The NBA play-in tournament is shaping up to work exactly as it was intended
The NBA play-in tournament is shaping up to be quite fun.
Despite the possible chagrin of LeBron James or the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s quite clear that the introduction of the NBA play-in tournament is shaping up exactly as it was intended to. In essence, the integration of the play-in tournament was meant to bring intrigue into the final few weeks of the regular season and add excitement to the early playoff rounds.
With the possibility growing that the Lakers will have to win a play-in game to officially qualify for the postseason, this is exactly what it was supposed to do.
The NBA play-in tournament could give fans exactly what they want
Can you imagine if in the first incarnation of the play-in tournament we get a single-elimination matchup between the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors? This is what NBA fans want to see. This is the outcome that the league hoped it would get when it birthed the idea of a play-in tournament.
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And if that’s not something that LeBron can get behind, that’s unfortunate. This is good for the league, good for the early-playoff intrigue, and is something that will get casual fans excited about.
It’s not unusual for casual fans to not pay attention to the NBA playoffs until the conference finals or NBA Finals. Much less when the first and second round of the playoffs are seven-game series. But a single-elimination game potentially featuring LeBron and Stephen Curry? That’s something that will get people talking and will allow intrigue to rise amongst fans.
The play-in tournament has the potential to be ground-breaking. Can you imagine a team like the Lakers, the defending champs, losing in a play-in format? Even though some fans would absolutely hate it, it would absolutely be an entertaining sight to watch unfold in a single-game sample size.
A Warriors vs. Lakers seven-game series would absolutely be an inevitable win for the defending champs. That’s the magic of the one-game sample size. Anything can happen.
The play-in tournament is working, and not even on just the grand scale that is the Lakers and Warriors. It’s also working in the Eastern Conference, in which the Boston Celtics might need to win a play-in game to officially qualify for the playoffs.
It’s also breathed fresh life into the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets. Both of these franchises are looking to make a return to the postseason, and they’ve been given this opportunity thanks in large part to the play-in tournament.
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Forget all the negative noise that is surrounding the play-in tournament heading into the final week of the regular season, the format is working exactly as it was intended to. And I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds next week.