The NBA play-in games are loaded with headliners.
Because the regular season was cut by 10 games, the NBA decided to give the top 10 teams in each conference a way into the playoffs. That’s why we have four play-in games Tuesday and Wednesday nights to kick off the post-season.
All four games are intriguing match-ups for different reasons.
On TNT Tuesday night, the 10 seed Hornets return to the playoffs and visit the No. 9 seed Pacers, a battle between two teams with losing records over the 72-game regular season. In previous playoffs, only eight teams made the cut and these two would be cleaning out their lockers. But at least the Hornets give us a little home-state pride and could move on.
In the second game tonight, the 8 seed Wizards, whose star Bradley Beal will play injured, go against the disappointing No. 7 seed and .500 Celtics. Yes, the Boston green suffered injuries all season, the latest knocking out star guard Jaylen Brown. If the Celtics don’t get in, look for the immediate rumors to start that Brad Stevens is leaving the NBA for Duke.
On Friday on ESPN, 10th seed San Antonio and U.S. Olympic coach Greg Popovich try not to be one-and-done against the 9-seed Grizzlies, who finished with a winning record and five full games ahead of the 33-39 Spurs. Looks like Pop better start packing for Tokyo.
The second game is the most interesting of all, with 8th seed Golden State trying to regain its mojo against the defending NBA champion Lakers, who will have LeBron James back in the lineup. It’s had to believe that the Warriors and Steph Curry, who were perennial world champions just a few years ago, and the seventh-place Lakers have to play their way into the first round of the playoffs.
This is the one game that makes the new format patently unfair. Either Curry or James, probably the two biggest basketball stars on the planet, could not be seen in at least one best-of-seven series. The COVID-driven format was devised long before the regular season standings were settled and probably so Curry and James could have shots at the playoffs.
That both may not advance really sucks.
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