The NBA has instated a play-in game for the playoffs this year that has received mixed reviews. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and owner Mark Cuban recently criticized the idea. Cuban was on record claiming he doesn't think it makes sense this year, but it makes more sense for 2021, as the NBA likely won't be dealing with COVID-19 as much.

However, that hasn't stopped Stan Van Gundy, head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, from calling out Cuban for his remarks, per USA Today. The Mavericks owner did mention how he voted for the play-in game after criticizing it, which is what Van Gundy points out.

“I thought it was funny that Mark Cuban, who I absolutely love, pushed it,” New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Not only did he vote for it, but he pushed it. And now that they’re sitting where they are, they don’t like it.”

The Dallas Mavericks currently sit in seventh place in the Western Conference. Seeds 7-10 will be partaking in the play-in game this year. The winners will take the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference.

As for the Pelicans, they're right on the outside in 11th place, two games behind the San Antonio Spurs. They're doing everything they can to earn a spot in the playoff game to potentially force their way into the postseason. Van Gundy is playing the cards he's health though, as he's doing everything he can to will Pelicans into the playoffs.

“It doesn't matter what I think,” Van Gundy said. “We're trying to get in it. So what my own personal thing is on what they should or should not have done with that doesn't even matter. I don't think about it. We're trying to get in it. So that’s what is important to me.”

With 16 games left on the schedule, the Pelicans have a real shot at participating in the play-in game. They'll have a chance to close the gap on the Spurs on Sunday, as New Orleans takes on Philadelphia 76ers.