With the 2024 NBA Playoffs right around the corner, the league is reportedly looking at a handful of options that could place more importance on the NBA In-Season Tournament (also referred to as the NBA Cup), per Shams Charania of The Athletic:
“Sources: The NBA Board of Governors has discussed a proposal that the round to which a team advances in the NBA Cup would be used as the first postseason tiebreaker. League is polling GMs on NBA Cup advancement vs. head-to-head result as first tiebreaker to bring for final vote.”
Shams goes on to explain that NBA GMs will choose from a handful of different options:
“GMs will choose among options, per sources: 1) NBA Cup as first postseason tiebreaker, 2) NBA Cup as second tiebreaker (after head-to-head) and third in ties involving more than two teams, 3) advancement to NBA Cup as first tiebreaker and further advancement as third/fourth.”
While the idea of the NBA In-Season Tournament having even more importance placed on it is intriguing, it's difficult to accept the idea of doing away with head-to-head record as a difference-maker altogether. The idea of the NBA Cup as the second tiebreaker after head-to-head record sounds like a winner.
NBA Play-In Tournament gets underway
The Play-In Tournament will take place Tuesday, April 16 – Friday, April 19 before the first round of the NBA playoffs begins.
The tournament will be very telling, not only to how this year's playoffs will ultimately unfold but also to what the future holds for LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
The stage is set for four very intriguing initial play-in games, with two more set to follow that will be determined based on what happens both Tuesday and Wednesday night. The Western Conference will kick things off on Tuesday, as the Lakers will once again face off against the New Orleans Pelicans, the team they beat in the final game of the regular season to clinch the 8-seed. In doing so, Los Angeles knocked the Pelicans out of contention for the 6-seed, putting them in the NBA play-in tournament.
Afterward, the 10-seed Golden State Warriors visit the 9-seed Sacramento Kings.
On Wednesday, the Eastern Conference matchups will feature the 8-seed Miami Heat visiting the 7-seed Philadelphia 76ers and the 10-seed Atlanta Hawks at the Chicago Bulls.
While the teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in the standings of each conference are guaranteed a playoff spot, the teams that finish Nos. 7-10 in the standings will enter the Play-In Tournament. These teams will battle for the seventh and eighth playoff seeds.
Here is an overview of how it works:
- Each conference’s No. 7 team in the standings will host the No. 8 team. The winners secure the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The losers will get another chance to earn a playoff spot.
- Each conference’s No. 9 team in the standings will host the No. 10 team. The winners will advance to the final stage of the Play-In Tournament. The losers are eliminated.
- The losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchups will host the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups. The winners secure the No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs for its conference. The losing teams are eliminated.
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