The NBA players union accepted again that the playoff entry tournament format, which was established last regular season, remain, at least, until the next one in 2021-2022, according to information provided by the league. The NBA Board of Governors is expected to make it official soon in a formal vote.
This season’s format saw the seventh and eighth place teams play for the final position of the seventh to a game with a field advantage for the best classified and the loser faced the winner of the game who in turn played the ninth classified with the tenth to define the last ticket to the playoffs.
Of the 30 NBA teams, 24 had a chance to earn a spot in at least the entry tournament during the final two weeks of the 2020-21 regular season.
The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silversaid in May that his personal preference was for the entry tournament to continue after this season.
As its promoter, he described the result of the first year as a success, because it generated that teams had to fight to the end for the option of getting a playoff spot both for being directly classified in the first six places and competing for the last two places among four teams.
“I have not hidden that I want it to be a format that is maintained long term”Silver declared last May.
Meanwhile, the players did not have the same sentiment and said that the idea of finishing in seventh place during the regular season and then having to play an entry tournament in which they could be missed did not motivate them at all. However, the decision made by the players’ union goes in the same direction that the commissioner defends.