Since it began in 2021, there’s been no shortage of controversy over the NBA play-in tournament. Fans, pundits, coaches and players alike — including one of the greatest ever, LeBron James — have voiced their displeasure at a feature that feels a bit tacked on to some.
It’s not enough that the NBA regular season is an almost six-month, 82-game gauntlet. Suppose you’re a squad on the edge of the traditional postseason in either conference; congratulations! Here’s another game (or two) as a reward. You might get another four to seven games after this (or more), and we hope your legs aren’t jello by then. Okay, bye!
On the other hand, after the initial trial run — and some successful individual battles — some of the simmering, underlying dissents are evaporating away.
The Knicks’ Evan Fournier (whose team is notably not in the play-in tournament or playoffs because, well, they’re the Knicks) shared his eloquent and, honestly, understandable thoughts on the matter:
Idk what yall think, but installing the play-in was a GREAT idea. Teams out of the 8th place are more engaged at the end of the season, more young players get to experience high intensity games ect. Hope the league keeps that formula
— Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) April 13, 2022
Fournier makes some great points.
While No. 7 or No. 8 seeds (what the play-in tournament contests) might not have much of a chance against their future juggernaut opponents, it doesn’t matter. If a young player on an up-and-coming borderline playoff squad can get meaningful experience in a sudden-death game or two, that experience might become a factor when that team becomes a contender. Look at the Spurs (+5.5 underdogs) and Dejounte Murray against the Pelicans. Regardless of whether San Antonio wins or loses, you can’t look me in the eye and say this won’t mean anything for a first-time All-Star on a team coached by Gregg Popovich.
Not to mention that those otherwise irrelevant squads also have a reason to play in the spring — instead of playing out the string. (Alternatively, the NBA could simply delete a portion of its schedule, but we’re evidently not ready for that conversation yet.)
Now I’m not going to pretend that the NBA instituted the play-in tournament for purely benevolent development reasons. Last year’s play-in games were incredible ratings boons for TNT and ESPN, and it’s hard to imagine those results won’t be much of the same this season. In other words, money talks, and everyone else walks.
Even still, unless you’re the powers that be in NBA, who cares about the ratings? If young players and bubble teams are still playing fun games at the end of the year, we should all be jumping for joy.
And if you’re someone like LeBron James, with a ton of mileage on your odometer, here’s a fun fact: You’re actually allowed to get your team to play better and avoid the play-in tournament. Who knew?
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