Timberwolves Talk: NBA Play-In Tournament and NBA Playoffs
By Bret Stuter
Okay, here we are, the Minnesota Timberwolves stand with a record of 41 wins and 40 losses, and the final game will decide so very much for the team in terms of postseason competition and perhaps even the future of the franchise. So let’s pause a moment to ponder the ramifications of what could happen for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This has been a long and arduous journey for a Minnesota Timberwolves team, what will ultimately be an 82-game regular season that began in October 2022 and finally came to a conclusion in April 2023. But this is not the end. The Timberwolves traveled so far and so long to earn a chance to compete in the post-season. The young Minnesota Timberwolves basketball franchise has made 10 NBA Playoff appearances in 33 years.
From 1996-2004, the Timberwolves were a perennial playoff team. But since the 2003-04 NBA season, the team has returned to the NBA Playoffs just twice. The Timberwolves find themselves with a real chance to have consecutive NBA Playoff appearances for the second consecutive season, a feat not accomplished since the 2003-04 season. So what do the Timberwolves face this year to get to the NBA Playoffs?
Playing to win the NBA Play-In Tournament
The NBA Play-In Tournament was first introduced to the NBA in 2020, in response to the COVID-19 shortened season. But the format was so popular that the NBA was retained and continues to be the gateway to the NBA Playoffs to this day. NBA’s Charles Barkley does a rather comedic job trying to explain the NBA Play-In Tournament below:
While Barkley’s explanation is incredibly challenging, the board does a fairly good job of representing the way the eliminations work. Because it’s a relatively new format, feel free to rewatch the video several times if the details are confusing at first.
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To help you out with further explanations, here are the main NBA Play-In Tournament takeaways: