By Adam Kerr
NBA Play-In Preview
Since he took over for David Stern in 2014, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has made a lot of tweaks to the association. Adding the Play-In is one of the biggest changes – and one that is widely considered his best change. Since 2021, the teams in each conference seeded seven through ten have faced off in the Play-In for the last two playoff spots in their respective conferences.
This year, the Play-In is filled with star power. Some of the league’s biggest names like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, and Jimmy Butler will be playing in high-stakes basketball in mid-April. With two play-in teams making the conference finals last year, everyone is waiting to see which one of this year’s underdogs will make a deep run. Before anyone looks into who will be making it to June, it is important to get a good grip of who will even get a chance to make a run for the Larry O’Brien trophy this Summer.
9 Chicago Bulls vs. 10 Atlanta Hawks
Without a doubt, the Bulls and Hawks facing off is the least exciting matchup of the four, and the game’s ratings will surely reflect that. However, win-or-go-home basketball is always thrilling, and both of these teams will be leaving it all on the court on Wednesday night. On one end is an injured & aging Bulls team with some hope for the future with Most Improved Player candidate Coby White, while the other has an All-Star duo making what will probably be their last dance in Atlanta before a retool begins.
Factor in both teams having a bottom-ten defensive rating in the league, and the game could truly go either way. However, the Bulls have been very competitive in many outings this season, and it seems like they will be the tougher team and come out on top, with the Hawks being sent to the draft lottery.
9 Sacramento Kings vs. 10 Golden State Warriors
A rematch of last year’s first-round series that went to seven games, the Warriors and Kings are ready to face off once again with their seasons on the line. Famously, in last year’s game seven, Stephen Curry put up 50 points to push Golden State past Sacramento. This year’s Warriors team is clearly showing their age compared to the Dubs of years past. However, two of Sacramento’s best players are out for the season in Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter.
For that reason, it is more likely that the Warriors will live to see another day than not. However, if the duo of Sabonis and Fox can turn it up in clutchtime, the Kings will have a real shot at getting revenge against Golden State.
7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. 8 Miami Heat
Before the season started, many people may have picked these two teams to face off in a playoff series. Fast forward to April, and now the people get to watch two of the league’s better teams face off in a win-and-in scenario. Where the telling signs as to who is going to win this matchup are is how each team got to the play-in.
The 76ers are here because Joel Embiid missed most of the season and a midseason James Harden trade left them with a lot more cap space than what a championship favorite team would want to have. Since then, they have used some of that money to take on Buddy Hield’s contract via trade, and they haven’t looked back since Embiid returned from injury. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat stood pat during free agency, missing out on most of the class’s talents, because they were waiting to pull off a Damian Lillard trade that never came to fruition.
Now they lost most of their depth that helped them reach the Finals in 2023, although they did acquire Terry Rozier at the trade deadline. The difference in roster construction is glaring, and there is no reason as to why the Sixers shouldn’t pull through with ease on Wednesday. Of course, however, Miami still gets a shot at the eight-seed, and Playoff Jimmy Butler is exactly who the Boston Celtics hate to see every spring.
7 New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Lakers
A rematch of Sunday’s high-stakes matchup, the Lakers and Pelicans have spent the greater part of the last week preparing to play each other. One was a regular season matchup with postseason implications, and one is a chance to get a shot at the defending champs in the first round. On Sunday, the Lakers won in dominating fashion, holding the Pelicans to 108 points in a 16 point victory, the third win they have against New Orleans by a margin of over 15 this season. Now, however, the Pelicans have two days to gameplan exactly what to fix in the Play-In.
On paper and looking at the past, the Lakers are the clear favorite heading into Tuesday night, but there are a couple of X-Factors that could sway the contest in major fashion. The first is Pelicans defensive anchors of Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and Jose Alvarado being able to take out the Lakers’ X-Factors. If they can neutralize guys like D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura, LeBron and Anthony Davis cannot put the team on their backs and win it themselves, although doing that is easier said than done.
The other factor is coaching. It’s no secret that Darvin Ham makes many questionable decisions, whether it comes to timeout selection, lineups, rotations, and more. Ham did a great job managing his squad on Sunday, but if Willie Green can outcoach Ham – as other coaches have this season – it can be hard for LA’s pure talent to emerge victorious.
