NBA Play-in Tournament Is Here To Stay
It appears the NBA play-in tournament is not going anywhere. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the league’s board of governors is expected to vote to make the format permanent.
Until now, the board was voting on the existence of the play-in tourney on a year-to-year basis, but that will change this week.
Not only has the idea been a hit with fans and owners alike, but it has incentivized teams to avoid tanking, a much-discussed problem the NBA has faced in previous years.
The other thing up for discussion at these meetings is launching an in-season tournament. Commissioner Adam Silver and team owners have been talking about the idea of having the competition before Christmas each year.
While format and details are still being discussed, it appears pool play would be part of the regular-season schedule before teams with the best records advance to an eight-team, single-elimination tournament. This could shorten the regular season from 82 games to 78.
A cash prize of $1 million per player of the winning team has also been discussed.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Boston Celtics (+500) as the odds-on-favorite to win next year’s title.
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