The Los Angeles Clippers are impressive and are hitting form at a late, dangerous stage of the season.
Entering the 2024-25 season, the franchise endured doubts if they could stil contend, following the free agency departure of Paul George.
So far, the Los Angeles Clippers have defied their doubters. Led by the brilliance of James Harden, the ball club remained competitive. And despite the delayed season debut of Kawhi Leonard after his knee surgery recovery, they still maintained their spot as a solid team under the steady leadership of Ty Lue.
Amid the stellar season they are showcasing, the Clippers are still at risk of falling into the Play-In tournament.
The Clippers are in a tight spot in the NBA standings. With a 40-31 card, they find themselves at the No. 8 spot of the Western Conference.
In front of them are the Minnesota Timberwolves (41-31) and the No. 6 Golden State Warriors (41-30), the race for the seedings could run until the final day of the regular season.
The Clippers made a key midseason trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic who has been providing “unbelievable” wonders ever since. They were off to a five-game win streak which was only halted by the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder this March 23.
The level of competition has intensified, as the Warriors emerged with a dramatic late season push due to the blockbuster acquisition of Jimmy Butler while the T-Wolves are finally figuring it out with Julius Randle.
As awful as it might be considering the grind and outside noise they have embraced just to be in title contention, there is a high chance that the Clippers could witness their season end in a premature fashion due to the Play-In Tournament.
And for Norman Powell, the concept of the Play-In is unjustifiable.
“I know it’s a money play and it was good for us because of what’s going and doing that in the [2020 NBA] Bubble and everything, but you play 82 games for a reason,” he said following a lowly nine-point play in the Clippers’ 103-101 tight loss against the Thunder.
“Top eight teams are top eight teams. You’re giving teams that wouldn’t potentially make the Playoffs in previous years a chance in one game.
“Anything can happen, so it’s kind of unfair to the teams that have worked hard and put themselves in playoff spots and be in the race just to jeopardize that off for one game.”
Since being introduced in 2020 during the pandemic, the Play-In was continued by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, extending the coverage starting from the 7th until the 10th seed for both East and the West. In order to avoid tanking, the tourney presents teams a chance to continue competing for a postseason spot and a chance to win the title.
In the brief history of the Play-In Tournament, only the 2022-23 Miami Heat have fully maximized their qualification into the competition as they became the first No. 8 seed in 24 years to reach the NBA Finals.
In the case of the Clippers, the road en route to the NBA championship, beyond potentially facing the Warriors or the T-Wolves, may still require them to go through the No. 9 Sacramento Kings as well as either of the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks.
It might be unfortunate that they couldn’t enter the Playoffs directly by placing as low as the No. 8 seed in the West once the regular season ends. Yet in the end, Powell can only shrug his shoulders as he and the Clippers are in a likelihood to proceed to the knockout round position.
“It’s working for the league,” Powell admitted about the Play-In. “It’s intense. The viewership’s up, make more money as a league, so I understand it.
“But we play 82 games for a reason.”
