It’s Year Five of the NBA’s answer to the First Four, otherwise known as the Play-In tournament. It’s a post-season of sorts which borrows from the failed structure of how MLB rewarded its wild card teams for a decade where an entire season of ups and downs boils down to one single game.
Typically, those that wind up in that predicament deserve it, as they are generally teams that, frankly, didn’t really deserve to be playing an 83rd game at all, let alone any others moving forward. And such is the case in the Eastern Conference. All four competitors didn’t break .500, and the two that are competing for the chance to play a second qualifying game, those frustrating yet otherwise endearing franchises in Chicago and Miami, both are the epitome of works in progress, to be kind. The WASHINGTON POST’s Ben Golliver laid it out, such as it is:
The Bulls and Heat dealt away Zach LaVine and Jimmy Butler, respectively, at the trade deadline. While Chicago has played well with its new-look backcourt of Coby White and Josh Giddey, Miami endured a 10-game losing streak in March. The loser of the play-in game between Orlando and Atlanta will face the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between the Bulls and Heat in a Friday showdown.
If that sounds pretty uninspiring, it’s in line with a lot of what we saw in past years. In fact, this Chicago-Miami matchup was seen in each of the last two seasons, with an “upper-bracketed” and homestanding Heat eliminating the wing-and-a-prayer Bulls, both times by double digits. But this Heat team is a shadow of the ones that preceded them, and it’s not simply due to the departure of Playoff/Play-In Jimmy. As THE OKLAHOMAN’s Justin Martinez, who happens to cover the league’s number one team in the 68-14 Thunder points out, (T)he Heat…rank 25th in the NBA in points per game (110.1) since they shipped out…Butler. So I suspect long-suffering Bulls fans will be thrilled the “revenge” they’ll extract when they advance to their third straight Game 84. But good luck trying to shut down Trae Young or the talent-laden Magic on the road.
It’s the Western Conference that at least on paper seems intriguing. If you’re looking for LaVine and Butler, you’ve come to the right place. LaVine will lead the Kings, along with fellow ex-Bull DeMar DeRozan, into a home game with the woeful Mavericks, who successfully avoided the ignominy of this game in 2023 when they chose to rest their starters for the majority of their regular season finale to take their chances in the NBA draft lottery. This time around, they backed in despite their best efforts to destroy their team via the trading of Luka Doncic due to the even more inept moves (and lack thereof) of the Phoenix Suns, who finally eclipsed early last week and will almost certainly result in at least two of their so-called “Big Three”–Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the consternating Bradley Beal–winding up somewhere else. That’s yet another game that at best I’ll be watching with a side-eye.
But if you’re truly seeking a game that should be even less compelling but somehow might prove to be more eventful, do check out the Memphis-Golden State matchup late tomorrow night. Both teams finished with identical 48-34 records, but for as medicore and confused as the Grizz have looked since they let coach Taylor Jenkins go and their star Ja Morant rediscovered his fascination with acting out shooting maneuvers, the events of yesterday afternoon in San Francisco place the Dubs under a good deal of scrutiny as well. Per Golliver:
The NBA playoff bracket was finally set Sunday afternoon when the Golden State Warriors fell into the play-in tournament with a 124-119 overtime loss to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in the final game of the regular season.
Stephen Curry’s Warriors, who could have clinched a guaranteed playoff spot and a first-round date with LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers by beating the Clippers, must instead fight their way into the playoffs via the play-in tournament.
If there is a silver lining to this heartbreaking loss, done with the eyes of the entire league watching thanks to being a review-laden overtime that went on for nearly an hour after every other game on yesterday’s full slate schedule ended, Golden State is drawing a Memphis team that at times looks even less inspired and together as the Mavericks, and should they win they will draw the overachieving Houston Rockets in their first round best-of-seven. For as talented as these Rockets are, most are new to the playoffs, and having to take on a triumverate with as much spring experience as Butler, Curry and Draymond Green will only make their maiden playoff voyage with this crew all the more daunting.
Or, Memphis could somehow find a way to play one game cohesively and end it all before it starts, and complete a 48-hour reversal of course that could completely undermine the stirring renaissance that the Warriors were able to cobble together during the latter stage of the season once they found the third part of their latest Big Three.
Perhaps that one game could make up for what otherwise looms to be a fairly meh week, while the 12 best squads will practice and, more importantly, get a much needed mini-break before the real post-season begins.
If one of your teams happens to be competing, you’ll somehow force yourself to care. I’m in that category and let’s just say I’m hardly thrilled about it. If they’re not, it’s a good week to file your taxes or plant a garden. In which case, see you Saturday.
Courage…