The play-in tournament consisting of the seventh to tenth seeds in both NBA conferences will remain next season, according to ESPN.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed to keep the tournament in place. The board of governors will meet in August to approve.
With the play-in tournament this season, there were fewer teams outright tanking and fewer games in which star players rested down the stretch.
According to ESPN, 24 teams were in contention for a play-in or playoff spot during the final two weeks of last season.
With the potential of a postseason berth, more teams lower in the standings were trying. Teams who were already in the playoff race were less likely to rest stars knowing that a dip from sixth to seventh seed would put them in the play-in tournament. This created some chagrin from star players who were in the middle of the playoff hunt.
Despite some public complaints, the tournament will remain. In addition to the added excitement from the end of the regular season and the tournament, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote that there is hope of generating revenue in future media rights deals.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also mentioned the concept of in-season tournaments when he spoke on ABC’s NBA Countdown prior to Game 4 of the Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
“We’ve talked about in-season tournaments. We’re all fans of other leagues, especially internationally. I think there is this notion of having something more to play for than just the championship; not to say that the ultimate isn’t to win the championship, but possibly doing something throughout the season,” he said. “It’s something we’re taking a hard look at. It obviously won’t happen next season, but we’re talking to the players’ association and we’re talking to teams about that.”
