part two of the nba 2020-21 anything but regular season

such an odd season, we're only 60+ games in and yes, it feels like the cream is fully separated and all that needs to be done is to jump into the playoffs before there are injuries and yet we're still not playing the full 82. Then we do playins before playoffs? Curious to see if the standard leap in intensity/quality of play that always accompanies the playoffs is there or if rest days didn't do enough to prepare everyone for the home stretch.

The play-in sounded fun when it was just Bill Simmons cooking up a fun though experiment. Now it just seems like a way for hopeless teams like the Warriors to hurt their players trying to get to the play-in.

though=thought

im totally in on the play in. i think those games will be fun. more high stakes games please.

altho maybe next year they can just trick all the players and call the regular season 'the play-in tournament' and see what happens.

"play in tournament" except its just the first round consisting of the 3-6 4-5 teams playing 5 games series to see who plays the 1-2 teams in the second round

actually 3 game series, be done in a week

i... don't like a single elimination format? too much weird stuff can happen in a single game and one turned ankle could alter a whole season. Best out of three seems more reasonable.
NB: I am not a college hoops guy.

last year they did lower seed has to win two games higher seed just one right are they doing that again

i think i like the play in, there is at least some intrigue to this part of the season now also with teams trying go get to 5-6 and avoid the play in. and the games themselves should actually be fun esp in the west... from a competitive standpoint it also gives the top 5 teams the week off which adds an extra bonus for continuing to try. bcuz the schedule is compressed this year it’s maybe a bit different in terms of guys pushing themselves to play back to backs, three in five etc but once the schedule normalizes next year i don’t think there will be many if any drawbacks

One of Wizards/Bulls/Toronto may wind up in the play-in at like 10 games under .500

last year they did lower seed has to win two games higher seed just one right are they doing that again

ah thx

That’s correct.

there were too many teams in the playoffs already is my feeling, more than half the teams, doesnt makes sense, leads to dumb bad playoff games

one change i think would be good is that if you win the first three games of a first round series you knock the other team out. the playoffs start to drag when the 1 and 2 seeds win the first two games and everyone knows the series is over but it still gets dragged to 5 anyway

this will never happen bcuz the lower seeds want to guarantee at least two playoff games worth of revenue but still

i think i agree with forks that the loser of 7-8 should have to lose twice to the lower opponent to get knocked out but we’ll see how it goes

i live in brooklyn and have greatly enjoyed watching this shambolically frankensteined "hey we play defense SOMEtimes" home team a lot but seeing the nets get knocked out by the westbrook bullets in the first round would be immensely entertaining.
on the other hand, i would be happy to see them win the whole thing! I'd be happy to see any team win this year! Except the Lakers, not the Lakers.

Except the Lakers, not the Lakers.

This man talks sense.

there were too many teams in the playoffs already is my feeling, more than half the teams, doesnt makes sense, leads to dumb bad playoff games

― lag∞n, Wednesday, April 28, 2021 9:44 AM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

FPd for wanting less 'offs

yeah technically you have to lose twice to miss out if you're the 7-8 seed. but it is a bum deal in a sense. but also who cares you gotta win the games that matter so just win them.

jordan otm

between this and the anti tanking bottom three teams have the same chance at the top pick i feel like i feel like the nba has added some new layers to keep competitiveness up.

i hate the play-in. terribly bandaid for the actual problem which is too many damn games.

FPd for wanting less 'offs

― i was too much listening to your accent (Spottie), Wednesday, April 28, 2021 12:56 PM (six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

wow maybe try looking into a little concept called less is more

Does the playin determine who ends up in the lottery S well?

*as well

i believe lottery odds are set based on standings prior to the playin

wow maybe try looking into a little concept called less is more

― lag∞n, Wednesday, April 28, 2021 10:04 AM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHZ48AE3TOI

To me, the play-in kills the end of the regular season. Teams that barely deserve to be in the playoffs like the Pacers and Warriors instead are basically playoff locks. Is that worth it for a few games of a fun new wrinkle? The playoffs already ruled without it.

i don’t see how the pacers or warriors are playoff locks. they might not even be play in game locks! i don’t see any argument for the idea that there is less intrigue to the end of the regular season... in a typical season the only thing that would really matter right now is the race for eighth in both conferences and some jockeying for seeding but teams typically haven’t cared that much about that in recent years. the play in keeps the race for eighth (so that you only need one win to get into the playoffs) and adds a race for tenth (to get into the play in), and a race for sixth (to avoid the play in). there’s way more games that matter on any given night — most of the teams in okee are inherently not all that great but i still don’t see how it’s less interesting than normal

most of the teams involved*

literally only two teams are mathematically eliminated as of this writing and they rhyme with "dimberwolves" and "Larden Heft"

the play in is fine though it has to be understood for what it is which is simply a transparent attempt to increase revenue for the league, tho I imagine this year they won’t get as much as they wanted due the pandemic and all. you can make the argument that it creates stakes for this part of the season and engages more fan bases which is obviously true tho there are diminishing returns as far as watchable basketball goes, for example you could take this to its logical extreme and just make every team eligible for the playin which I think would not be great, I mean even with the 9 or 10 seeds it gives you a few extra national TV games of like bradley beal and steph curry which isn’t nothing but in the grand scheme of things from a holistic perspective is sort of nothing. basketball is not really the kind of sport where a bad team can make an unexpected run to the finals, it’s the main reason why the playoffs are so inclusive already because there’s essentially zero chance a team that’s not a top 3 seed makes the finals

heat were a 5 seed last year but neither last year nor this year count so

yes last year doesn’t count also lol east

i think your last point is the biggest argument against the play in, in that what it's offering right now is some sort of false sense of hope. the media can push it to death and the league can celebrate the ratings for those games for maybe a few years, but we all know that 7/8 seeds get destroyed and the fleeting high of winning the play in is going to get old fast among different fanbases. the league will also tout it as an antidote to tanking, but lottery reform has already done most of that work and how many years is it going to be before somebody decides that they'd rather settle into 11 or 12 than take a run at 10?

it's just so obviously a temporary solution to a larger problem. ironically when people say that the play in will increase excitement for who gets the 6 seed, they're unintentionally suggesting a better format for the nba playoffs which would be 6 teams per conference and byes for the 1 and 2. want to make regular season games for good teams meaningful? offer up a first round bye. it will never happen, but since everyone knows what happens to marginal playoff teams in the nba it would be much more meaningful than whatever path we're going down now.

otoh if the trailblazers win WOULDN'T THAT BE SOMETHING

if the trailblazers were to win it would be nice for blazers fans like me, but a disaster for the league, what with so many great players being sidelined with injuries in order for this to happen

It’s so weird seeing Javale McGee make good decisions all the time

but the fact that 7/8 seeds almost always get destroyed is what makes those rare upsets unforgettable.

guess there hasn't been one since drose got injured in game 1 in 2012 however (not an unforgettable series ftr)

I’m not saying this means anything but the nuggets are doig a pretty good job of beating bad teams since murray’s gone down.

Campazzo was a clutch signing, he’s been huge in the games with Barton out

who’s in second for MVP now? is it giannis or has curry overtaken him?

tbh maybe it’s kawhi, feel like he’s having a really great under the radar season and is making a great case in the MVP race, for second place

dame's been nursing an injury* and the blazers have been shit so it is not him

*(also seems to me like teams started trapping him in pretty clever ways and he sorta fell off a ledge since this has been happening?)

yeah everyone ignores the clippers but kawhi is having a really good season

everyone ignores the clippers

The Jazz and Suns are novelties and that generates buzz for them. Plus the Lakers always suck massive attention towards themselves. Also, the PG Playoff Effect may have something to do with people discounting the Clippers. Once the 'offs are underway the reg season doesn't matter anyway.

chris paul should get some mvp vote u wld think

embiid will finish a distant second