This year the regular season has been atypical. In other seasons, at this point in May we would already be meeting the finalists of Conference and it would be less than a month to see himas Finals. This season opens a reduced calendar (72 games) and a new format to get the last two places of playoffs.
This new classification format is the evolution of what we saw last year in the bubble of Orlando, in which eighth and ninth (Portland vs Memphis) faced each other in a two-game series. After the success of seeing two teams play dog-face for a final place in the playoffs, Adam Silver decided this season to take this tournament a step further play-in and expand it with up to 4 computers.
This new tournament, scheduled for May 18-21, will consist of two qualifiers. On the one hand, they will face the seventh and eighth. The winner of this match will qualify for playoff as seventh and will face the second in the first round. On the other hand, ninth and tenth will also face each other. The winner of that clash will play against the loser of the match between seventh and eighth for the last place of playoff, while the loser will be eliminated. In this way, the seventh and eighth are rewarded with two opportunities to win the playoff, while ninth and tenth will have to win their two games if they want to be in the postseason.
This new play-in has not left anyone indifferent. For the fans it is clear that it is a gift, but the players have not taken it with such philosophy. They were already reluctant to start the season in December, due to the little rest that the teams that had played in the Bubble would have. They also didn’t like the idea of playing a All Star no audience, but in the end they agreed. And now they have also shown their rejection of this play-in, that causes teams to not be able to rest their players before the playoffs, as they have done all their lives. the same LeBron He showed his rejection of the new tournament before the press on May 3 when he was asked about the subject: “Whoever made up that shit has to be fired “. Statements aside, the fight to avoid this new tournament is on fire.
The Lakers, in play-in positions
In the Western Conference Utah, Phoenix, Clippers Y Nuggets they have already secured their place for the Playoff. Dallas, Portland Y Lakers They are now competing for fifth and sixth spots that would save them from having to play the play-in. Dallas is the one with the best position. Has the Blazers to a game now Lakers to two. Luka Doncic He has managed to steer his team, a squad without great stars, to the right path after many doubts at the beginning of the year.
Portland it has been the opposite. The season went awry at the beginning of the regular season with the injuries of McCollum Y Nurkic, two indisputable headlines. Against all odds, Blazers They played well and played a lot of games that they didn’t have. After the return of their headlines and with the incorporation of Norman Powell, the equipment began to fail and to descend positions in the table. Still, they are sixth thanks to some Lakers they are in free fall. Neither LeBron ni Davis They get to play regularly and that translates into losses for the Angelenos. Despite this, the wardrobe of Lakers he hopes he can reverse the situation once the playoffs begin. LeBron He is a player who has the ability to turn around an adverse situation when the Playoffs begin. I already did it in the Cavs, who were not experts in going to great lengths in regular season precisely, and no one doubts that it will also Lakers.
Warriors, Memphis Y San antonio have practically guaranteed their place in the play-in. Pelicans, eleventh and pursuer of San antonio, has had a disappointing year. It seemed that this year they already had the necessary pieces to be able to fight for a position in the post-season, but they have not succeeded. Maybe they have the pieces Ingram Y Zion they are players All-Star, but the maturity of New Orleans it does not correspond to a team worthy of being in the Playoff. Thus, the crosses that are predicted are: Memphis vs San antonio Y Warriors vs Lakers. It would be a feast for the eyes to see again Curry play versus LeBron to enter the Playoff. It is not the scenario in which we are used to seeing them, but it does not mean that this game could be the best of the year.
The feat of the Westbrook Wizards
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In the Eastern Conference the classification is also tight. The big three Sixers, Bucks Y NetsThey are already classified although there are still things to be decided. Nets Y Bucks They are tied at 24 defeats and the remaining 5 games will determine who gets second place. Knicks Y Hawks for their part, they have a certain advantage, two games, over the seventh place that marks the play-in. And the sixth position, currently held by the Heat, is stalked by Boston, which is one game apart. It is unlikely that they will be able to snatch that sixth place from Miami, let’s not forget that they are last year’s runners-up, but there are still options for those of Brad Stevens, which their irregularity could harm when playing the play-in.
The eighth, ninth and tenth positions are practically closed for Hornets, Wizards Y Pacers, respectively. The feat achieved by those of Washington. After being the laughingstock of the league at the beginning of the year, they have starred in a second part of the season worthy of admiration. And much of the blame has a name and surname, Russell Westbrook. The MVP of the 2017 has returned to find himself in the capital after a difficult year in Rockets and he has silenced all those voices that at the beginning of the year called him a finished player. On Houston they must be pulling their hairs watching the terrible performance of a John Wall of which they expected more when they exchanged it for Westbrook. A Westbrook that, by the way, in the victory against the Pacers tied to Oscar Robertson as the player with the most triple doubles in league history (182). That’s greatness dude.
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