Play-in tournament picture heading into 2021 NBA Playoffs

The 2021 NBA Playoffs are set to begin toward the end of May, but not until we’ve had a little fun with the bottom of the bracket. Last season, the League implemented the play-in tournament to give teams outside the playoff picture a more fair chance of getting into the postseason. This was mainly because of the season being paused and essentially cut short.

The NBA had to cut things down to 72 games in 2020-21, so as a result the play-in tournament is back! Except this time around, we’re throwing more teams into the fire. Seeds 7-10 in each conference will partake in the play-in tournament, which will begin on May 18 and run through May 21. The playoffs will begin May 22.

Here’s a quick overview of the play-in tournament bracket. The 7 and 8 seeds and 9 and 10 seeds will face each other. The winner of the 9-10 matchup goes on to play the loser of the 7-8 matchup. That game will decide who gets the 8-seed, while the winner of the 7-8 matchup enters the playoffs as the 7-seed. You can find the bracket and all this information here. And in this article we’ll be tracking the play-in tournament standings for you.