Dear Commissioner Silver, the NBA’s Orlando restart needs the Elam Ending
By Mike Philly
Play-In Tournament for 8-seed
This scenario entails the least amount of alteration to the NBA schedule, while also allowing the league to experiment with the Elam Ending at a minimal consequence. The low-maintenance nature of installing the Elam format renders it a high-floor, high-ceiling option with benefits that could extend far into the future. In essence, the potential net-positive result could be too sensational not to be worth a last-minute appraisal.
Following the eight seeding games in Orlando, if the 9-seed in either conference finishes within four games of the 8-seed, those teams play one another in a best-of-two tournament to determine the final playoff seed. The 9-seed must win both games to advance to the playoffs, while the 8-seed advances by merely winning either matchup. Under these provisions, the Elam Ending has the potential to have an immensely sanguine impact on competition and television viewership.
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There exists a strong likelihood that the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies will find themselves positioned to square off in a play-in tournament for the 8-seed. Two of the most exciting teams in the NBA, led by fantastic freshmen Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, sparring in an untimed fourth quarter for a crack at the postseason? The allure of the signature-moment potential is intoxicating. Think of how incomprehensible the enthusiasm on social media might be in response to either of the two elite rookies soaring through the air for a game-winning, playoff-clinching dunk.
If that grandiose mirage doesn’t come to fruition, the next likely candidate to be involved in a potential play-in tournament is the Portland Trail Blazers. With the return of Jusuf Nurkić and Zach Collins, they form a formidable foe for anyone on the schedule. Throw in the backcourt-bucket-barrage of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and the Blazers have the components to make serious noise in the bubble.
Last year, Lillard rose above the moment to wave off the Thunder at the buzzer. Implementing the Elam Ending this season provides an opportunity for a parallel production. Could deactivating game time lead to activating Dame time? Nick Elam stands by the idea that his format can actuate a certain level of innate competitiveness within players.
“The players played their hearts out,” Elam points out, referencing the All-Star Game in February. “I do think that is part of the spirit of the Elam Ending … when you eliminate the electronic third party, it brings all the focus to the court. It’s just my team against your team,” he propounded.
Apropos how seeding might settle, adding the Elam Ending to a play-in tournament featuring any collection of the NBA’s up-and-coming stars would increase intrigue among fans and boost television viewership. From a broader perspective, any contest that offers nothing more to the winner than a statistically likely first-round playoff exit* is low-stakes. In that case, it’s fair to argue fans would rather watch the version of a play-in contest that ensures a game-winning shot.
*8-seeds have beaten 1-seeds only five times in NBA history