Everyone knows why the NBA included a play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth spots for the playoffs: money (of course) and the promise of exciting games.
However, the first day of the play-in tourney featuring the Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and the Washington Wizards was an absolute flop from a casual viewer's perspective. And you don't need to be a rocket scientist or a basketball god to know the reason why.
The NBA Play-In Tournament's Biggest Flaw: INJURIES
Jayson Tatum's 50 wasn't enough to save Wiz-Celtics
For those who tuned into the games, they were all messy blow-outs: the Pacers won over the Hornets 144-117, the Celtics won over the Wizards 118-100. Props to the Wizards for keeping it close for much of the entire game. However, Bradley Beal was not at 100 percent during the entire game. During time-outs, he was seen stretching his right leg to keep his injured hamstring loose. The All-Star finished with 22 points on 10-of-25 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from deep.
And of course, Celtics fans have been crying in sorrow since Jaylen Brown went down with a season-ending wrist injury. It would've been different if Beal was at a hundred percent and Brown was on the floor. But what fans got was a pedestrian game from a competitive standpoint, contrary to the expected high-octane atmosphere of a play-in game.
Jayson Tatum lighting it up for 50 points was the only saving grace, setting the play-in scoring record. But let's not kid ourselves in claiming it was the most entertaining 50-point barrage you've ever seen. The Celtics star scored 17 of his points at the line and shot an inefficient 14 for 32 from the field.
Hornets vs. Pacers was truly lacking in star power
The same is true for the Hornets and Pacers who did not have Gordon Hayward and Caris LeVert. Hayward has been out with a sprain while LeVert had to sit out for health and safety protocols. It's difficult to predict if the game would've been closer if the two had played, but clearly having some bigger names would have made the product more watchable than it was.
The Hornets were a brutal 9-20 without Hayward during the regular season, which means the Pacers were playing a lottery-level team with Gordo out of commission.
Pacers fans won't fret over the victory, but if you're a fan of good basketball, you'd want the best players on the court, playing their hearts out for that final playoff spot.
Fans of the NBA play-in tournament would probably say that injuries are a part of the game. The aforementioned teams, too, should've played better in the regular season so as to lock in their playoff spot. However, NBA coaches have said numerous times throughout the season (and even before it started) that this compressed 72-game regular season has dealt a serious blow to the health of their players.
Citing internal NBA data, ESPN reporter Baxter Holmes noted the following:
“through 50 games, the number of injuries — defined as those that cause a player to miss at least one game — is lower than last season and within the range that the league has seen over the past five seasons.”
The league has taken efforts to give more players rest days during the grueling season. Some measures include the reduction of the series of three games in four games, four games in five days, and five games in seven days schedules. However, the league seems to have thrown this adjustment out the window this season. They failed to predict how much an impact COVID-19 would have amid their stringent protocols.
Early in the season, several games were canceled due to COVID-19 health and safety precautions. As such, a bulk of the teams were forced to squeeze in games in their already-tight schedule. The result was a more grueling one. The Memphis Grizzlies, for example, were scheduled to play 22 sets of three games in four nights (including overlapping sets) from the All-Star break to the end of the season. Teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and the Dallas Mavericks were also slated to play sets of five games in seven days.
All in all, the league's stubbornness to play as many games as possible amid a pandemic has backfired. The play-in tournament was marketed to give more teams a chance to make the playoffs. However, the NBA failed to measure the negative impact of these plans to the health of its players, who, in all honestly, are the most important people in the organization.
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