By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette
The NBA has faced a lot of internal and external criticism this season. Fans, players, the media and others have complained about the new 65-game rule. Some are complaining about tanking, and how too many teams are intentionally losing, and how the league is doing a poor job at stopping it. It has been mostly annoying following this discourse. But one change the league made several years ago, the Play-In Tournament, has provided some outstanding basketball games this week.
The Play-In Tournament was conceived as one way to keep games entertaining toward the end of the season. The league and fans felt that toward the end of the season, once many of the playoff spots were locked in, teams stopped trying as much, leading to some less than stellar basketball being played for the final weeks of the season. Previously, the top-eight teams in each conference advanced to the playoffs. Now, teams 7-10 enter the Play-In. The 7 and 8 seeds, and the 9 and 10 seeds play each other. The winner of the 7/8 game advances and is officially the 7 seed. The loser of the 7/8 game plays the winner of the 9/10 game. The winner of that game then becomes the final No. 8 seed.
This is meant to keep the teams in the four, five and six seeds engaged, with fear of slipping into the play-in and losing their guaranteed spot. It also gives the teams in ninth and 10th place a reason to keep trying till the very end of the season. So far, this year’s Play-In has delivered.
Three of the first four games went to down to the wire. A one-point win, a four-point win, and a five-point win. In the fourth game, the Sixers defeated the Magic in a good contest, but nowhere near as crazy as the other three. Here are some of the highlights from the other three.
The most enthralling game was certainly between the Hornets and the Heat. I lost track of how many times my jaw dropped while watching this one. Coby White exploded for 14 points in the third quarter. I mean, just listen to that crowd. Then, in the fourth quarter, time winding down, the Hornets needed three points to send it to OT. White stepped up again. To cap it all off, the team’s star, Lamelo Ball, despite a rough night overall, wins the game with a layup. The game then was quickly sealed by an insane block by teammate Miles Bridges. The Charlotte crowd did not disappoint.
Starting right after that game was Suns vs. Blazers in the West. Now, while this game didn’t have quite as many highlight worthy plays, it was close from start to finish. The main standout? The Deni Avdija of the Blazers, who capped off his 41-point night with a game winner, stunning the Suns fans in attendance.
Also in the west, the Warriors and the Clippers battled back and forth all game long. Kristaps Porzingis, despite hardly playing this season, was fantastic. Al Horford, the oldest player in the league behind only LeBron James, shot the lights out. He hit four straight threes to give the Warriors a late lead. Draymond Green locked up Clippers star Kawhi Leonardwith two steals in the final minute. And, Stephen Curry reminded everyone why he is the greatest shooter to ever touch a basketball floor.
Tomorrow, the Hornets look to continue their storybook season to defeat the Magic and advance to the playoffs. The Warriors face the Suns for the same opportunity. Will the Hornets and Warriors be able to ride the momentum after their unreal games, or will the Magic and Suns bounce back after devastating loses? We will find out Saturday night.
Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.