The NBA play-in tournament was first featured last season, when the Blazers played the Grizzlies for that final playoff seed in the West. Looking back, it’s hard to say it wasn’t a success, as the game accomplished what it was supposed to do.
Still, not everyone is on board for implementing the play-in this season. Both Luka Doncic and Mark Cuban have spoken out against it, questioning its purpose and worth.
But on ESPN’s Sports Center, NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins ripped the Mavs star, pretty much tossing aside his take on the play-in as “whining and crying.”
“If Luka is going to do all this crying and whining, what are the babies in the world going to do? I don’t want to hear all that.
The play-in tournament is a great thing that the NBA added because you know why? In the past, teams have taken the regular season for granted. Now, if you don’t want to be in the play-in tournament, win games. Finish in those top six seeds.
So, if you don’t want to be in the play-in tournament, handle your business and finish in the top six seeds.”
Luka did have some fair points about the tournament, but so does Perk. At the end of the day, the race for the 6th seed makes the regular season count for more, and Luka should probably be more worried about producing quality results than complaining about the system he can’t change anyway.
Ultimately, Luka is going to have to play the game. Why not make the most of it?
