Play-in NBA – Basketix Lexicon

Seeking modernization, the Play-In is modern basketball’s newest invention. Designed to spice up the end of the regular season and allow more teams to hope for a playoff spot, this mini-tournament is a real success. But how does it actually work? We explain it all in detail.

What is the Play-In?

To put it simply, the Play-In is a mini-tournament between several teams to snag the last two qualifying spots for the playoffs. At the end of the regular season, NBA franchises ranked between 7th and 10th place in each conference face off in a somewhat unique bracket. It’s a tournament that was introduced in the summer of 2020.

So, what is the format?

Actually, the format is quite simple. When the 30 NBA franchises have officially finished their 82 regular season games, the teams ranked from 7th to 10th place in each conference—based on their record—qualify for the Play-In. In total, 3 games are played during this mini-tournament.

1. First, the 7th seed faces the 8th. The winner of this matchup punches their ticket to the playoffs and will face the team ranked 2nd in their conference in the first round.
2. Next, the 9th seed faces the 10th. This game is “win or go home.” The winner continues and faces the loser of the first game; the loser is definitely eliminated and does not access the playoffs.
3. Finally, during the “final,” the two remaining teams face off in a single elimination game to see who snags the ultimate ticket to the postseason and goes on to measure themselves against the first seed of their conference.

This is enough to spice up the end of the season to avoid the “tanking” phenomenon as much as possible and allow so-called “weaker” teams to hope to rally to the playoffs at the end of the regular season.

The Miami Heat: The Greatest Play-In Story

Since the implementation of this new system, no team had achieved the feat of making an exceptional run coming out of the Play-In. None? No! A franchise of indomitable Floridians managed to resist and mark the history of the big league. In 2023, after a regular season below expectations, Miami (8th) barely escaped the Play-In against the Chicago Bulls after stumbling against Atlanta in the first game. Officially ranked 8th in the Eastern Conference, Miami was sent directly to face the Milwaukee Bucks, the first seed, in the first round.

Fans, experts, analysts—everyone agreed on the outcome of the series: Miami was going to get exterminated. There was even talk of a “sweep” (losing the series 4-0) and “blowouts” (losing a game by more than 25 points). But nay. Miami in an underdog position is perhaps the worst thing possible. And Milwaukee was about to pay the price. In the first round, Miami went for the Bucks’ jugular, who were too passive, stealing Game 1 and recovering home-court advantage as well as winning Games 3 and 4 at home to lead 3-1 in the series. A Game 4 entered in the history books where Jimmy Butler completely caught fire in money-time, offering the NBA one of the most clutch moments of all time. All this before finishing the job in Game 5 on the road to knock the Bucks out of the playoffs with a score of 4-1. A true humiliation for the Wisconsin franchise, despite being the overwhelming favorite for the title in the East. By the way, to make you understand just how monstrous Jimmy Butler was during this series, the Texas native averaged 37.6 points/game and scored 98 points combined in the last two games of the series… Completely crazy.

In the Conference Semifinals, led by a still resplendent Jimmy Butler and his lieutenants worthy of Michael Jordan’s back in the day, Miami disposed of New York before reaching the Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. A showdown that offered us one of the most beautiful series of the modern NBA era. The Heat, still fueled by playoff fire, walked over Boston and took the first three games. But while Miami led 3 games to 0, Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics winger, declared in a post-game press conference: “They are playing well, but don’t let us get one.” A piece of advice the Floridians would have done better to listen to. Energized and with their egos stung, the fallen finalists of the previous season revolted and came back to tie the series at 3-3, at the end of a Game 6 of rare intensity concluded by a fabulous buzzer-beater by Derrick White.

Boston therefore snatched a decisive game at home, but Joe Mazzulla’s men paid dearly for the energy spent to catch up to the Heat. Too tired, Game 7 turned into a humiliation. Miami walked on water and put an end to the Celtics’ dream. That was it, it was official. From the Play-In to the NBA Finals, there was finally only one step for the Heat. Nevertheless, their magnificent epic stopped dead against a Denver Nuggets team on a mission and simply unstoppable. A second defeat in the finals in the space of 4 seasons for Jimmy Butler and his teammates, who will have marked history forever by becoming, thanks to this run, the second 8th-seeded team in its conference to reach the NBA Finals since the creation of the big league.