03-31-2021, 12:38 PM
(03-31-2021, 09:23 AM)StepBackJay Wrote: In terms of playoffs now with this play-in game you only need to be better at most 2 teams trying to get the last play-in spot. The bottom 2 teams of each conference are usually trying to tank. So this makes the Mavs a likely perennial "playoff" team for better or worse. I like it in the sense of it helps Rick not worry ab regular seasons as much and focus on what he likes to do which is putting together the best rotation for the playoffs and leaving the rest in Luka's hands.I like the play-in too, mostly because it cuts down on tanking.
But I think the idea that all the Mavs have to do is get into the playoffs and then anything could happen is largely fools' gold. They need to begin above the 7th-8th seed to have a realistic chance.
Followill discussed this in his podcast yesterday. As long as the playoffs have been in this format, the eighth seed has won the first-round series only five times. The seventh seed has won the first-round series only five times. The sixth seed has won 25% of the time -- still not a good chance, but at least not essentially negligible, like the seventh and eighth.