Many Oswego locals are deeply engaged in basketball and say the NBA play-in tournament is one of the best times of the session because it leads into the playoffs and one game can change a team’s whole season.
“I feel like the play-in made the NBA more entertaining. It gave teams an opportunity to have a bad record and still be able to come back,” said OH student Milo Cudia.
In the 2019-2020 season, the play-in was first implemented into the NBA due to COVID-19 delaying the season. In the 2022 season the NBA officially adopted the play-in tournament permanently, which was quickly accepted by NBA fans.
The play-in is a two round single elimination tournament after the regular season to determine who will be the last two teams that will be let into the playoffs.This tournament gives the fans more games to watch and the players more games to add status, fix records and even win titles.
According to NBA’s official website, “because Portland finished the restart 1 1/2 games ahead of Memphis, a two-game Play-In Tournament was triggered. The Grizzlies had to win both games to win the No. 8 spot, while Portland had to just win once to clinch No. 8.”
“The main team I want to win the 2025 NBA play-in tournament is Golden state that’s been one of my favorite teams for a while,” said OH senior Josh Rose.
According to ESPN’s official website, “In the NBA Play-In Tournament, teams ranked 7th-10th in each conference compete for the final two playoff spots. The 7th and 8th seeds play in a single-elimination game, with the winner advancing to the playoffs as the 7th seed.”
In the 2025 NBA play-in session, the Golden State Warriors went against the Memphis Grizzlies. Who had a record of 48-34 gave them a seven seed playoff spot.
The play-in gives underdog teams a chance later in the season to win the championship and shock the NBA.
The reason few people tend to not watch the NBA play-in heavily is because it is not the play-offs which most people view.
“I really tend to not watch the play-in. I feel it is too predictable because it is already late in the season.The Bulls are the only reason I watched it this year, ” said OH student Ryan Kroeger.
While the play-in in the 2025 season is the most watched play-in tournament since it was introduced into the NBA.
According to the NBA, the play-in reached four million views per game, reaching a record with some being as high as seven million viewers per game, making this year’s tournament views up by 13 percent from the last year.
