The NBA and the Players Association have agreed to extend the play-in tournament format through the 2021-22 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The league’s Board of Governors will hold a formal vote Friday to make the news official, Wojnarowski adds.
After the 2020 season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA used a play-in tournament to help determine the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. For the 2020-21 season, the league decided to have a play-in tournament where four teams would compete for the seventh and eighth playoff seeds in each conference.
Under this format, the teams that finish in the top six in the standings of each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots, with the seventh to 10th ranked teams entering the tournament.
• The No. 7 and 8 teams in each conference will face off, with the winner earning a spot as the seventh seed in the playoffs. The loser will still have one more opportunity to reach the playoffs.
• The No. 9 and 10 teams will play each other with the winner advancing to play the loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game. The loser of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will be eliminated from playoff contention.
• The loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game and the winner of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will then play against each other. The winner of that game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
In the first season with the play-in tournament, Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Wizards and the Indiana Pacers topped the Charlotte Hornets, with Washington earning the eighth seed by beating Indiana in the East. In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Warriors and the Grizzlies knocked off the Spurs. The Memphis Grizzlies beat Golden State to clinch the West’s eighth seed in the post-season.
After the play-in tournament, the 2021 NBA playoffs will follow the typical format, with full best-of-seven series through to the NBA Finals.
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