POLL Should the NBA keep the play-in game?

[wildturkey]

These last few games as the teams out West battled for that spot have been pretty fun. And it would be an extra way to prevent tanking to go along with the adjusted lottery odds they already implemented. Being within 3 games seems like a decent cut off as is the rule that the 9 seed has to win twice.

I'm kinda leaning yes right now but it may be a prisoner of the moment type of deal

 

[bksballer89]

These last few games as the teams out West battled for that spot have been pretty fun. And it would be an extra way to prevent tanking to go along with the adjusted lottery odds they already implemented. Being within 3 games seems like a decent cut off as is the rule that the 9 seed has to win twice.

I'm kinda leaning yes right now but it may be a prisoner of the moment type of deal

I'm leaning yes too but I would go with within 2 games and the games must be played in the home of the 8th seeded team

 

[tlance]

No.

More than half the league gets in already.

And the 8 seed almost always sucks. No reason to add a 9th for the once a decade time that the 9th seed is actually good.

 

[Robotech]

I sure hope not. Now I just read an article arguing that play-in games should stay and that they should include the 10th ranked team, too. Too many teams make the postseason already. If these people have their way, we'll eventually see all 30 teams make the playoffs some day.

 

[DJ]

C

 

[trojanfan12]

I voted potato salad because potato salad.

But no, they shouldn't keep it.

The only reason for this was because they didn't finish the season and had teams that may have been able to catch the teams that were seeded 8th had the finished it.

Plus, they wanted Zion in the playoffs. Which of course the Nets fucked up by barely playing him.

Maybe think about having a play in game instead of a tiebreaker if 2 teams finish tied for 8th.

But that doesn't happen enough to really justify it.

Also, as @tlance pointed out, it's rare that we have an 8th seed who's actually a threat to the 1 seed.

 

[trojanfan12]

I sure hope not. Now I just read an article arguing that play-in games should stay and that they should include the 10th ranked team, too. Too many teams make the postseason already. If these people have their way, we'll eventually see all 30 teams make the playoffs some day.

I'd be interested in what the logic was that they used.

The one and only logical reason that I can think of to do that is to make money off of false hope.

Really don't need 2/3 of the league in the playoffs.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Nah, as fun as these games have been already so many teams. No need to have a play-in when you have 82 games to prove you belong in the playoffs.

 

[tlance]

I'd be interested in what the logic was that they used.

The one and only logical reason that I can think of to do that is to make money off of false hope.

Really don't need 2/3 of the league in the playoffs.

Flip side of that?

If teams make the play in game, they should not be in the lottery.

See how many teams are in favor of it then.

 

[trojanfan12]

Flip side of that?

If teams make the play in game, they should not be in the lottery.

See how many teams are in favor of it then.

lol

Yeah, that would kill it quick.

 

[wildturkey]

No.

More than half the league gets in already.

And the 8 seed almost always sucks. No reason to add a 9th for the once a decade time that the 9th seed is actually good.

But it doesn't really matter if the teams suck and almost always lose their first round match up. It adds incentive for fans to watch the late season match ups and also gives incentives for teams with a shot to not tank because they might value both the experience and the additional revenue playoff games bring in. And it might not happen every year anyway depending on how many games back you are. Like bk said, if you set it to 2 games back, you might not see a play in game for each conference.

 

[tlance]

But it doesn't really matter if the teams suck and almost always lose their first round match up. It adds incentive for fans to watch the late season match ups and also gives incentives for teams with a shot to not tank because they might value both the experience and the additional revenue playoff games bring in. And it might not happen every year anyway depending on how many games back you are. Like bk said, if you set it to 2 games back, you might not see a play in game for each conference.

Where does it end though?

Regular season has to be meaningful. If you are letting 2/3 of the league get a shot at the playoffs, that isn’t meaningful.

I don’t want to see 32 win teams fighting for playoff spots.

 

[wildturkey]

Where does it end though?

Regular season has to be meaningful. If you are letting 2/3 of the league get a shot at the playoffs, that isn’t meaningful.

I don’t want to see 32 win teams fighting for playoff spots.

The play in game is where it ends. It's literally just if the #9 is X games back, there's a play in.

 

[logic]

Isn't the entire regular season the play-in for the playoffs? The only reason that I would want it is for teams with tied records to eliminate a string of meaningless tiebreakers. One game on a neutral court if the bottom seed is tied record-wise.
But I still vote no, because then they would need to figure something else out if the 8, 9, and 10 teams were tied.

 

[trojanfan12]

Isn't the entire regular season the play-in for the playoffs? The only reason that I would want it is for teams with tied records to eliminate a string of meaningless tiebreakers. One game on a neutral court if the bottom seed is tied record-wise.
But I still vote no, because then they would need to figure something else out if the 8, 9, and 10 teams were tied.

That's where I'm at with it.

If they want to do a play in game because 2 teams are tied for 8th...then go ahead.

But I'm really not even in favor that.

 

[trojanfan12]

But it doesn't really matter if the teams suck and almost always lose their first round match up. It adds incentive for fans to watch the late season match ups and also gives incentives for teams with a shot to not tank because they might value both the experience and the additional revenue playoff games bring in. And it might not happen every year anyway depending on how many games back you are. Like bk said, if you set it to 2 games back, you might not see a play in game for each conference.

Those are good points and if the NBA does choose to keep it, the bold will be why. Fans staying engaged longer means more money.

It's why we no longer have 3 or 5 game playoff series. Sure, they want to make sure they get the best teams to the finals.

But that's because the best teams not getting there costs the league money.

 

[Robotech]

Where does it end though?

Regular season has to be meaningful. If you are letting 2/3 of the league get a shot at the playoffs, that isn’t meaningful.

I don’t want to see 32 win teams fighting for playoff spots.

Yeah, it'll all just get too ridiculous once we start sliding down that slippery slope. If we start adding more teams into the mix, it probably won't stop at 10 for each conference. There's already too many teams that make the playoffs now. You'll never see the NBA cut down the number of playoff teams. Like MLB and NFL, who are both cheapening the championship by doing so, if there is a change, it will only be to add more teams.

 

[tlance]

The play in game is where it ends. It's literally just if the #9 is X games back, there's a play in.

For now.

But when those games make the league money, next thing you know they will take 12 and everyone 5th seed and down might have a play in.

Then a 50 win team could lose a playoff spot to a 30 win team because they had 1 bad game.

I know that it extreme, but IMO there are already too many teams in the playoffs. We don’t need more.

 

[bksballer89]

Well.....

 

[Stakesarehigh]

If we are worried about tanking they should make the bottom eight play for draft spots. Or possibly that the bottom six all get in and the final two are drawn to see who plays that tournament.

Then you have to keep your roster decently stocked to get your pick