So you still dislike the Play-In, eh?

[Homer38]

Read on Twitter

The Spurs and Grizzlies play in game was the third most popular game of the season. Even small market teams are getting incredible ratings in the play in. Play ins have been the best innovative idea for the league since the end of illegal defense.

Most of them watching the Spurs vs Memphis game, maybe they were just watching this game while waiting for the next game and yes I was one of those!

[Da ThRONe]

Read on Twitter

The Spurs and Grizzlies play in game was the third most popular game of the season. Even small market teams are getting incredible ratings in the play in. Play ins have been the best innovative idea for the league since the end of illegal defense.

Yeah, but the ratings for the entire year are down. That's been the point when you add things like more games or a play in tournament you decrease the value of the regular season even more.

[NPZ]

We just have a difference of opinion. I don't think 2 games at the end of the season should matter more than 5-10(ish) games during the regular season. Especially when its completely arbitrary that its only the 7th and 8th up for grabs. Why not let 1-2 battle to swap? Or 3-4? Whats the difference if we've already decided play-ins hold more weight than the actual season?

This entire board already thinks the league is rigged to benefit the lakers, can you imagine if in 2019 the Lakers finished 11 games out of the playoffs but beat the Kings and Clippers in 2 straight to "earn" the 8th seed? They'd shut down the servers.

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Yep. I've read and posted at RGM since 2002. In 2003, the league pushed the 1st round from 5 to 7 gms and there were the 2003 versions of the same posters in 2021 who were saying it was proof that the league was helping the Lakers to get past the T'Wolves in Rd 1 and all that jazz. Even the fans who detest LAL know there would still be crying about how the Lakers unfairly got into the 2019 playoffs and yada yada yada. And that rule change applied to all 16 playoff teams. Imagine if they NBA were to lengthen or shorten the 1st round series of 4 playoff teams just like that? Wouldn't be fair either.

The fact that 4 teams out of 30 are under some special rules whereby anywhere from 7 to a dozen of their RS wins (just wins, not the number of games it took to earn those wins) could be voided if they don't win 1 or 2 EXTRA games only proves how insignificant the NBA considers the RS to be. One day one of those people lovin this nonsense now will root for a team that gets burnt by it despite them winning about 10 more gms than a team that sidestepped em at the zero hour. If this were about fairness, then only the first 2 seeds' positions would be guaranteed while all others below them were in the play-ins.

Nothing was broken before. Nothing needed fixing. And if some teams' RS wins don't mean sh, then what's the purpose of the damn slog that is the RS in the first place?

PS: NBA did away w/ the Best of 3 game 1st rounds in 1984 after a lower seeded HOU actually took out the champion Lakers team in 81 and screwed up the clamored-for Bird/Magic series everyone that everyone wanted but didn't get til 84. The two division winners in each conf back then got first round byes. Lakers only had to play the 1st round in 81 because Magic tore his ACL in the RS and they only won 54 instead of the normal 57-62. Moses Malone was Kareem kryptonite and had a 38/23 gm in Gm 1 and I've posted a recap of G3 on my YT site that shows how they lost. HOU was 40-42 that season. Lakers drew that one bad matchup for a 3 game series.

[jefe]

You have 82 games and 3 or 4 head-to-head intraconference matchups during the regular season to beat out teams for one of the 8 playoff seeds.

That's why the play-in still feels gimmicky and unnecessary to me.

In the two years that the NBA has had the play-in, there haven't been 82 games - which is the reason why the play-in was implemented in the first place.

I've not seen anyone report that the NBA will definitively keep the play-in for a regular 82 games season.

[Dupp]

I’m sure the play in makes money but it’s terrible from a legitimate competition standpoint. Just a dumb gimmick. Play all these games and can lose your season off one game? Silly.

[NPZ]

The tide seem to have shifted towards the pro-camp after last night's game. However, if the Grizz beat GSW tomorrow and we get another playoffs without Curry, the sentiment might shift the other way.

Imagine LAL and GS both being eliminated, lol. The NBA would've deserved that. It just sucks that I had to root against it.

ABC/BSPN/TNT would've been geeked to present those Jazz/Spurs and Suns/Grizzlies playoff rounds. If that actually happened, you know the networks would've tried to flush those series to the worse time slots like the ratings turdz they would've been. NBA is lucky this silliness hasn't thus far caused the Spurs and Grizzlies to get in over Brawn/AD/champs and Curry/GS.

[NPZ]

You have 82 games and 3 or 4 head-to-head intraconference matchups during the regular season to beat out teams for one of the 8 playoff seeds.

That's why the play-in still feels gimmicky and unnecessary to me.

In the two years that the NBA has had the play-in, there haven't been 82 games - which is the reason why the play-in was implemented in the first place.

I've not seen anyone report that the NBA will definitively keep the play-in for a regular 82 games season.

You keep posting this but tell us who was proposing something like this after 1999, 2012, and last year? I don't recall anyone ever sayin somethin like this was necessary even after 1999. I'm over 40 so I remember fans being pissed at the NBA after 1999, but even then no one was up in arms for something like this, and that was a 50 gm schedule. Fans knew that 99 was hopefully a 1 time thing and even when they caused a 66 gm season in 2012, what fan was sayin, "Dammit! That does it! We need some kind of way to make the 7th and 8th seeds play 1 or 2 extra games in order to earn their seeds, FORGET their actual records!"

No one even griped after last season. Fans have been smart enough to know this crap isn't the norm, so why pull this NOW of all times, after the entire NBA fanbase has been able to handle the prior 3 shortages? And this shortage was caused by force majeure and not lockouts/strikes to boot.

[tribulations]

Between flattening the lottery odds and the play-in games, the NBA has really done a good job improving the end of the season.

Games by teams in the 9-12 range have been exciting (case in point, Washington) as they have something to play for, and teams in the 8-5 range have extra incentive to play hard at the end of the season to avoid the play-in game.

This will never happen, but if the NBA can add relegation in the mix as well - that would be perfect.

Relegation would be huge, would love to see a sub league introduced.

edit: and play-in is great! I didn't think I'd like it but it's been a real success story imo

[Rapcity_11]

I’m sure the play in makes money but it’s terrible from a legitimate competition standpoint. Just a dumb gimmick. Play all these games and can lose your season off one game? Silly.

Wrong. Two games. The second of which is at home against a lower seed.

[Ballerhogger]

Read on Twitter

The Spurs and Grizzlies play in game was the third most popular game of the season. Even small market teams are getting incredible ratings in the play in. Play ins have been the best innovative idea for the league since the end of illegal defense.

without curry and lebron this would be bad ratings overall. Lebron and curry wont be in play in next year. is zion box office?

[Ballerhogger]

I’m sure the play in makes money but it’s terrible from a legitimate competition standpoint. Just a dumb gimmick. Play all these games and can lose your season off one game? Silly.

its like they wanted to taste of what the nfl has in 1 game win or go home

[ATRAIN53]

I was jacked for it - but it's pretty much been a flop so far.

Win or go home is the factor that makes tournaments like March Madness exciting.
You gotta leave it all out there or you're going home.

it needs some work and more pressure to make it more exciting and stick.

[normgod6]

Whats the functional difference between the playins and wildcard games for baseball and football? After some initial complaining by baseball fans, the wildcard system has been widely accepted and praised in the MLB. I predict the same will happen for the nba after people adapt

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[Secret Lover14]

Play-ins are probably here to stay, it makes getting that 6th seed that much more important and exciting. And it allows the NBA to grant two cities expansion teams.

32 NBA teams
16 playoff teams
4 teams battle it out for last 2 seeds for their respective conference.

[Homer38]

Whats the functional difference between the playins and wildcard games for baseball and football? After some initial complaining by baseball fans, the wildcard system has been widely accepted and praised in the MLB. I predict the same will happen for the nba after people adapt

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The wild card game in baseball is much worst and so unfair.

[DoItALL9]

The 4 vs 5 and 3 vs 6 series should start alongside the play-in games on Wednesday or Thursday next year assuming it's a similar setup.

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[1bigfan13]

You have 82 games and 3 or 4 head-to-head intraconference matchups during the regular season to beat out teams for one of the 8 playoff seeds.

That's why the play-in still feels gimmicky and unnecessary to me.

In the two years that the NBA has had the play-in, there haven't been 82 games - which is the reason why the play-in was implemented in the first place.

I've not seen anyone report that the NBA will definitively keep the play-in for a regular 82 games season.

Here's the reason I and practically everyone else was fine with it last season.

Last year the league planned for an 82 game season but the pandemic completely derailed those plans. Given the circumstances, common sense said it was okay to give those teams who had an outside shot at the playoffs an extra opportunity to get in since their season was unexpectedly being cut short.

For instance, say it's March 10, 2020 and you're a team that's been playing well after a slow start.....you're 3 games out of the 8th seed and you're under the assumption that you have 18 games remaining to make up those 3 games. But the following day the season is suspended/ended. THAT'S why the play-in was okay in 2020. To make up for an unforeseen interruption in the season.

This year it was completely unnecessary because everyone knew going in that 72 games was the goal. Everyone knew where the finish line was and the finish line didn't move. As I and others have pointed out, the league has played through strike-shortened seasons in the past and there was never a need for play-in games because everyone knew they only had 50, 66, etc. games to secure a top 8 seed.

[1bigfan13]

Whats the functional difference between the playins and wildcard games for baseball and football? After some initial complaining by baseball fans, the wildcard system has been widely accepted and praised in the MLB. I predict the same will happen for the nba after people adapt

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I'm more accepting of MLB's wildcard games because it at least expanded a pretty exclusive postseason field.

I'm over 40 so when I was a kid only division winners made the playoffs. Being that there were only 4 divisions until 1995 that meant only 4 teams out of about 30 made the MLB playoffs. In 1995 they added a couple of extra divisions and a wildcard from each league, which expanded the playoff field to 8 teams. Still fairly exclusive.

The NBA on the other hand has had a fairly watered-down playoff field as far back as I can remember. Over 50% of the league has always made the playoffs. If 50% of the teams in your sport have better records than you, you don't deserve one last shot to make the playoffs. You had 72 games to crack the top 50%.....IMO, those were your "play-in games".

[Lunartic]

Yep still dislike it

The GSW won more games, lost less games than the Grizz and had a better H2H record against the Jazz. Yet the Dubs are gonna be at home while a lesser team plays in the playoffs. And this is a good thing?

[Dacost]

It makes it more dangerous because all it takes is one guy like JA to kick you out that's why avoiding the play in is crucial.

No one can rest.