Golden State Warriors: Pros and Cons of NBA Play-In Tournament
By Tony Pesta
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.