Some players in the NBA – including a few on the Los Angeles Lakers – ridiculed the NBA Play-In Tournament when it was introduced just a few seasons ago.
However, that happened when the Lakers were sitting at the top of the NBA standings and on their way to another Finals championship.
Fast forward a few years to 2022 and they are now struggling to make it into the postseason.
They shouldn’t be bad-mouthing the Play-In Tournament anymore.
The Lakers are closer to the 12th seed than they are to the 8th seed.
They should thank whoever came up with the Play-In Tournament. pic.twitter.com/9KxTB8Sp9I
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 2, 2022
As pointed out by Statmuse, the Lakers’ track record is actually closer to the 12th seed than the 8th.
That means that the ninth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers should be very, very thankful for the creation of the Play-In Tournament because it’s the only chance they have of making it into the postseason.
Lakers Likely Losing
The Play-In Tournament will take teams seven through ten and make them face off against each other as the regular season comes to an end.
The winners of the tournament will then enter the playoffs as the seventh and eighth seeds.
If the NBA was still following the rules they used to have, the Lakers would currently be out of the running for the playoffs because only teams one through eight are eligible.
That means that the only way the Lakers can get into the playoffs is through the Play-In Tournament.
Yet even that creates a huge challenge for LA.
If the tournament were held today, Los Angeles would face off against New Orleans.
While you would think they’d beat a team seeded below them, that seems unlikely considering they were beaten by them just a few days ago.
The Play-In Tournament is a blessing to the Lakers but it’s also yet another hurdle that this struggling team might not overcome.
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