Devin Booker has supported the In-Season Tournament requiring teams to keep scoring even in garbage time to help with point differential for qualification to further rounds. Booker praised the competitive aspect of it and dismissed people saying running up the score at the end of a blowout is ‘disrespectful’.
“I’ve seen teams upset about it, I don’t know why. I’ve seen players upset about it, I don’t know why. I wish every game was like that where you play until the end and it wasn’t viewed as disrespectful. Just high competition.”
"I've seen teams upset about it, I don't know why. I've seen players upset about it, I don't know why. I wish every game was like that where you play until the end and it wasn't viewed as disrespectful. Just high competition." Devin Booker on NBA In-Season point tiebreakers #Suns pic.twitter.com/mzDqnRyvAk
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 30, 2023
The presence of two wild-card spots in each Conference has prompted many teams to try and keep scoring throughout the 48 minutes of a game regardless of the score to ensure qualification into the second round. We saw teams like the Celtics try and extend a lead to 23 points against the Bulls to ensure qualification to the second round, a few days after Jayson Tatum criticized the practice of running up the score.
Point differential played a huge role in deciding the wildcard spots. The East saw four teams tied with a record of 3-1 with only one team being able to take the wild card spot for the Conference. The Knicks advanced due to a +42 differential, 13 points better than the Cavaliers who missed out. If the Cavs went out of their way to score four extra points in all four games they played, they probably would’ve advanced ahead of the Knicks.
Booker’s Suns qualified for the West wildcard due to a +34 point differential, eliminating the Timberwolves who ended the tournament with a +0 differential. They’ll face the Lakers in their quarterfinals matchup.
Jayson Tatum And DeMar DeRozan Weren’t Happy About Teams Running Up The Score
One of the many unwritten rules of basketball that are touted to every young hooper is to not try to humiliate your opponent by continuing to score at the end of a blowout. Due to point differential, many teams have done that this season, prompting ire from other stars around the league.
The first major example was DeMar DeRozan, who got ejected in a game between the Bulls and Raptors, as Toronto kept trying to score while enjoying a 12-point lead. He based the In-Season Tournament point differential, claiming respect for opposing players comes first.
“I don’t care about no In-Season Tournament points or none of that. Just respect for the game. If the score was flipped-flopped and I had the ball, hold it. It is what it is. Just everybody was yelling at him, ‘score, score.’ Take the win. Get out of here. If roles were reversed, needing in-season tournament points or not, just for the respect I have for my opponents, I hold the ball.”
Jayson Tatum also didn’t like teams trying to run up the score before the final round.
“It’s all about respecting the game and respecting your opponents. So, that part, I’m not a fan of.”
What’s funny is that the Celtics did the most blatant thing to try and ensure qualification on point differential, fouling Andre Drummond with six minutes left in the fourth quarter to send him to the free throw to keep the Celtics lead above 23 points. We didn’t hear from Tatum about point differential after his head coach implemented that strategy.
The In-Season Tournament is likely to stay, with teams and fans understanding that the action will have to continue for all 48 minutes to help point differential for each team.
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