The 2022 NBA Playoffs are almost upon us. While the NBA Play-In Tournament isn’t recognized as playoff games by the league, they are for all intents and purposes.
Just like the postseason, you need to win games to advance. They may not be considered playoff games, but they have all of the emotions and intensity that a playoff game would.
Two games are remaining in the Play-In Tournament, which will conclude tonight. The Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Clippers, the No. 8 seeds in their respective conferences, will be hosting the games. The Cavaliers lost to the Brooklyn Nets in the first game, while the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Clippers.
Heading to Cleveland will be the Atlanta Hawks. They won their matchup against the Charlotte Hornets to advance in the tournament. In the west, the New Orleans Pelicans will be heading out to Los Angeles after defeating the San Antonio Spurs.
LATEST NBA NEWS: 5 Bold Predictions Ahead Of 2022 NBA Playoffs
Following the games Friday night, the 16-team field will be set, and the pursuit of the Larry O’Brien Trophy will commence. There are a lot of intriguing first-round matchups that will ensue, as the league hasn’t seen parity like this in a long time.
What could we expect from these first-round series? Let’s make some predictions about how the NBA Play-In Finals will end up and how the first round of the playoffs could shake out.
