| The battle to remain in the NBA’s Orlando bubble is actually more of a race, and there are a bunch of hungry aspirants jostling for position as the finish line nears. Thursday is decision day in the NBA, and due to the success of the improvised formula for determining the postseason this year, the league itself will soon have a choice to make, too. Let’s hope it makes the right pick. That’s because the method that will ultimately lead to at least one 8 vs. 9 play-in game over the weekend has already proven worthy enough for there to be sustained calls for its retention. At some point over the coming months, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and his colleagues will have to choose whether the new system is a one-time flirtation, or something that lingers. They should let it stick around. It is not a perfect arrangement and when it was brought in I thought it was clunky and arbitrary. On the surface, it didn’t really sound that exciting. Provided the No. 9 seed in either conference was within four games of the 8th place finisher at the conclusion of the regular season, there would be a play-in series. If the No. 8 seed won the first game, that team would advance immediately. To go through, the No. 9 seed would need to win two games. And yet, it has given us some of the best basketball entertainment we could have wished for. On Thursday, four games of significance will take place, with the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs still in the hunt for the two open spots. With the carrot of an unexpected playoff spot beckoning, Damian Lillard has exploded into life for the Blazers, putting up insane numbers, highlight reel plays, fearless offensive output and a legacy-shaping streak of form. “What he is doing right now reminds me of Kobe (Bryant) in the year he tore his Achilles,” FS1’s Nick Wright said on The Herd. “Kobe kept showing up, night-in, night-out, he delivered until his Achilles snapped. It has been a little Mamba-esque what we have seen from Dame the past couple of games.” Devin Booker, presented with a similar opportunity, has arguably been even more transcendent for the Phoenix Suns, pushing them to a flawless bubble record and from the brink of elimination to the verge of a playoff spot. “This is unbelievable,” former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker said of Booker. “This is great for the league. It shows teams that you can build through the draft. Devin Booker has turned himself into a star who will be a Hall of Fame player one day. This team is going to be dynamic next year and be very competitive.” They’re not done yet, either. Portland can secure the No. 8 seed with a win but could be out altogether if it loses to the Brooklyn Nets, pending other results. Memphis has struggled as of late and let its buffer slip. The Grizzlies play the Milwaukee Bucks on the final day, and their chances are boosted by the suspension to Giannis Antetokounmpo for that pivotal game. The Suns need both a fine performance against the Dallas Mavericks and some external help, while the Spurs must win against the Utah Jazz, and pray other things turn in their favor. The play-in idea is something that has been perfect for now but is still serviceable moving forward. Anything that brings this much fun to the final weeks of the regular season simply has to be strongly considered. Like many, I believe that 82 games spread over seven months of action should realistically be enough to definitively decide the top eight teams in each conference. However, what are sometimes snoozy nights as the campaign winds down have this time been anything but. The NBA has made this workable by a neat execution of its formula. If it was a straight 8 vs. 9 shootout, that would be somewhat unfair. But by dictating that the No. 9 seed must win twice to advance offsets the criticism relating to fairness. “You don’t want bad teams in the playoffs but this feels about right,” Spurs fan Ella Morris told me. “I don’t know if it is by luck or design but it has been really fun – and quite nerve wracking.” Now, clearly this isn’t workable in the current situation, but it would be an outstanding idea in the future to have all potentially decisive games on the final day of the season played at the same time to enhance the drama. Broadcasters could flick backwards and forwards between the relevant matchups as things get tense toward the end. Such scenarios regularly play out on the last day of various soccer leagues around the world, where the title itself is usually decided on a strict points basis. The play-in component has kept teams motivated, like the previously flat Spurs. When San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich was asked what he would tell someone if they told him a month ago that his team could go 6-2 in the NBA’s restart and possibly make the playoffs, he responded, “I would have had them drug-tested.” And that is the whole point. When a big prize is at stake, teams either raise their game or crack under the pressure. The unexpected can, and will often take place. Like many things during these odd days, the play-in portion of bubble life has taken us by surprise. That in itself is a reason to keep it. Here’s what others have said … Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: “I am not built like that to listen to the odds. We came with the mindset that we try to win every basketball game. Each day we try to be a better man and a better player. That’s the approach … I am so locked in. I am a fan of this game. I have been for a long time.” Terry Stotts, Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach: “He (Lillard) is showing a lot of resolve. Nobody wanted to come into this bubble and make the playoffs more than Dame. And we’ve got one more game to go, but his leadership — obviously, his game speaks for itself — but he’s bringing the team along with him.” Kevin Pelton, ESPN: “Even if the Suns, currently 7-0 in the bubble, don’t make the play-in, this month has been hugely beneficial to their future. After years of flailing, they’ve found their star in Devin Booker and a number of quality role players around him, and they’ve built a culture of defense and accountability that was previously missing.” |
