The NBA Play-In Tournament, once an experimental concept, has now become a staple of the league’s postseason format. Designed to enhance late-season competitiveness and reduce tanking, the Play-In was born out of necessity and refined through innovation. But how exactly did it come to be?
The Seeds: Competitive Balance and Tanking Concerns
For years, the NBA faced criticism that teams at the bottom of the standings were intentionally losing games — or “tanking” — in order to improve their odds in the NBA Draft Lottery. This led to a stale end to the regular season, with lower-seeded teams having little incentive to compete down the stretch.
Commissioner Adam Silver, known for being open to change, had floated ideas about increasing late-season stakes as early as the mid-2010s. But it wasn’t until the global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2019–2020 season that the league found the opportunity to test a radical new format.
2020: The Bubble Experiment
When the NBA restarted the 2019–2020 season inside the Orlando “bubble,” it included a one-time Play-In scenario for the Western Conference. The league declared that if the 9th seed finished within four games of the 8th seed, a Play-In would occur. This led to a brief but intense showdown between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies, which drew high ratings and strong fan interest. Portland won and secured the final playoff spot.
2021: The Full Rollout
Buoyed by the success of the Bubble format, the NBA formalized the Play-In Tournament for the 2020–2021 season. The new structure involved the 7th through 10th seeds in each conference:
The 7th and 8th seeds face off, with the winner becoming the 7th seed. The 9th and 10th seeds play, and the winner faces the loser of the 7/8 game. The winner of that final matchup earns the 8th seed.
This structure gave more teams a chance to fight for a playoff spot while keeping fans engaged deeper into the season. It also made it harder for teams to justify resting stars or tanking with weeks left to play.
Mixed Reactions, Strong Results
Initially, reactions to the Play-In Tournament were mixed. Some players, like LeBron James, voiced opposition — famously saying, “Whoever came up with that s— needs to be fired.” But over time, most fans and stakeholders came around, drawn in by the do-or-die intensity of the games.
The Play-In has also given rise to Cinderella stories and dramatic playoff entries, with lower-seeded teams making noise in the postseason.
The Future of the Play-In
Now in its fourth full season, the Play-In Tournament is expected to remain a fixture in the NBA landscape. It has succeeded in addressing several long-standing issues: reducing tanking, improving late-season relevance, and boosting TV ratings.
The NBA, a league always looking for new ways to innovate, used a moment of crisis in 2020 to test a bold idea — and in doing so, redefined how teams earn their place in the postseason.
