How Will the NBA’s Play-In Tournament Work?

The NBA will be holding a play-in tournament for the first time ever this season. Here’s a look at how it will work.

What is the NBA’s Play-In Tournament?

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament is a way to decide the final two playoff spots in each conference. The tournament will be held at the end of the regular season, and will involve the teams with the 7th through 10th best records in each conference.

In order to participate in the Play-In Tournament, a team must first win one of two “play-in games.” The 7th seed will play the 8th seed, and the winner of that game will earn the 7th seed in the playoffs. Then, the 9th seed will play the 10th seed, and the winner of that game will earn the 8th and final spot in the playoffs.

Once the 8 teams have been decided, they will be seeded according to their regular season records. The 1st seed will play the 8th seed, the 2nd seed will play the 7th seed, etc. The winners of those games will advance to the normal playoff bracket.

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament is a way to add excitement to what can sometimes be a lackluster end to the regular season. It also adds an extra layer of meaning to every game, as teams jockey for position in order to avoid having to play in one of these “play-in” games.

How has the NBA’s regular season schedule changed?

The regular season schedule has been shortened from 82 to 72 games. The NBA Playoffs will now start a week later than they originally were scheduled to, with the Finals ending no later than July 22nd. In order to accommodate the new schedule, the NBA has introduced a Play-In Tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference. This tournament will be single-elimination for the seventh seed and double-elimination for the eighth seed. The winner of each game will earn the right to compete in the NBA Playoffs.

How will the Play-In Tournament work?

The 2020 NBA Playoffs will feature a Play-In Tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference. The tournament will be held from August 17-21.

The format of the tournament is as follows:

-The seventh seed will play the eighth seed in each conference. The winner of that game will earn the seventh seed in the playoffs.

-The loser of that game will play the winner of a game between the ninth seed and the tenth seed. The winner of that game will earn the eighth seed in the playoffs.

-Each game in the Play-In Tournament will be a single-elimination game.

What are the implications of the Play-In Tournament?

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament will be a new event for the 2020-2021 season in which the seventh through tenth seeds in each conference will compete for the final two playoff spots. This tournament will replace the traditional eight-team playoff format in which each conference’s top eight seeds advanced to the postseason.

The Play-In Tournament will take place over four days, from May 18-21, and will feature four games total. The seventh and eighth seeds in each conference will face off in the first game, with the winner advancing to take on the ninth seed. The loser of that game will get another chance to qualify for the playoffs by playing the tenth seed, with the winner of that game advancing to take on the loser of the first game for the final playoff spot.

The implications of this new tournament are significant. First, it adds an extra layer of excitement and drama to what is typically a slow period on the NBA calendar. Second, it gives teams that would not have otherwise made the playoffs a chance to fight their way into them, which could have a major impact on both player morale and team finances. Finally, it could lead to more competitive balance in the playoffs, as lower seeds will now have a realistic shot at upsetting higher seeds.