The 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament is set to take place this week. What could be considered as the biggest surprise is the fact the Brooklyn Nets did not reach the top six in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, and now have to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 7-8 game on Tuesday.
With all of the Nets talent, which is led by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, you would expect more. However, due to a high level of inconsistent play throughout the season, the Nets finished the year with a record of 44 wins and 38 losses, which was only good enough for seventh. The Cavaliers had the same record as the Nets, but with a strong defense throughout the regular season and an inexperienced group, they definitely overachieved.
The Western Conference 7-8 game on Tuesday will be the Los Angeles Clippers at the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Clippers are undefeated in April without their star player, Kawhi Leonard. Their most impressive game of the five was on April 1, when Robert Covington scored 43 points in a 153-119 Clippers win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The winners of the 7-8 games will be the seventh seed in each conference and play the second seed in the opening round of the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, the second seed is the Boston Celtics, while in the Western Conference, the second seed is the Memphis Grizzlies.
The losers of the 7-8 game will play the winner of the 9th-10th game in each conference, and be the eighth seed. The 9th-10th games will be on Wednesday. In the Eastern Conference, the 9th and 10th seeds are the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets, who had identical records of 43 wins and 39 losses.
The Western Conference 9th-10th play-in game is why this NBA Play-In tournament should not exist and be completely scrapped all together. The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans are still being rewarded after having awful regular seasons. The Pelicans were 36-46, while the Spurs were at 34-48. The first seed in the East is the Miami Heat and the first seed in the West is the Phoenix Suns.
There are two first round series in each conference which we know will take place at this time. In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks will play the Chicago Bulls and the Philadelphia 76ers will play the Toronto Raptors. In the West, the Golden State Warriors will play the Denver Nuggets, and the Dallas Mavericks will play the Utah Jazz.
