When the 2020-21 NBA regular season concluded, the Minnesota Timberwolves had been out of the playoff picture for months. Because of that, Wolves fans can be forgiven for not paying attention to the details of the NBA Play-In Tournament, which was implemented last year.
Now, though, the Timberwolves are firmly planted in the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, which means some who follow the team may be wondering what gives with this pseudo-postseason. If that applies to you, fear not: here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Play-In Tournament?
This tournament is how the NBA determines the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each conference’s playoffs — the top six seeds are locked into playoff spots. The structure is as follows:
The No. 7 seed by regular-season record hosts the No. 8 seed. The winner of that game is the 7-seed in the playoffs and plays the 2-seed in a seven-game series.
The No. 9 seed by regular-season record hosts the No. 10 seed. The loser enters the draft lottery.
The winner of the 9-10 game plays the loser of the 7-8 matchup. The winner gets the No. 8 seed and plays the conference’s No. 1 seed in a seven-game series. The loser enters the draft lottery.
Are these considered playoff games?
No. These games live in a zone between the regular season and playoffs. If the worst-case scenario for the Wolves comes true, and they lose out in the tournament, they will still have made the playoffs once since 2004 (sorry to point that out).
How could this play out for the Wolves?
The Wolves are the No. 7 seed, so they’re in the best position possible. They will host any game they play in the tournament, and they have to lose twice in a row to fall out of the postseason.
Minnesota will host the Clippers, who are locked into the No. 8, in the first play-in game. If the Wolves win that game, they will face the 2-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. If they lose to the Clippers, they will face the winner of the Pelicans-Spurs play-in matchup.
A win in that second play-in game would set Minnesota up on a date with the juggernaut Phoenix Suns, the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed. A loss would send the Wolves to the lottery and mark a sour end to a fun season.
But how likely are each of those scenarios? For more insight on that, let’s look at how Minnesota matches up with Los Angeles, New Orleans, and San Antonio.