'That's corny': LeBron opposed to play-in tournament for playoffs
LeBron James is vehemently against the idea of the NBA adopting a play-in tournament to determine which teams make the playoffs.
"No, no, no," the Cleveland Cavaliers icon said Wednesday, as quoted by ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "That's wack. That's wack. Why? You got to earn your spot to be in the postseason. No consolation for finishing last. That's corny. That's corny. That's wack. To play for what? What are they playing for?"
James would rather maintain the status quo on that front, with the eight best teams per conference at the end of the regular season qualifying for the postseason.
It was reported last month there's momentum behind the notion of a play-in tournament involving teams ranked seven-to-10 to decide the final two seeds per conference.
| MATCHUP | WINNER GETS |
|---|---|
| (1) No. 7 vs. No.8 | 7th seed in playoffs |
| (2) No. 9 vs. No. 10 | To face loser from (1) |
| Loser of (1) vs. winner of (2) | 8th seed in playoffs |
James doesn't think it's fair for a team that finishes outside the top eight to make the playoffs over a team that earned its place after 82 games.
"(Make the playoffs by winning the tournament) even if my record is better than yours? Nah, that's wack," he said.
It's not the first time the 15-year veteran has spoken out against a possible playoff shakeup, as he also indicated he doesn't want the NBA to open up the postseason to the top 16 teams in the playoffs regardless of conference.
"I think our league has been built the right way when it comes to the postseason," he told reporters last month.
"It just changes the landscape of the history of the game if you start messing with seedings and playoffs."