Play-in time: Magic-Hawks, Warriors-Grizzlies on Tuesday, Bulls-Heat and Kings-Mavs on Wednesday
Steve Kerr, the basketball fan, raves about the play-in tournament and the drama that it creates down the stretch of the NBA's regular season and leading into the official start of the playoffs.
Kerr, the basketball coach, doesn't like it so much.
'I haven't loved it because we've been on the wrong end of it," said Kerr, the Golden State Warriors' coach. "We're 0-3 in these play-in games. And so, you finish in the top eight, you feel like you should be in the playoffs. On the other hand, it's been great for the league. If you're eighth and-or seventh, well, you had 82 games to do better — and you didn't do better.'
This is where the Warriors — and seven other teams — now find themselves. They're in the postseason. They're not in the playoffs. And six games this week all will have either a playoff berth, season elimination, or both on the line.
The fifth full season of the NBA's play-in tournament starts Tuesday: No. 7 Orlando hosts No. 8 Atlanta in the Eastern Conference, and No. 7 Golden State hosts No. 8 Memphis in the Western Conference. The winners of those games make the playoffs, with the Magic-Hawks winner earning the chance to play Boston and the Warriors-Grizzlies winner off to play Houston.
For Tuesday's losers, all is not lost. The Magic-Hawks loser will play host to either No. 9 Chicago or No. 10 Miami on Friday in an elimination game to see who faces No. 1 Cleveland in the East, while the Warriors-Grizzlies loser plays host to either No. 9 Sacramento or No. 10 Dallas to see who'll take on No. 1 Oklahoma City in the West.
The Chicago-Miami and Sacramento-Dallas games are Wednesday. The losers of those games are eliminated.
'You want to be mindful that you don't over-clutter the mind," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We're at our best when we have great clarity. And we know what our game is at this point. We know what their game is. We've played them three times in the last two months. So, we will do a little bit more prep than a normal regular season game ... but I don't want over-saturation of information to slow us down.'
The play-in tournament started in the Walt Disney World bubble in 2020, a way to even out an uneven schedule that year. The only game was Portland-Memphis to decide the final playoff spot in the West; Portland won to grab the No. 8 position.
The full tournament started a year later. Home teams are 17-7 in those games, which is a good sign for Golden State, Sacramento, Orlando and Chicago. Play-in past performances
Of the eight teams in this year's play-in tournament, six have been there before. Atlanta is 3-1 in past play-in games, Memphis is 2-1, Chicago and Miami are both 2-2, Sacramento is 1-1 and Golden State is 0-3.
'We haven't fared well in these play-in games,' Warriors forward Draymond Green said. 'Got to get locked in and get ready to go.'
Dallas and Orlando are there for the first time.
'The beauty of it and the blessing of it is being at home, in front of our fans,' Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. Atlanta at Orlando, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Season series: Tied, 2-2.
BetMGM Sportbook: Orlando by 5.5.
At stake: The winner is the No. 7 seed and opens the playoffs Sunday at No. 2 Boston. The loser will host the Chicago-Miami winner in an elimination game on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed.
Outlook: It's the third meeting in an eight-day span for these clubs, though Sunday's regular season finale saw both teams holding out a ton of players because this matchup was already set. In the three other Hawks-Magic games this season, the final margins were six, six and seven points. This format seems to work for Hawks guard Trae Young; he's 3-1 in play-in games. The good news for the Magic: Teams that enter the play-in as the No. 7 seed have made the playoffs every time. Memphis at Golden State, Tuesday, 10 p.m. (TNT)
Season series: Warriors, 3-1.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Warriors by 6.5.
At stake: The winner is the No. 7 seed and opens the playoffs Sunday at No. 2 Houston. The loser will host the Sacramento-Dallas winner in an elimination game on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed.
Outlook: The Warriors looked at this week — Sunday's regular-season finale against the Clippers, then this game, then potentially Friday — as having three home chances to win one game to get to the playoffs. It's a healthy way to think. The question is, how healthy are the Warriors? Stephen Curry's thumb was taped Sunday and Jimmy Butler was hobbling when it was over. The Grizzlies love playing road games; Ja Morant says he feeds off the negative energy. Miami at Chicago, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Season series: Bulls, 3-0.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Bulls by 1.5.
At stake: The winner plays at either Orlando or Atlanta on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed in the East. The loser is eliminated.
Outlook: It's the second meeting between the teams in a week, after the Bulls rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat the Heat in Chicago on Wednesday and essentially lock up No. 9. This will be a pace game. If it's at Chicago's faster pace, advantage Bulls. If it's at Miami's slower pace, advantage Heat. Miami is seeking a sixth consecutive playoff appearance while Chicago is trying to get to Round 1 for what would be just the second time in the last eight years. Dallas at Sacramento, Wednesday, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Season series: Kings, 3-0.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Kings by 4.5.
At stake: The winner plays at either Golden State or Memphis on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed in the West. The loser is eliminated.
Outlook: It's the first postseason meeting between the clubs in more than two decades; they played in 2002, 2003 and 2004 with the Kings winning two of those three series. The Mavs went to the NBA Finals last season behind Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving; Doncic is with the Los Angeles Lakers now and Irving is out for the season with an ACL tear. Trades changed the Kings' trajectory as well this season and they won four of their last six to claim No. 9 in the West.
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