Play-In watch! Now Pre-Game Thread.

[JayBirdHawk]

1 more win and we're in the Play-In...Again!

[HawksNWaffles]

24 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

1 more win and we're in the Play-In...Again!

[cam1218]

I know they don't count these as playoff games, but I feel like there should be something that tracks these games. The Hawks have had some pretty good success here. Beating Miami on the road last year to get the 7th seed, and then winning at home against Charlotte and on the road against Cleveland to get the 8th seed the previous year. Obviously we'd rather not be in the situation, but so far we have done well in it. 

[AHF]

2 minutes ago, cam1218 said:

I know they don't count these as playoff games, but I feel like there should be something that tracks these games. The Hawks have had some pretty good success here. Beating Miami on the road last year to get the 7th seed, and then winning at home against Charlotte and on the road against Cleveland to get the 8th seed the previous year. Obviously we'd rather not be in the situation, but so far we have done well in it. 

Agree.  The fact that these seem to be just kind of lost to the ether is just weird.  It is like the NBA is ashamed of its own playoff format.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, HawksNWaffles said:

No joke when I saw you had commented on this thread I was expecting anything! I gotta admit something more animated and 3Dish  

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

It is like the NBA is ashamed of its own playoff format.

Adam Silver You don’t have to make so many changes all at once. I mean, why do we keep shifting to appease a larger crowd. 
 

Look even though the Hawks are in it I’ll admit I hate the playoff format. Go back to 1-8, if you’re a deserving team you should be a top 8/15 teams in the conference. If you’re not, you’re not.

All rounds: best of 7 games. 2-2-1-1-1 format for all rounds INCLUDING THE FINALS. I don’t like the 2/3/2 if they are still doing that I forget.

[HawksNWaffles]

23 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

No joke when I saw you had commented on this thread I was expecting anything! I gotta admit something more animated and 3Dish  

Even I have to scale it back sometimes..... But don't worry it'll come soon enough 

[Spud2nique]

19 minutes ago, HawksNWaffles said:

Even I have to scale it back sometimes

I disagree. We call you the Ivan Johnson of game threads (secretly behind your back) and it’s cuz you don’t. Be you! Play on playa! 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

 

[Spud2nique]

Tied up with 6 to go for each team!

[RedDawg#8]

46 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Tied up with 6 to go for each team!

Bulls have Knicks, @Magic, Knicks, @Pistons, @Wizards, @Knicks to finish.

We have @Dallas, @Denver, Miami, Charlotte, @Minny, @Indy

Objectively speaking, we have the tougher final 6. The top 2 teams in the West, both trying to win and clinch #1. Dallas still jockeying for homecourt advantage. Then Miami and Indy still playing to win and avoid the play in.

If we pass Chicago, it will be because we truly earned it. It won’t be easy.

[cam1218]

7 hours ago, RedDawg#8 said:

Bulls have Knicks, @Magic, Knicks, @Pistons, @Wizards, @Knicks to finish.

We have @Dallas, @Denver, Miami, Charlotte, @Minny, @Indy

Objectively speaking, we have the tougher final 6. The top 2 teams in the West, both trying to win and clinch #1. Dallas still jockeying for homecourt advantage. Then Miami and Indy still playing to win and avoid the play in.

If we pass Chicago, it will be because we truly earned it. It won’t be easy.

Knicks are really banged up too, so that makes those games a lot less difficult for Chicago. 

[bird_dirt]

11 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

 

I hate the play in format. It’s too much. 

[REHawksFan]

37 minutes ago, bird_dirt said:

I hate the play in format. It’s too much. 

I love it.  I would probably feel differently if the Hawks were consistently Top 6 in the East, but as is, I'll take it.  Wouldn't trade the last 2 year's postseason games for sitting at home watching other teams play.  The Play In has given the Hawks an opportunity to get to the postseason 3 times now.  I'll take it.  

[JayBirdHawk]

44 minutes ago, bird_dirt said:

I hate the play in format. It’s too much. 

I love it. Teams playing hard to make top 6 and avoid falling into 7.

7 fighting to get to 6.

8 to 10 fighting for positioning.

Teams like the Rockets and Nets trying to make the 10 spot. 

Makes for more interesting competitive games IMHO.

[AHF]

29 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

I love it.  I would probably feel differently if the Hawks were consistently Top 6 in the East, but as is, I'll take it.  Wouldn't trade the last 2 year's postseason games for sitting at home watching other teams play.  The Play In has given the Hawks an opportunity to get to the postseason 3 times now.  I'll take it.  

I think the fans who really hate it are the ones whose teams finish in the 7/8 spots and don't actually end up in the playoffs.  For the Hawks, there is nothing not to like since we have made it in even when not finishing in the top 8.

[macdaddy]

2 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I love it. Teams playing hard to make top 6 and avoid falling into 7.

7 fighting to get to 6.

8 to 10 fighting for positioning.

Teams like the Rockets and Nets trying to make the 10 spot. 

Makes for more interesting competitive games IMHO.

They did a really good job with the format.   My inclination would have been to have 9&10 play a game and then the winner play #8 for the 8th seed and leave #7 out of it.   But as you point out the current format keeps more teams engaged at the end of the year. 

[bird_dirt]

1 hour ago, macdaddy said:

They did a really good job with the format.   My inclination would have been to have 9&10 play a game and then the winner play #8 for the 8th seed and leave #7 out of it.   But as you point out the current format keeps more teams engaged at the end of the year. 

I’d be more on board with something more like this. It just gets a little convoluted with the loser playing again and potentially getting in later. 
 

[Wretch]

4 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I love it. Teams playing hard to make top 6 and avoid falling into 7.

7 fighting to get to 6.

8 to 10 fighting for positioning.

Teams like the Rockets and Nets trying to make the 10 spot. 

Makes for more interesting competitive games IMHO.

I love it too.  It absolutely gives incentives to play hard.  It's one game and ANYTHING can happen on any given night.  Nobody wants to fool around with the play in and risk missing the playoffs.  This combined with the league officially pushing back on "load management" is good for the game.

Side note:
I dislike the rigged lottery system.  I think there should be a similar tournament for the lottery.  Separated into tiers where borderline playoff teams aren't destroying absolute bottom feeders obviously with certain players being ineligible to play depending upon the number of regular season games they missed.

[AHF]

12 minutes ago, Wretch said:

Side note:
I dislike the rigged lottery system.  I think there should be a similar tournament for the lottery.  Separated into tiers where borderline playoff teams aren't destroying absolute bottom feeders obviously with certain players being ineligible to play depending upon the number of regular season games they missed.

I think there would actually be more problems with a tournament approach to the lottery.  I can only imagine how the game would be called in a NY vs Atlanta matchup but if past is predicate we know Atlanta will get the short end of the stick.  (I'm not envisioning the league ordering a Sacramento / Lakers style debacle but more that certain teams, players, and cities are favored over others on a routine basis.)  

But I'm also someone who doesn't buy the idea that lottery is rigged.