Why the NBA Play-In Tournament is a Good Thing

Ryan and Matt of Throwin Stones discuss why they really like the NBA Play-in Tournament

Video Transcription is provided below

Please watch the video above.

Ryan Griffin: Another thing that I really like is like you saw last year, Ja Morant had a great year, but the NBA play-in tournament is where he established himself; which is weird because the stats don’t count for the playoffs. They don’t count for the regular season. It’s just like this mythical stat bubble. Like it doesn’t go on either average. But you saw Ja Morant last year assert himself. And that’s where I think most people took notice, not that he didn’t have a good year, but now you’re on a national game against Steph Curry,  and then Ja Morant was able to win. And this year you saw the same thing with Anthony Edwards, right?

Anthony Edwards. D’Angelo Russell, not to the same extent because he’s been in the NBA for a while now, but, I like it because I think you’re going to get more of these teams. or even maybe next year with Cade Cunningham, you’re going to get these younger guys these first, second overall picks, whatever the case is, and in the second or third years into their career, when they’re really starting to figure the game out I think there’s going to be a lot of I don’t play-in all-stars. The best way you could frame it.

Where it’s their real first big game. And I feel like uh, it’s going to give a lot of these guys that that kind of exposure to start, like those narratives early of, “oh, he performed in a big game,” even though it was just the NBA play-in tournament, but like you saw the Wolves going crazy after they won, it means a lot to these guys and I think it’s cool at least for two years in a row that we got a small sample size, but we’ve had a Ja Morant coming out party and we’ve had an Ant Edwards coming out party.

Matt Bassin: What I like is, for teams that normally wouldn’t make the player, especially the nine and the tens, but just in general, having this winner-take-all game where you’ve got to perform at your best if you are going to continue. So it’s like a game seven for most of the teams playing in this play-in tournament.

So I liked that we get that feeling. They made it like the NCAA tournament on purpose. Shoot, you’re seeing the commercials now to fill out your NBA bracket, like, alright, now we know why you made the play in a tournament in the first place. You want to try and get plenty well in that bracket out, but it’s fun to see.

Cause you know, I a lot of these guys haven’t had to experience this since college or the guys that actually even skipped college, to be able to play in that winner-take-all kind of game where you have to give it your all and in an 82 game season, maybe half the games, you’re not going to get that where guys are just, this is game, 40 out of 82, I don’t have to give a hundred percent for this game, but you got this one game. You got to give it your all. 

So it’s nice to see. It’s one of the bigger complaints you get from people who prefer college basketball to the NBA is that you’re going to get they’re all in college and in the NBA and maybe not so much. In this situation, it’s forced. And so I’m a fan of that. And I’m also a fan of the teams that normally wouldn’t get this opportunity in years past are getting this opportunity and exactly what you said with the young cats that are, getting a chance to stake their name to the NBA and really, get a chance to shine and grow from it.

I think this NBA play-in tournament has given us a lot of that.

You can hear more from DSN anywhere you can watch videos or download podcasts. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/detroitsportsnation

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdetroitsportsnation/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Detroitsportsnation?sub_confirmation=1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/detsportsnation

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realdetroitsportsnation

You can also find this and other episodes at all of your favorite podcasting destinations.

• Spotify
• Audible
• Amazon Music
• Google Podcasts
• Radio Public