all the possible drama the Lakers could offer as they eventually roll past Memphis for the final spot.
Who Will Win
Actually, given the more clear-headed thinking that not putting $5 on each game provides, I’m not seeing these games too differently. In spite of their matador defense, I still like the Wizards more than any of the other East play-ins, they should handle business tonight and set themselves up with rest (especially for Bradley Beal’s hamstring) to try and pull off the ultimate heist in the first official round against Brooklyn. And the Hornets will play an exciting game tonight but it’ll be too exciting in the end, they’ll find a way to give up their game to the more level-headed Pacers even without Caris LeVert.
I still like the Warriors against the Lakers, but if pushed I would have to say that the Lakers will for pride’s sake take the No. 7 seed, even if Utah may be a better match for them in Round 1. The Warriors will instead take that assignment after a dispatching of Memphis in the very last game before the “real” postseason starts.
Though real recognizes real, so often the more performative in our society get the attention many of the rest of us aspire to. Now is the time to perform for these play-in teams — it all won’t lead to much beyond this week (yes, even for the defending champs). But it’s the first signal we’re receiving that playoff basketball as it should be is back in our lives and to that we’ll all react like moths to flame.
Kyle Means is Editorial Director for WARR Media