The NBA playoffs are nearly upon us. But first, the play-in tournament must take place.
A staple of April’s calendar for the last five years, the play-in tournament is the NBA’s appetizer to postseason basketball. The teams involved make up the 7–10 seeds in the East and West. The first game between the No. 7 seed and No. 8 seed will determine who plays the No. 2 seed in the first round of the playoffs. The No. 9 and No. 10 seeds play a single-elimination game for the right to play the loser of the 7–8 game. The winner of that third and final game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoff bracket and take on the No. 1 seed in the opening round of the postseason.
