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Golden State Warriors: Pros and Cons of NBA Play-In Tournament

By Tony Pesta

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers is guarded by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Staples Center on January 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers is guarded by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Staples Center on January 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Golden State Warriors (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Cons

Inversely, there are some serious concerns with the new format. Specifically, this season is a tough one for some of the teams who went deep into the playoffs last Fall.

Take into account that the two squads who reached the NBA Finals last season have dealt with various injuries and are both on the verge of being in the Play-In Tournament as a result of that wear and tear. They only had about a month to rest before jumping back into training camp and a rushed season with a jam-packed schedule.

For this reason, it’s understandable why someone like LeBron James would have hefty criticism of the format. Father time is undefeated and this quick flip into another playoff run has to be tough for a 36-year-old star.

Just as the Golden State Warriors were granted an opportunity to fight through an adverse season in order to earn a Play-In spot — the reigning champs will be punished for their injuries and forced to defend their Playoff berth.

However, I still believe the Play-In format is an overall good idea. 99.9 percent of the time, the Play-In will feature the bottom-four teams who really have no shot at the title anyways. It is only in this rare circumstance, where a global pandemic and various injuries have caused the Lakers to be in an unfortunate scenario, that the Play-In poses real concerns.

Next. Ranking each Play-In opponent. dark

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