"America, Don't Be Foolish" -Charles Barkley

How The NBA Play-In Tournament Works

Never forget Pat Bev’s reaction to winning the play-in game last year. 🤣

The NBA Play-In Tournament is a new format introduced by the NBA in the 2020-2021 season. It is a mini-tournament held before the start of the NBA Playoffs to determine the final two teams that will qualify for the postseason in each conference.

The teams that finish in the 7th through 10th positions in each conference at the end of the regular season are eligible to participate in the play-in tournament. The tournament consists of two rounds of games: the 7th seed playing the 8th seed, and the 9th seed playing the 10th seed in each conference. The winner of the 7th and 8th seed game advances to the playoffs while the loser faces the winner of the 9th-10th seed for a chance to move on to the playoffs.

I feel like every time I send out a newsletter, I am always discussing sports creating new rules to make the game more entertaining. Whether it's the implementation of a pitch clock in MLB or the innovative rules introduced by the XFL, the focus remains the same. The NBA's Play-In Tournament is also aiming to achieve the same objective, and after watching last night’s games, it accomplished exactly that.

Let’s see how our experts are betting on tonight’s play-in games. 👇

Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors

Tonight at 7:00 PM on ESPN

The Raptors have broken through some of the best defenses in basketball over the last couple of months, and they asserted their dominance over Chicago with two wins in three regular-season meetings.

Most importantly, they were able to win by six in the lone meeting that took place after November and did an excellent job inside by out-rebounding Chicago.

It’s a big feather in their cap that they were able to out-rebound the Bulls by double digits and also withstand 23 points from Nikola Vučević inside. On top of that, the perimeter defense was exceptional, limiting Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine to 23 points.

It’s also rather staggering that the Bulls hit 40% of their threes and still lost in such a convincing fashion. It speaks to how well the Raptors did inside, and rebounding is a huge deciding factor for me when it comes to the playoffs — especially with Pascal Siakam patrolling underneath.

Read more from Kenny Ducey’s Raptors vs Bulls predictions and best bets.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans

Tonight at 9:30 PM on ESPN

Few teams in the NBA have been more resilient than the Pelicans this season. Despite the continued absence of Zion Williamson, the Pels enter Wednesday’s contest with a golden opportunity to further extend their season.

Getting to this point has been anything but smooth sailing for a New Orleans team that has relied heavily on its defense to win games. If they can get past the Thunder and find their way into the NBA Playoffs, we really could see them make some noise in the West.

As a team, New Orleans ranks sixth in the NBA in defensive efficiency (112.6 via NBAstuffer) and eighth in oPPG (112.5). The Pelicans’ ability to slow the game down and get key stops should keep OKC’s high-octane offense at bay.

In a winner-take-all matchup where points will be much harder to come by, I’m confident betting the Under. I’d advise you to do the same.

Read more from Domenic Lunardo’s Pelicans vs Thunder predictions and best bets.

Does Charles Barkley Make a Good Point Here?

Although it is an outrageous thing to say on national television, Charles Barkley makes a valid point here. The predictability of the NBA Playoffs has been a major issue in the league for years. Fans crave unpredictability in sports, as exemplified by the greatest sporting event every year — March Madness — in which the unexpected often happens.

I think a lot of people secretly agree with Charles here, but he definitely shouldn’t have said it on national television. 🤣