LeBron James on the play-in tournament:"Whoever came up with that needs to be fired"

[Da ThRONe]

LeBron is right. This is stupid. Why have these many games only to have a play in game. That is the point of the regular season.

[darmani]

LeBron is right. This is stupid. Why have these many games only to have a play in game. That is the point of the regular season.

By this logic, why should we have playoffs at all? Isn't 82 games enough to decide who's the champion?

[Marrrcuss]

Again, once Steph and Zion get their teams into REAL contention, this will go away

[Jkam31]

The play in is stupid. The amount of games in the regular season is stupid. All of this;

Resting players
Player injuries
Meaningless games
End of season

Can all be fixed by making the season 60 games, or even less(45 games even).

For more unpredictability in the early rounds?

1st round-Best of 3.

2nd round-best of 5

Conference and NBA finals best of 7.

Every single game would have meaning, and because players would be much better rested, you would get peak performances everytime.

It’s hilarious when you guys think 82 games is a lot 45 games isn’t even reasonable like what the heck is that. 60 games and these fools will still sit games for personal reasons why partying the very same night

[Da ThRONe]

LeBron is right. This is stupid. Why have these many games only to have a play in game. That is the point of the regular season.

By this logic, why should we have playoffs at all? Isn't 82 games enough to decide who's the champion?

When was the last time a 7th or 8th seed won a title? When was the last time a 7th or 8th seed been to the conference Finals. Hell they barely make it out of the first round.

These play in games don’t change anything. That's the difference.

[Dick Tate]

I've never had much respect for a 7th or 8th seed, so making them jump through another hoop to get in is cool by me. And if they lose, it ain't all bad... They'll get their crack in the lottery, which is what a 7th or 8th place team probably needs more than being sent to a 1st round slaughter anyway.

[SichtingLives]

Just a few years ago NBA basketball was cresting. Now it is drowning in a sea of its own gimmicks. I can understand rich people getting blinded by money but when you have the UFC right next door putting on a masterclass on how to operate a professional sport its much harder to give the NBA a pass for this perpetual pile of **** they keep pumping out

[Jkam31]

Just a few years ago NBA basketball was cresting. Now it is drowning in a sea of its own gimmicks. I can understand rich people getting blinded by money but when you have the UFC right next door putting on a masterclass on how to operate a professional sport its much harder to give the NBA a pass for this perpetual pile of **** they keep pumping out

Speaking of UFC they better force Usman to fight an actual contender and not Masvidal and the last two clowns his manager called out. Man up and face Colby

[GeorgeSears]

I agree with LeBron with regards to this season in particular. It's a condensed season, a lot of teams are facing injuries/ COVID protocol. It made sense for a bubble environment, but it doesn't make sense right now.

[DCasey91]

Just a few years ago NBA basketball was cresting. Now it is drowning in a sea of its own gimmicks. I can understand rich people getting blinded by money but when you have the UFC right next door putting on a masterclass on how to operate a professional sport its much harder to give the NBA a pass for this perpetual pile of **** they keep pumping out

The UFC is wild right now (reminds me of the Pride Golden era, outside of Jones everybody is slanging that thing). Hate to be ranked in the Bantamweight and Flyweight division absolute killers all of them. Back to back UFC main event and fight night was hectic).

They have real life video game characters fight each other lol Jiri, Izzy, Ngannou, Usman, heck even hype train O’ Malley. Also women’s UFC is the greatest out of all female sports atm. Rose, Shev, Nunes are goddamn monsters.

NBA take note this is how you entertain people.

[dkb9696]

LeBron is just crusty because he is hurt and Kylefornia just took a dump on the Lakers.

[DCasey91]

Just a few years ago NBA basketball was cresting. Now it is drowning in a sea of its own gimmicks. I can understand rich people getting blinded by money but when you have the UFC right next door putting on a masterclass on how to operate a professional sport its much harder to give the NBA a pass for this perpetual pile of **** they keep pumping out

Speaking of UFC they better force Usman to fight an actual contender and not Masvidal and the last two clowns his manager called out. Man up and face Colby

Man up? Usman has no real competition for him. Dudes all time already for WW he’s in a class of his own in that div. Usman would kill Colby in a rematch now.

[dkb9696]

Just a few years ago NBA basketball was cresting. Now it is drowning in a sea of its own gimmicks. I can understand rich people getting blinded by money but when you have the UFC right next door putting on a masterclass on how to operate a professional sport its much harder to give the NBA a pass for this perpetual pile of **** they keep pumping out

Speaking of UFC they better force Usman to fight an actual contender and not Masvidal and the last two clowns his manager called out. Man up and face Colby

Man up? Usman has no real competition for him. Dudes all time already for WW he’s in a class of his own in that div. Usman would kill Colby in a rematch now.

Agree. They need to find a time machine and have a prime GSP in there against Usman for him to be properly challenged.

[Nate505]

I was kind of against the play in games, but after hearing Luka, Cuban,and LeBron whine about it has turned my view on it 180 degrees.

[bb22]

The play in is stupid. The amount of games in the regular season is stupid. All of this;

Resting players
Player injuries
Meaningless games
End of season

Can all be fixed by making the season 60 games, or even less(45 games even).

For more unpredictability in the early rounds?

1st round-Best of 3.

2nd round-best of 5

Conference and NBA finals best of 7.

Every single game would have meaning, and because players would be much better rested, you would get peak performances everytime.

It’s hilarious when you guys think 82 games is a lot 45 games isn’t even reasonable like what the heck is that. 60 games and these fools will still sit games for personal reasons why partying the very same night

Also hilarious to think about all the lost money if the NBA were to cut so many games.
We seem to forget that this is all purely entertainment.

[RiseOfTheEmpire]

Well said. What the NBA lacks is the sense of unpredictability when a favorite faces a low-seeded team. This play-in thing brings that into the mix and that's awesome.

So you literally hate the best part of the nba playoffs? That the best teams win? What in the hell is wrong with people...

Wait, you don't like surprises in sports and always root for the favorite to win a long series? That sounds extremely boring.

He's the guy who turns off the tv in the middle of the fourth during a blowout, and is surprised about the comeback the next day.

The definition of a front runner.

"What in the hell is wrong with people"... Lack of self awareness is always amusing.

[APettyJ]

LeBron is right. This is stupid. Why have these many games only to have a play in game. That is the point of the regular season.

By this logic, why should we have playoffs at all? Isn't 82 games enough to decide who's the champion?

When was the last time a 7th or 8th seed won a title? When was the last time a 7th or 8th seed been to the conference Finals. Hell they barely make it out of the first round.

These play in games don’t change anything. That's the difference.

It changes the fact that you have New Orleans fans watching that otherwise might be disengaged as their team has no shot to catch the 8th seed in record. For that fanbase, or for a fanbase like the Kings or the Wolves, it's not about winning a championship, it's about just making it to the playoffs. Play-in gives teams like that a chance , which would be exciting for a playoff starved franchise.

Also the ripple effect of causing teams to be more wary about load-managing their best players during the end stretch. 4-8 in records now have to be careful they don't coast too much and fall into the play-in and out of that week off between the end of the regular season and the start of the Playoffs, a rest period that the winner of the 7/8 play-in will also get to benefit from for the most part, save that one game day. That means I can be more confident about buying tickets during the stretch run of games, or adds a little intrigue to a matchup like the Warriors-Pelicans Steph-Zion battle tonight. That's good for the fans. The teams will find ways to get their guys rest and load management, but they'll have to be smarter about it.

Also, I think of the 2017 Heat who went 30-11 down the stretch only to just miss the playoffs, while Detroit with a hobbled Blake Griffin stayed just ahead of them. I think Miami would have offered a more entertaining show, and that's good. Seeing that this season with the Wizards, who after much injury problems to start the season and digging a deep hole, they are now playing like a team with two all-stars and providing some exciting play, exciting in part because it could be part of a playoff push. I know more fans in Washington are tuning in than if this was the old system and they would be pretty much out.

[Young Stapler]

By this logic, why should we have playoffs at all? Isn't 82 games enough to decide who's the champion?

When was the last time a 7th or 8th seed won a title? When was the last time a 7th or 8th seed been to the conference Finals. Hell they barely make it out of the first round.

These play in games don’t change anything. That's the difference.

It changes the fact that you have New Orleans fans watching that otherwise might be disengaged as their team has no shot to catch the 8th seed in record. For that fanbase, or for a fanbase like the Kings or the Wolves, it's not about winning a championship, it's about just making it to the playoffs. Play-in gives teams like that a chance , which would be exciting for a playoff starved franchise.

Also the ripple effect of causing teams to be more wary about load-managing their best players during the end stretch. 4-8 in records now have to be careful they don't coast too much and fall into the play-in and out of that week off between the end of the regular season and the start of the Playoffs, a rest period that the winner of the 7/8 play-in will also get to benefit from for the most part, save that one game day. That means I can be more confident about buying tickets during the stretch run of games, or adds a little intrigue to a matchup like the Warriors-Pelicans Steph-Zion battle tonight. That's good for the fans. The teams will find ways to get their guys rest and load management, but they'll have to be smarter about it.

Also, I think of the 2017 Heat who went 30-11 down the stretch only to just miss the playoffs, while Detroit with a hobbled Blake Griffin stayed just ahead of them. I think Miami would have offered a more entertaining show, and that's good. Seeing that this season with the Wizards, who after much injury problems to start the season and digging a deep hole, they are now playing like a team with two all-stars and providing some exciting play, exciting in part because it could be part of a playoff push. I know more fans in Washington are tuning in than if this was the old system and they would be pretty much out.

Hmmm you know, I was completely against the play in but reading thoughtful responses like this is changing my opinion.

[ZB9]

9th and 10th seed teams just need to coast and get healthy. They are so many games back they cant catch the 7th and 8th seed teams record wise anyway.

They dont need to catch them record wise. They just need to get healthy to win one game. It doesnt matter how many games back the 9th and 10th seed teams are. They can be 5 games back of the 7th seed team but just need to beat them ONCE and that lead is erased.

Meanwhile, the 7th and 8th seed teams are not able to coast and will probably not be as healthy as the 9th and 10th place teams. It's crap.

The NBA has always had one of the best playoff systems in sports. Why change it?

[Optms]

Welcome to the participation trophy era.