Draymond Green, a forward for the Golden State Warriors, is the most well-known NBA figure to share his thoughts on the Play-In Tournament. Surprisingly, for someone who often agrees with LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Green publicly clashed with him about the tournament.
Via The Draymond Green Show, Green said that he believes the Play-In Tournament was an ideal addition to the NBA’s playoff structure as they seek to increase the caliber of competition at the conclusion of the regular season. James had previously stated, via Sports Illustrated, that the person who started the competition “should be fired.”
Tuesday night, the tenth-seeded Warriors and the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings will square off on the road as both clubs strive to stay in the game. The winner will play the loser of the Lakers-New Orleans Pelicans game to determine the Western Conference’s eighth seed. The team that loses will not advance to the playoffs.
But Green and Golden State are not new to each other. They were ranked ninth in 2021 and opened the tournament against the Lakers. They had one more chance to save their season after falling short, 103–100. Still, they were unable to win, losing to the Memphis Grizzlies 117–112 in overtime.
It’s understandable why Green “hates the Play-In as a player” in light of this background. Being a seventh or eighth seed and missing the playoffs is especially infuriating because those clubs used to be guaranteed berths. The four-time winner does, however, have a point. Teams should be encouraged to strive for the sixth seed or higher in order to avoid the Play-In entirely, as lower seeds rarely advance to the Finals anyhow.
Moreover, Green has many reasons to be grateful for the increased competition, especially since his Warriors are the tenth seed this time around. Before the 2020–21 campaign, teams that placed ninth or lower were eliminated immediately following the conclusion of the regular season. The teams ranked ninth and tenth now have an additional opportunity to save their seasons.
Nevertheless, James’s reasoning is also valid. As of yet, no team ranked ninth or tenth has emerged victorious from a Conference Quarterfinal series. The Play-In may feel meaningless until then, as those teams’ lack of success suggests they might not truly belong on the big stage in the first place.
Being the first to accomplish so will undoubtedly be a difficult task for Golden State. It will be difficult to defeat the Kings on the road because Sac-Town features a strong tandem in Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox. During the regular season, Fox averaged 26.6 points, 5.6 assists, and a league-high two steals per game. In addition, despite Sabonis’ size, the Kings are seventh in the NBA in assists, with the big man leading the club with 8.2 per game.
Should the Warriors succeed in winning, they will next have to contend with the Lakers or Pelicans, two difficult opponents. They will play the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round if they manage to secure another victory and secure the eighth seed.
There’s no denying that the Play-In Tournament raises the stakes before the Conference Quarterfinals start, even though it might not have a significant impact on the overall playoff picture. Will Green have even more reasons to adore the competition after the next several games?