Welcome back to the second annual edition of the NBA’s attempt to replicate the thrilling and since-removed MLB Wild Card game: The Play-In Tournament.
Has it worked? So far, it’s looking pretty good.
Last season, a Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors play-in game was a match made in heaven for the NBA to debut the event. This time around, the Brooklyn Nets alone produce enough drama to draw attention to the league’s experiment.
“I think somebody’s in the back room, hip-hip-hooraying, whoever created the tournament, because last year you get Steph and LeBron. This year, you get me and KD going against the Cavs in the Play-In game,” said Kyrie Irving following Brooklyn’s final game of the season Sunday. “Then you have in the Western Conference Minnesota and the Clippers, so I guess somebody’s in the back room saying that this works.
"As a competitor, this feels like one of those Game 6's, Game 5's, Game 7's where it's a must-win."
Since it’s only the second season, here’s a quick refresher on the format:
• The No. 7 and 8 seeds of each conference play, with the winner determining the seventh seed.
• The No. 9 and 10 seeds play, with the loser going home and the winner staying alive.
• Then, the loser of the 7-8 game plays the winner of the 9-10 game to determine the eighth seed.
Teams involved this season:
East: Nets (7), Cleveland Cavaliers (8), Atlanta Hawks (9), Charlotte Hornets (10)
West: Minnesota Timberwolves (7), Los Angeles Clippers (8), New Orleans Pelicans (9), San Antonio Spurs (10)
Now let’s get into the previews for the No. 7 vs. 8 matchups.
Eastern Conference
No. 7 Nets vs. No. 8 Cavaliers
When: 7 p.m. ET on April 12 in Brooklyn
Head-to-head: 3-1 in favour of the Nets
Spread: Nets by 8.5 (Courtesy of Bet365 at time of publication)
Where do we begin with Brooklyn?
The Nets were odds-on favourites to win the NBA title when the season began. Then Irving missed all but 28 games due to his vaccination status, Kevin Durant missed a large chunk with an MCL sprain and James Harden forced his way out of a second team in 13 months. Ben Simmons is the main piece Brooklyn acquired in return, and he still hasn’t played this season.
Now here we are, the Nets finished seventh in the East and need one win in their next two games to make the playoffs. It could be worse — a week ago they were in tenth.
Brooklyn’s chaotic season of ups and downs – remember the Nets lost 11 in a row at one point – leaves us uncertain of what to expect, or what they’re capable of. What we do know is Durant and Irving are still among the best players in the NBA, and they alone make this team very dangerous. Regardless of what the No. 2 Boston Celtics might say, there’s no chance they want Brooklyn to win this game.
For Cleveland, finishing eighth feels like a disappointment considering the early-season success, but few could’ve imagined them doing this well before the campaign began.
Coming off two 19-win seasons after LeBron James left, followed by a 22-win season in 2020-21, the Cavaliers doubled their win total as one of the biggest surprises this season.
Both Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland took major leaps and earned All-Star selections. Evan Mobley put together a (Raptors fans look away) Rookie of the Year calibre season. And on a whole, the team received contributions across the lineup. Let’s put it this way: You know the Cavs had a successful season when the Could LeBron return to Cleveland? rumours feel like they have some merit.
Still, the Cavaliers were third in the East with a 35-23 record at the All-Star break. Since? 9-15. Part of it is losing steam, but a bigger reason is the number of injuries they’ve dealt with down the stretch. Already down Collin Sexton early in the campaign, the Cavaliers lost Ricky Rubio to a season-ending injury in late-December before Mobley, Allen, Rajon Rondo, Caris LeVert and Dean Wade all missed time near the end of the season.
Mobley, Rondo and LeVert are now back, adding to the Cavaliers’ depth, and that’s where Cleveland could burn Brooklyn as the Nets’ supporting cast of LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Drummond, Patty Mills, et al. is questionable at best. Sharpshooter Seth Curry says he’ll play Tuesday, but is dealing with a lingering ankle injury. Simmons could reportedly return for the playoffs, but not the play-in.
The bad news for Cleveland is Allen is not expected to recover from his fractured finger in time for Tuesday.
Key Matchup: Kyrie Irving vs. Darius Garland. Cut from the same cloth as Irving, Steph Curry and Damian Lillard, Garland is developing into one of the league’s premier point guards in Cleveland – much like Irving did some years ago. Watch for Garland to try cementing that status as the focal point of Cleveland’s offence in the biggest game of his young career, while Irving looks to remind everyone he’s still that guy despite missing most of the season.
Prediction: With the two best players in the game, Brooklyn takes it.
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Western Conference
No. 7 Timberwolves vs. No. 8 Clippers
When: 9:30 p.m. ET on April 12 in Minneapolis
Head-to-head: 3-1 in favour of Clippers
Spread: Timberwolves by 3.0
Patrick Beverley facing off against his former team with a playoff spot on the line is reason enough to expect fireworks in this one, especially if he's telling referees they're "trash" all game, but it's the star power on both sides that could make this one of the most exciting and closely-contested play-in games.
The Clippers, led by Tyronn Lue and his Coach of the Year-level of season, won 42 games this season despite Paul George missing most of the year and Kawhi Leonard not taking the floor at all. On the court, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris & Co. have found success as a collective, and now some reinforcements are here to take them over the top… well, sort of.
First, George came back from a 43-game absence on March 29. Since then, the Clippers are 4-1 with him in the lineup. Then, trade acquisition Norman Powell returned from a long-term foot injury and led all scorers in Los Angeles’ win over the Phoenix Suns Wednesday.
Kawhi Leonard is the last piece of the puzzle for the Clippers to gain full strength for the first time this season, but according to Lue he had not progressed beyond individual workouts as of Friday.
If Leonard does return, the Clippers pose a similar threat in the West as the Nets do in the East as a calibre of No. 7 or 8 seed neither top seed would like to face in the first round. Luckily for the Timberwolves, that’s not likely something they’ll need to worry about for the play-in.
Since the All-Star break, Minnesota is 16-8, third in offensive rating and 13th in defensive rating – though the team has allowed 120-plus points in its last seven games. The Clippers are 13-9 with 16th and 10th offensive and defensive ratings in that span, but stronger than their record and advanced metrics suggest now that George and Powell are back.
Regardless of what happens in this game, Minnesota’s season has been a resounding success. With 46 wins, the Wolves have: Doubled their output from last season, posted their second-highest mark since 2003-04 and have the chance to make the playoffs for only the second time in that same span.
All of a sudden, the franchise has transformed from going nowhere to genuinely building toward a bright future surrounding Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards — who, as demonstrated by his 49-point outburst last week, could be an X-factor against the Clippers. When the 20-year-old is on, his ability to beat defenders every which way makes him nearly impossible to stop.
The season isn’t quite on the line, whichever team loses still has another shot at making the playoffs, but both of these teams might believe they have a chance of catching a young Memphis Grizzlies squad by surprise in Round 1. Beating a 64-win Suns team coming off a trip to the Finals? Forget it.
Key Matchup: Paul George vs. Jaden McDaniels. The Wolves need Towns, Russell and Edwards to perform, of course, but on the other side of the ball they'll need to keep George from taking over — and McDaniels, who recently returned from injury, is the main guy they have to guard him. It's a tough matchup for the 21-year-old, but if he can keep George from heating up, Minnesota could cruise to victory.
Prediction: Wolves take it in a close one at home.
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