After beating the Wizards, the Bulls travel to Toronto on Tuesday to take on another Eastern Conference play-in contender.

Source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bulls/ct-chicago-bulls-zach-lavine-demar-derozan-20230227-e2v6trrbafc43mvwvuq7z47lqi-story.html

As the Lakers head into their finale on Sunday against Utah, their playoff (or play-in) fate still undecided, it’s clear they still have real ground to cover — with the situations soon to demand the best from Davis and James.

Source: https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2023-04-07/lakers-phoenix-suns-recap

“As we are one night into the play-in and ‘These games don’t matter and don’t watch.’

Source: https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/charles-barkley-not-watch-the-nba-worse-than-stephen-a-smith-nhl.html

At this point, NBA fans would take anything, even if it’s a one-game faceoff between these Crypto.com Arena co-tenants in the play-in tournament.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2023/feb/25/biggest-nba-rivalries-next-five-years

But if it is a detailed system that requires all five defenders to be in lockstep, then there should be hope of the one more shutdown required for the Heat to advance out of Tuesday’s play-in game against the Hawks and into the playoffs.

Source: https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/04/09/ask-ira-can-the-heats-success-continue-against-the-hawks-trae-young/

Even the play-in tournament standings are exactly as they were seven days ago.

Source: https://fansided.com/2023/04/02/nba-playoff-picture-bracket-season-ended-today-april-3/

Even West Virginia, who is knotted in the standings with Tech for second to last, may find themselves as an 11th-seed and fighting for their lives during a play-in game.

Source: https://www.fwweekly.com/2023/03/01/heroes-and-hopefuls/

For as much as the play-in tournament tormented the Heat, Heat guard said the extra postseason round checks the NBA’s most important box.

Source: https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/04/15/ira-winderman-thinking-big-led-to-losses-but-heat-likely-will-do-it-all-again/

How long Rogers goes is the big question as McNeese needs the right-hander to be ready to go if they start tournament play with the play-in game Tuesday.

Source: https://www.americanpress.com/2023/05/17/redhawks-thrash-cowboys-to-open-nonconference-series/

If the Raptors HAD dealt (plus one of Pascal, O.G. or Fred) for Durant and also pulled off the trade, that team with Kevin Durant, Poeltl plus two of Pascal, might’ve been good enough to get past the play-in.

Source: https://www.thestar.com/sports/doug_smiths_sports_blog/2023/06/18/raptors-mailbag-revisiting-the-scottie-barnes-kevin-durant-trade-rumours-and-why-you-hang-onto-og-anunoby.html

“If we fall into a play-in situation, so be it.

Source: https://www.dailybreeze.com/2023/02/22/lakers-ready-to-dive-back-in-after-all-star-break/

It’s now early 2023 and the Mavericks are an even worse defensive team that is now fighting with Kyrie Irving to stay out of the play-in.

Source: https://deadspin.com/nba-schedule-knicks-lakers-kings-suns-1850192242

Lost to Box Elder, 2-0, in the 5A play-in game.

Source: https://www.deseret.com/2023/3/10/23617613/high-school-boys-soccer-2023-5a-team-by-team-region-capsules-predictions

Maybe that’s enough to get them into the Eastern Conference play-in tournament if it continues over the final 21 games, but that wasn’t the mission statement at the start of the season.

Source: https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2023/2/27/23617490/bulls-nikola-vucevic-realism-two-game-winning-streak

Mikal Bridges scored 23 points for the Nets, who fell 1 1/2 games behind the New York Knicks for fifth place in the Eastern Conference and are just 1 1/2 ahead of seventh-place Miami as they try to avoid the play-in tournament.

Source: https://sacobserver.com/2023/03/kings-beat-nets-clinch-first-winning-season-since-2005-06/

Nurse was fired as the head coach after they failed to make the playoffs – the Raptors led their play-in tournament game by as many as 19 points, but still lost to the Chicago Bulls, ending their season.

Source: https://1010wcsi.com/fox-sports/76ers-replace-doc-rivers-with-championship-winning-coach/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=76ers-replace-doc-rivers-with-championship-winning-coach

One such tournament for The Americas region was won by The Bahamas, who upset host Argentina to make it into a play-in tournament next summer; the winner of that tournament will win a berth in the Olympics.

Source: https://kingjamesgospel.com/2023/08/31/evan-mobley-recruited-join-new-team-olympics/

Right now, we’re in a play-in spot so there’s obviously a lot of stuff we have to do to improve and be better at.”

Source: https://www.dailybreeze.com/2023/03/06/what-happened-to-the-clippers-defense/

Similar to Missouri, Stanford had surprising success in the postseason in 2022, advancing from the play-in meet all the way to the regional final.

Source: https://www.deseret.com/2023/3/20/23644970/here-are-the-teams-that-stand-between-utah-and-another-trip-to-the-ncaa-gymnastics-championships

So I’m wondering if the chance to be part of the play-in had the desired effect of deterring tanking.

Source: https://www.thestar.com/sports/doug_smiths_sports_blog/2023/04/23/raptors-mailbag-why-is-ime-udoka-linked-to-all-the-nba-coaching-vacancies.html