The NBA’s resumed season had an added layer of excitement on Saturday thanks to the Portland-Memphis game, and the league may want to keep that element for future seasons.
The format of the NBA’s resumed season in Orlando included eight games for all teams involved to determine playoff seeding. If the No. 9 seed in either conference was within four games of the No. 8 seed, there would be a play-in to get the final playoff spot. That was the case between the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers, who played on Saturday.
Memphis, as the No. 9 seed, needed to beat Portland twice, while the Blazers only needed to win once to clinch the eighth spot. The Blazers won an exciting game 126-122 and will now face the No. 1-seeded Lakers in the playoffs.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor said on Saturday that it would be a “shocker” if the NBA does not permanently install a play-in tournament after how successful the concept was this year.
It will be a shocker if the NBA doesn't permanently install the play-in tournament. Many people around the NBA who previously weren't in favor of it now think it's great. The format it takes could be changed, such as including the 7th and 10th seeds, but I'd expect it to be back.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) August 15, 2020
Would the league go to a format including the teams seeded Nos. 7-10? Would they keep it at No. 8 vs. No. 9? It’s unclear, but what we do know is that adding this feature creates even more excitement before the playoffs, which is great for the fans and the league, but not as great for the higher-seeded teams that otherwise would have already clinched a playoff spot.
Keep in mind that this concept is not something the league only came up with for this year; it is a proposal that has been discussed for a long while, and something Brian Windhorst has mentioned on his podcast in the past.
