Worst gift in the pile: 2023 NBA Play-Ins

fell alseep but it doesnt sound like that second game was of the highest quality basketball

― lag∞n, Wednesday, April 12, 2023 9:16 AM (two hours ago)

both games were... far from the best the NBA has to offer. the lakers game was at least dramatic in its own way even tho the t wolves didn't make a field goal for a full 8 mins between the 4th Q and OT

both those games really did remind me of NCAA tournament games. heat-hawks was a raggedy up and down game w/ tons of bad passes, botched fast breaks, guys running into each other etc. in wolves/lakers nobody could score in crunch time, the lakers turned it over inbounding *and* committed a three shot foul in the last like 10 seconds of the game, TNT threw up a "wolves have not scored in 5 mins" graphic which you see in every march madness game but never in the NBA. idk if this is good or bad... i think the play in games are generally stupid and fun

btw i just looked it up... KAT re-entered the game with 7:35 in the fourth quarter and 5 fouls. from that point forward including OT he went 0-2 from the field w/ 1 rebound

it's a very KAT-ish turn of events for KAT to be so good for three quarters in a playoff game that he sets himself up for miserable failure in the fourth quarter

xp we basically get six game 7s before the playoffs even start

heat-hawks was a raggedy up and down game w/ tons of bad passes, botched fast breaks, guys running into each other etc. in wolves/lakers nobody could score in crunch time, the lakers turned it over inbounding *and* committed a three shot foul in the last like 10 seconds of the game

hence the thread title

xp we basically get six game 7s before the playoffs even start

― four square ups... no punches thrown (Spottie), Wednesday, April 12, 2023 12:12 PM (eighteen minutes ago)

calling those games 7s is an insult to game 7s...

to be fair though a lot of game 7s are pretty ugly

yup

dollar store game 7s if you will

i get that game 7s are often ugly but there's a tension inherent in a game 7 that can't be replicated in a one game winner take all scenario. that's why i mention the ncaa tournament... you realize that you're not really watching either good or very meaningful basketball, but the concocted stakes of a one game winner take all scenario carry the day despite all the warts. but these are no game 7s let's be real

you're otm

the West was pretty ideal for this, every team in it was basically the same record and no one team really "deserved it", a scenario in which the 7th seed in another season was like 5 games clear of the next seed and didn't advance would be a bummer

feel like watching the playin might make me more likely to tune into some hopeless 1-8 matchup because i already watched the 8th seed advance im already in "a playoff mindset"

the lakers would've been an interesting test case as a team w/ high end talent that was underperforming but changed their roster at the deadline & started playing a lot better. but they got the 7 and won the first game so nothing changed. but if they had been the 8 and won, or had lost last night and slipped to 8, we might feel differently. unless they went into the playoffs and lost 4-1, then we would go back to feeling the same way. so idk

"I can pretty much do everything. It's just a matter of the level that I was playing at before my hamstring. I don't want to go out there and be in my own head and affect the team when I can just be on the sideline supporting them more."

— Zion Williamsonpic.twitter.com/m6vUT46MeX

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 11, 2023

lmao

reminds me of derrick rose

oh, zion. time to stop talking buddy

DeMar's daughter is screaming whenever the Raptors take free throws 😂 pic.twitter.com/HxmMz3BYgq

— ESPN (@espn) April 13, 2023

cmon lol

that was an amazing reveal

Raptors have missed 13 free throws tonight, the most they've missed in any game this season.

— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) April 13, 2023

nurse hasnt played his bench at all and now the raptors are collapsing in the second half

so if the Bulls win it's 100% because of DeMar's daughter

lol theyre doing a live split screen with her now

lol i heard that noise when i wasn't looking at the tv and was wondering what was going on

lol entire toronto crowd silent during raps fts except one girl doing the most annoying scream its funny

damn you can’t even really ban a little kid like that it just wouldn’t feel right

pic.twitter.com/hvUnlQp5oy

— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) April 13, 2023

levine is balling

28 in the second half. he’s had a really nice season actually

i'm turning this on just bc i want to hear the girl scream

haha yessss

ref just said pat bev on tv

every team must have a screaming girl now bal don't lie

lol derozans kid just turned to her mom and said “one more” and the mom nodded this is a conspiracy

its too funny

wau siakam

haa derozen jr just wrecked siakim

justice was served on that three-shot foul

well i never thought i'd see it happen but a 10th place team has advanced to the second play-in to compete for the 8th seed

miracles still happen

will not miss this dumb edition of the raptors

pulling hard for the thunder. they’re so fun to watch and I also love the matchup for denver

proves that bad vibes are bad for a team

you gotta root for any team that starts two guys with the same name who also look the same

love the "zion williamson out for 46th game" infographic

i'm just happy he's supporting his team from the bench which is the most useful thing he could be doing rn

if he were playing hed be all thinking about stuff

https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=gilgesh01&p1yrfrom=2023&player_id2=wadedw01&p2yrfrom=2006

feel like wade is my favorite SGA comp, a wade updated for the hoisting era

wade was definitely one of the coolest players ever we need more wades out there