12-09-2025, 06:45 PM
(12-09-2025, 10:44 AM)mvossman Wrote: The incentives are just a mess in the NBA. They spread out the odds to reduce hard tanking, but now the team that loses the play in has a legit shot at high pick (as Mavs demonstrated) and most teams are probably better off losing. I'm not really sure what the point of the play in is. Half the teams were already making the playoffs and at least a third were tanking. I think its made things worse.
Especially in the west. 9/10 is a death sentence. Same if you lose the 7/8 game. Will we see a team rest its entire starting lineup in the game for the 8th playoff seed?