The 2022 NBA Playoffs begins tomorrow, April 12th, with the Play-In tournament. Many fans, including LeBron James, have voiced their displeasure with this recent addition to the overall playoff format. I, however, LOVE the change.
In the past, 16 teams (8 East, 8 West) would make the playoffs.
Now...
The Play-In Tournament allows 10 teams from each conference to make the playoffs. Seeds 7 and 8 will play one another to finalize the 7th seed. The loser of that match-up, will play the winner of the 9 vs 10 match-up. The winner of this final game will claim the 8th seed and the playoffs will officially begin as it always has with 8 seeds in each conference from that point on.
I love this format. It has brought energy into the regular season and giving meaning to seeding in the playoffs. Many naysayers will complain that it's still irrelevant and that the play-in teams have no real chance of winning it all anyway. The later i agree with. My counter argument would be: The NBA has the LEAST amount of parody in professional sports, and fans, for the most part, are capable of sorting out true contenders before the season even begins. With that being said, the play-in allows for some fun along the way.
2022 Play-In Match-ups:
8 Cavs vs 7 Nets
8 Clippers vs 7 Timberwolves (Yes, Timberwolves)
10 Hornets vs 9 Hawks
10 Spurs vs 9 Pelicans
*I will run through a breakdown of the first round of the playoffs once the play-in is completed!