Keep the Play-in format or kill it with fire?

CoachD · Post #1 » by **CoachD** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 7:52 pm

For me personally, I think they should either go back to keeping the top 8, and making the 82 game season mean more for those 7th and 8th place teams ... OR make it a best of 3.

This would give the top 2 seeds time to rest while 3 VS 6 and 4 VS 5 can start. This has the added incentive for the teams at the top of the conference to keep fight for those top spots for a little extra rest before going to playoff war.

Tor_Raps · Post #2 » by **Tor_Raps** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 7:57 pm

Keep it but make tweaks. It has added so much interest at the bottom while making the good teams work harder to stay in the top 6.

Having said that, a team should have to be within a certain distance for them to be eligible for the play-in. It is working out perfectly in the Eastern Conference but the Western Conference has some level of unfairness.

The Wolves missing the playoffs to a team they're 10 games ahead of in the standings because of 1 or 2 games potentially doesn't seem fair.

CoachD · Post #3 » by **CoachD** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:21 pm

Tor_Raps wrote:Keep it but make tweaks. It has added so much interest at the bottom while making the good teams work harder to stay in the top 6.

Having said that, a team should have to be within a certain distance for them to be eligible for the play-in. It is working out perfectly in the Eastern Conference but the Western Conference has some level of unfairness.

The Wolves missing the playoffs to a team they're 10 games ahead of in the standings because of 1 or 2 games potentially doesn't seem fair.

Maybe something like - if you're 3 or more games out of 8th - you're done. if it's less than that ... play in format is activated

Slim Charlez · Post #4 » by **Slim Charlez** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:23 pm

Maybe tweak it like maybe needing to be a certain amount of games out of the 8th seed, but personally I like it, makes the RS more interesting.

Parataxis · Post #5 » by **Parataxis** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:30 pm

I've been loving it. It's ensuring that the teams ranked anywhere between 5-12 still have something to play for until nearly the end of the season (stay out of the play in, get into the play in, improve rankings in the play in). Normally by a couple of weeks ago, teams would have been coasting - now they're much more actively trying to win games.

It's been great.

Definitely some tweaks that could be made (eg a ladder format instead, (10 plays 9. Winner plays 8. Winner plays 7 to determine seeding) or, a best of 2, or some other system), but the bones of it are wonderful.

cpower · Post #6 » by **cpower** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:31 pm

1 seed vs 10 seed, one game, loser out of playoffs.

CoachD · Post #7 » by **CoachD** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:32 pm

My biggest pain point with it is that after 82 games ... teams are who they are.
Allowing the whole season to come down to a 1 game elimination feels really odd

dWadeOwnzYou · Post #8 » by **dWadeOwnzYou** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:39 pm

Get f**** rid of it please. It does not add much drama other then to prolong the official playoff stating date and add unnecessary stress for the 7th and 8th seed, whom earned the spot. The top 8 should earn the right to a playoff seeding. I'm sorry, but anything lower then the 8th seed is undeserving no matter how you spin it. You want to see a fluke 10th seed team make the playoff only to get demolished by the num 1 seed? No fun in that...

Wallace_Wallace · Post #9 » by **Wallace_Wallace** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:40 pm

Kill it with fire. I get that last year was still somewhat of anomaly (COVID protocols and shorten season), but this year was back to 82 games. So there is no need for it besides generating revenue.

Only tweak I would add to make the playoff interesting is that teams on top of the conference can choose their playoff opponents versus a set 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, etc. If there is a matchup that Phoenix prefers, or there is an injury situation Miami can capitalize on, why not? They earned the top seed throughout the year, and they should be able to play the opponent they prefer, and it creates decent drama for sports media to talk about.

Post #10 » by **Texas Chuck** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:42 pm

I'm not a fan, but admittedly I tend to be a traditionalist. And the league definitely should not be looking to placate me as I'm a customer regardless. If this increases casual interest and I think without question it does, and it reduces tanking which they hate, then its probably here to stay.

So I don't like it, but get it and support the league doing what makes it healthy not just what I want.

MarcusBrody · Post #11 » by **MarcusBrody** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 8:52 pm

CoachD wrote:My biggest pain point with it is that after 82 games ... teams are who they are.
Allowing the whole season to come down to a 1 game elimination feels really odd

I like it. As has been mentioned, it kept a lot of teams competing much longer than they would have in the past. It doesn't just motivate the teams fighting for the 9 and 10 spots (so potentially all the way down to the 12th team or so), it makes the 5-6 teams care about staying there vs dropping to 7. It makes the 7/8 teams want to move up or at least not drop to 9/10 and so have to win two in a row rather than 1 of 2.

I've argued it before, but save for an injury to the better teams stars, the last two playoff teams in are basically cannon fodder. In a 16 team playoff, they've literally never won a championship. One 7/8 seed has made the Finals and that was in a shortened, lockout season. Only one or two more have ever made the conference finals. I don't think it devalues the regular season to not automatically give the last two spots to the 7th and 8th based teams. I think it devalues it a lot more to have teams tanking/jostling for advantageous playoff matchups by not trying to win and the Play in helps eliminate that.

Also, i don' think that after 82 games teams are who they are. There are just too many instances of injuries/team changes/growth of young players meaning that who is a good team in April is different than who was in November-January. Take this year. Would you really pick the Cavs (currently the 7 seed) to beat the Nets/Hawks/Bobcats at the moment? You can argue that the Cavs deserve the spot for their better early season play, but I don't think it's because that the 82 game season has proven that they're the better team now.

Summary: I like the playin. I think the 7-8 teams are largely irrelevant, so a format that uses those spots to keep regular season games meaningful longer is fine by me.

ChuckChilly · Post #12 » by **ChuckChilly** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 9:20 pm

Keep it but make it where the 7th seed doesn't participate.

theforumblue · Post #13 » by **theforumblue** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 9:33 pm

i think it's great. one of the best things they've implemented in a long time. i think some tweaks can be looked into after this season depending on how it all goes, but they should definitely keep it.

Post #14 » by **Harry Garris** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 10:23 pm

CoachD wrote:My biggest pain point with it is that after 82 games ... teams are who they are.
Allowing the whole season to come down to a 1 game elimination feels really odd

Conversely, do you think a team that's talented enough to legitimate compete with other playoff caliber teams would lose 2 games in a row to the mediocre teams in their own conference to be eliminated? It's hard to envision that scenario even happening.

FreeThrowLine · Post #15 » by **FreeThrowLine** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 10:47 pm

Top 16 records advance regardless of conference, no play-ins

Post #16 » by **Domejandro** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 10:57 pm

I think the Play-in is absolutely terrific (despite Minnesota being the most at-risk team, with the format). Really don't like all of the convoluted ideas to tweak it. Watching the play-in seeding has added a TON of suspense throughout the NBA. It makes the sixth seed, seventh/eighth seed, and tenth seed all as important as the eighth seed alone used to be.

whatisacenter · Post #17 » by **whatisacenter** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 11:09 pm

I hate it. Over half of the teams make it as it was. It devalues the regular season when a team can be 10+ games under .500 and have a shot at the title. But looking at the pole I can see I am in the minority. Whatever. Maybe all the teams should get into the playoffs. Why stop at 20 of the 30 teams?

Nate505 · Post #18 » by **Nate505** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 11:10 pm

I'm all for it. It actually has given me a partial interest in the end of this season. I mean, I was legit worried for a bit that the Jazz might fall out of the Top 6.

donkeylips · Post #19 » by **donkeylips** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 11:14 pm

keep it but tweak it. have the 7th seed be safe if they are head a certain amount of games or if the 10th seed is behind a certain amount of games. or only include if the 8th and 9th seed are tied

Patches Perry · Post #20 » by **Patches Perry** » Thu Apr 7, 2022 11:15 pm

CoachD wrote:My biggest pain point with it is that after 82 games ... teams are who they are.
Allowing the whole season to come down to a 1 game elimination feels really odd

Agreed. The NBA has always been different than the NFL or NCAA in that they don't do the "one game winner takes all" style. They do sample size, and I have always loved that because 1 game can be an accident, but over 7 games you can be much more confident the best team won.

The NBA has lucked out in that they've had such top tier talent in the play-in games thus far. LeBron, Steph Curry, Durant in only a couple years. There will inevitably be years where it's a more traditional mediocre 7th-10th seeds and the games won't have nearly the same draw.

Future of the Play-In