The NBA Play-In Tournament is the preliminary postseason tournament to determine the last two teams that qualified to the NBA Playoffs for both the Eastern and Western Conferences of the ongoing NBA season.This mini-tournament was initially to play for the first time for the 2019-20 NBA Season.
This due to theNBA’s plans for a bubble as part of its return to play because of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the tournament only included the 8th and 9th seeded teams. While the current format includes teams from the 7th to the 10th places of their Conferences standings.
For example, in the 2021-22 NBA Season, the Brooklyn Nets faced the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Atlanta Hawks faced the Charlotte Hornets for the Eastern Conference. As for the West, the Los Angeles Clippers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the New Orleans Pelicans faced the San Antonio Spurs.
What is the Play-In Tournament in the NBA?
According the NBA website, the Play-In Tournament is structured as follows; “At the conclusion of the regular season but before the first round of the playoffs, the team with the 7th-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the 8th-highest winning percentage in a Play-In Game (the “Seven-Eight Game”). The winner of the Seven-Eight Game in each conference will earn the No. 7 seed.”
Also, “The team with the 9th-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the 10th-highest winning percentage in the “Nine-Ten Game”. The loser of the Seven-Eight Game will host the winner of the Nine-Ten Game in a Play-In Game, and the winner of that game in each conference will earn the No. 8 seed.“
