That’s right. The 2021 NBA Play-In Tournament is now over, and it’s time to assess. If pundits can grade a team’s draft performance on the very next day and before any draftee suits up for a game at the professional level, there’s no problem with handing out grades for the just-completed 2021 NBA Play-In Tournament. As a long-time fan of the NBA, I had reservations about the league adding extra games and extra teams to determine the final playoff spots to a format that already includes too many teams, but I was willing to give it a chance. The league has to weigh the benefits of allowing additional teams near the bottom of the standings the opportunity for post-season play against continuing to have meaningless regular-season games after the All-Star break. So for each contest and the tournament overall, here are my 2021 NBA Play-In Tournament Grades.
EASTERN CONFERENCE: (10) CHARLOTTE at (9) INDIANA
This non-competitive game was not the best look for a league trying to sell its fans on a play-in tournament. In a game already featuring two of the league’s smaller markets and little star power, Indiana was also missing several key players, including Caris Levert and Myles Turner. Charlotte had spent much of the season hovering around the top six spots in the Eastern Conference, then faded to 10th place down the stretch and was without Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball for much of that time.
On this night. Charlotte lacked the effort their fans had grown accustomed to seeing during the regular season, and the Hornets allowed 40 points in the first quarter while watching the Pacers shoot the lights out. The rest of the contest was all about the clock running down. Charlotte trailed by 39 points in the 4th quarter and lost the game by only 27 points thanks to an 11-0 run to end the contest. It’s only one game, but it’s tough to sell a number 10 seed as a playoff qualifier after this one.
Final Score: Indiana Pacers 144, Charlotte Hornets 117.
GRADE: F-
EASTERN CONFERENCE: (8) WASHINGTON at (7) BOSTON
The Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics have been trending in opposite directions during the regular season’s latter stages. The Wizards vaulted over several teams to finish in 8th place, and the Celtics dropping into the play-in tournament as the 7th seed. So, of course, the hotter team couldn’t pull this one out.
What did the Washington Wizards in? Boston’s Jayson Tatum (50 points) and their own inability to hit a three-point shot (3-for-21). This game was much more competitive than the Charlotte – Indiana blowout, but not enough to salvage the evening. Boston pulled away in the fourth quarter. The Wizards’ starting five outscored Jayson Tatum 55 to 50, but the Celtics clinched the 7th seed with the win.
Unfortunately, the two Eastern Conference games showed us that none of the participants play enough defense to make a deep playoff run.
Final Score: Boston Celtics 118, Washington Wizards 100.
Grade: D+
WESTERN CONFERENCE: (10) SAN ANTONIO at (9) MEMPHIS
The first Western Conference play-in game had little pressure to deliver an improvement over the games of the previous evening, but when the Memphis Grizzlies jumped out to an early 27-6 lead over the San Antonio Spurs, it appeared we were in for a repeat performance with the 10th seed not showing up. But typical of Gregg Popovich-coached teams, the Spurs didn’t give up and were actually leading in the 4th quarter before losing down the stretch.
The Spurs could not keep Jonas Valanciunas off the glass (23 caroms), shot 35 percent from the floor, and their starting wing players shot a combined 11-for-46. Still, they managed to make the game close against the young Grizzlies. It would be interesting to see how many basketball fans turned away from this game early after watching the Eastern Conference games the night before.
This was also the first game of the tournament where both teams competed on the defensive end.
Final Score: Memphis Grizzlies 100, San Antonio Spurs 96.
Grade: B-
WESTERN CONFERENCE: (8) GOLDEN STATE at (7) L A LAKERS
This unlikely play-in matchup was clearly the main attraction of the first round of games with Steph Curry, Lebron James, and Anthony Davis on the court at the same time, and the defending champion and 2021 title favorite Lakers having to play in to earn a playoff berth. The marquee players didn’t disappoint, but Lebron James connected on a long-distance shot to win the game for the Lakers and clinch the 7th seed.
Many observers have mentioned that the league may have erred by having this game start at 10:00 in the Eastern time zone, where most of the league’s viewers live. So after enduring a couple of bad games the night before, basketball fans in that region had to choose between missing the end of the Lakers – Warriors game, which ran well past midnight, or showing up for work the next morning looking drugged. Even with that, the game drew the highest ESPN ratings for an NBA game since 2019.
This game would have been even more widely-hyped had it been an elimination game, but in this case, the loser would only have to come back and play two nights later with a chance to qualify for the playoffs anyway. But it was an entertaining game with both teams enjoying a lead with under four minutes remaining. And both teams defended.
Final Score: Los Angeles Lakers 103, Golden State Warriors 100.
Grade: A-
EASTERN CONFERENCE (9) INDIANA at (8) WASHINGTON
After the Indiana Pacers dismantled the Charlotte Hornets two nights prior, more was expected from them in the elimination game on the road against the Washington Wizards. They weren’t expected to win, but they were expected to compete. And they actually did for one quarter.
Already leading by 14 points at halftime, the Washington Wizards scored 48 points in the third quarter, had already tallied 114 points by the start of the final quarter, and had to pump the brakes to avoid scoring over 150 points in an elimination game, all this with Russell Westbrook having an average game statistically, by his standards.
In sum, the Indiana Pacers allowed opponents to score an average of 132.5 points in the two games that would determine if they’d qualify for the NBA playoffs. At the same time, the already tired Wizards were forced to play an additional two games to maintain their 8th place position in the Eastern Conference.
Final Score: Washington Wizards 142, Indiana Pacers 115.
Grade: F
WESTERN CONFERENCE (9) MEMPHIS at (8) GOLDEN STATE
The Western Conference Play-In elimination game featured two teams separated by one game in the final regular-season standings. The Golden State Warriors had to be reeling after their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers a couple of nights earlier, but they would need to put that behind them if they were going to beat the hungry Memphis Grizzlies, led by their second-year star Ja Morant.
They didn’t.
Memphis has one of the league’s youngest rosters. Still, they waltzed into the arena in San Francisco without fear and walked out with a playoff spot a couple of hours later, sending the Warriors’ fans home disappointed. Morant nearly matched Stephen Curry’s production basket for basket and got just enough help from his teammates for an overtime win, the 8th seed after finishing 9th during the season, and a first-round playoff matchup against the Utah Jazz.
Meanwhile, thanks to the new play-in tournament, the Golden State Warriors and their fans are now wondering why, having finished the season in 8th place in the Western Conference standings less than a week ago, have no playoff basketball to look forward to.
Final Score: Memphis Grizzlies 117, Golden State Warriors 112 in overtime.
Grade: A
GRADING THE 2021 NBA PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
Here are a few takeaways from the 2021 NBA Play-In Tournament:
- It could be an anomaly, but, per results, the Eastern Conference play-in games were a complete waste of time.
- The Memphis Grizzlies got some national exposure to those who don’t subscribe to NBA League Pass, and they took advantage of it.
- Ja Morant, a second-year player for the Memphis Grizzlies, is writing quite a story as a guy lightly recruited from high school, ending up as the second pick overall in his draft class and living up to that selection.
- The Western Conference games saved the tournament.
- The tournament results will do little to change the overall playoff landscape.
- Even for the first night of Eastern Conference games that were blowouts, the strong ratings for the tournament virtually guarantee this format will continue.
- The impressive ratings for the Lakers – Warriors game might be fool’s gold, as circumstances with the compressed regular-season scheduling and the resting of players resulted in some unusual seedings.
- The Golden State Warriors and their fan base probably aren’t feeling this play-in stuff right now. However, the Memphis Grizzlies and their fans are.
- No champion is crowned in this tournament, but the Memphis Grizzlies are the clear winners.
Grade: C+
Let’s give the NBA Play-in Tournament one more year under normal circumstances.
Photo by Third Serving on Unsplash
