The league used a play-in tournament last year
ahead of the playoff bubble and brought it back this season.
In this year's format, the top six teams in the regular season
automatically qualify for the playoffs and etch their names into
the bracket.
The No. 7-10 teams are then relegated to the "play-in" round.
No. 7 and No. 8 play each other for the right to the 7 seed. The
loser of that matchup would host the winner of the No. 9 and No.
10 seed for the right to the final spot as the 8 seed.
Per the SI report, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the rest of
the league should have support to make it permanent.
All 30 team governors, in addition to the players, approved the
play-in format for the 2021 season when the league inquired
about implementing the tournament.
Having the play-in provides incentives to teams to remain
competitive throughout the entire regular season, especially the
final month, per the report.
However, the decision likely won't be made until after the 2021
season concludes.
--Field Level Media
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|