Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James’ play-in tournament complaints are valid

The Los Angeles Lakers have slid down the standings in the last few weeks, pushing them right down into the play-in range after weeks near the top of the conference. LeBron James, returning from an ankle injury, hasn’t looked quite like himself.

With James still working his way back from injury, Anthony Davis in a slump, and the defense starting to wither, things look glum right now.

After an ugly loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, James expressed frustration over the play-in tournament that is now looming over our hobbled Lakers.

James claimed that whoever came up with the play-in tournament concept “needs to be fired”m citing the fact that teams that would normally be in possession of a Top 10 pick could make it to the postseason.

As one might expect, the internet has had a bit of fun with LeBron since the rant. In addition to the comedic value of his tirade, the comments have come off a bit hypocritical to some.

In late March 2020, James went as far as to suggest a play-in tournament to decide the final playoff seeds. With COVID-19 interrupting the season, LeBron felt like every team hovering around the No. 8 seed should have a shot.

Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James’ comments about the play-in make sense.

Many have taken issue with the fact that his stance has quickly flipped due to the current circumstances. With the Lakers now struggling to hold the 6th seed, LeBron joins Mark Cuban and even the Raptors as uncertain bottom feeders in search of a scapegoat for a disappointing season.

Although it is difficult to side with the timing of LeBron’s comments, one thing is for certain: the play-in could be a colossal failure. While teams on the outside looking in will surely be mocked for airing their grievances, it may serve as a foreshadowing for the teams atop the standings.

Phoenix, Utah, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn will likely have home-court advantage for a considerable portion of the playoffs. However, a disadvantage many are overlooking is their lack of preparation time.

While the play-in tournament certainly puts the most pressure on the teams partaking in it, it’s important to note that it will leave the league’s brightest regular season teams in the dark about who they might see in the first round. 

In fact, one could argue that teams that hover around the 3-6 spots actually have a tremendous advantage over those on either end of the standings.

The top seeds won’t get to scout ahead.

While the top seeds will have the same amount of rest as the tournament plays out, they will certainly have a vested interest in who comes out on top. 

Meanwhile, the teams in the middle of the pack not only have this same downtime, but they can begin game-planning before the tournament even kicks off.

The old cliche certainly rings true: the playoffs are about matchups. Teams that know who they are facing have a significant advantage in preparing for these matchups. Whether you are on the bottom or the top of the standings, uncertainty could make for a surprising first round.

Whether the Lakers were at the top or the bottom of the standings, adding a play-in tournament to a nearly full-length season was ill-advised.

James and the Los Angeles Lakers falling into it could bring an early end to their season, and they’d only have themselves and the wack format to blame.

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