Eastern Conference Play-in Preview
The playoffs are here, or better yet, the Play-in is here. The distinction is very important, as unlike the typical playoff format, a team eliminated from the Play-in tournament enters the draft lottery. The format is intriguing from a viewers perspective with the 7-10 seeds from each conference lining up. The 7 plays the 8 with the winner getting the 7 seed. The 9 plays the 10 with the loser eliminated and the winner playing the loser of the 7 vs 8. Finally the loser of the 7 vs 8 and winner of 9 vs 10 face off for the last spot in their given conference. The introduction of this unique format hasn’t been fully explained or justified beyond the extra dollars it will put in the League’s pocket. The format firmly veers from tradition and adds a must win dimension to postseason basketball that you typically only replicate in a game 7. Adam Silver has for the most part, pulled all the right strings in his time manning the commissioner title, and though his decision to introduce this Play-in was greeted with harsh criticism upon its announcement, such views if at all negative seem at the very least tempered at this point in the season. With this overview in mind let’s assess what brought the teams from the Eastern Conference to this point and whether their position is a testament of strong performance or a reflection of a season to forget.
The Eastern Conference
The #10 seed Charlotte Hornets have a lot to be proud of. Their ownership attacked the offseason, completing a sign and trade for Gordon Hayward and drafting the polarizing LaMelo Ball at the #3 slot. Both moves paid dividends, with Hayward ascending back to a near All-star performance level. LaMelo quickly figured out the NBA game as well, putting together what is for some a career highlight reel, in just his first few months in the league. The young Hornets cast including Miles Bridges and PJ Washington also took major strides this season and the team simply had a “we belong attitude that kept them rolling”. Scary Terry proved to be a volatile, but gifted scorer and James Borrego mostly managed rotations well. Unfortunately crucial second half injuries to LaMelo and Gordon Hayward saw the Hornets fall from a top 7 seed at a point all the way down to the 10 slot they find themselves in. Ultimately harsh.
The #9 seed Indiana Pacers have been no slouch in the Eastern Conference for years now. They always manage to make it into the playoff fold despite some underwhelming rosters and unimpressive payrolls. However, this season they were simply saved by the new format. The team looked relatively strong to begin the season, with Malcolm Brogdon playing a tick below all-star status and Damontis Sabonis earning his 2nd All-Star nod. Yet the team sunk following a strong first ⅓ of the season. Fatigue of their superstars? Lack of fluidity following the Oladipo move and transition to Caris LeVert? Some poor coaching along the way? Any of these reasons could be isolated to explain the Pacers fall out of the traditional 1-8 qualification spots. The team doesn’t appear to be in a good place heading into this Play-In tournament and given the construction of the roster and the eye test to boot, it would seem that they wouldn’t be capable of challenging any of the teams already in the dance. Malcolm Brogdon and Damontis Sabonis will simply have to be the best versions of themselves to take this team beyond the Play-in to begin with.
The #8 seed Washington Wizards… where do you even begin? The started the season 1-8 through January, 4-12 through February and were effectively the laughing stock of the league. Bradley Beal was the piece every contender seemed to be hunting to put them over the top, Scott Brooks was firmly on the hot seat, and Russell Westbrook was washed. But the tides turned. Beal held true to his All-star abilities and finished second in the scoring title race, the young guys including Rui Hachimura managed to elevate their game, and all of this was essential. The difference though, Russell Westbrook had one of the single best second halves of a season in the history of basketball. Westbrook was a triple double machine, in one stretch compiling 20 in 30 games and ultimately passing Oscar Robertson in the all time list. The worry for the Wizards is even after ripping off all these wins and making it to the 8th seed, they still lost a ton of nailbiters down the stretch. They will have to be more efficient down the stretch of big games for this dream to continue, but for the Wizards it would have been so easy to hang their heads and toss this season away. Instead their leaders Beal and Westbrook were determined to calm the critics and put this franchise on their backs. Props to them. They head to Boston with a chance to secure the 7th seed.
The #7 seed Boston Celtics are not where they want to be. From a standings standpoint surely not, and even from a mental standpoint. First time All-Star Jaylen Brown is shut down for the season with a wrist injury and the team was pathetic even before that harsh news came down the chain. The Celtics have effectively wavered all season, lacking a determined spirit in this condensed schedule format, seemingly taking nights off and almost never digging in defensively. Such faults have brought them from being one of the more serious Eastern Conference threats all the way to a place where they might not even get a playoff series. If Jayson Tatum didn’t already have weight on his shoulders, with the Celtics sparse bench, the rest of the team will ride his coattails. Kemba has been better offensively, but the explosiveness is down which impacts his defensive ceiling as well. It’s fair that Brown, Kemba and Tatum have received an onslaught of critiques this year, but all of the holes in their performance are amplified by the lack of bench depth and a Coach that does not seem to be in a good place with his players. With rumors swirling of an impending Brad Stevens departure, it’s get out of the play-in or get escorted out of town by the fan base. A horrific year for a proud franchise and with so much toxicity surrounding the team at the moment it’s hard to envision them turning the tide.
