Orlando Magic Daily
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Explaining how group play should work and benefit Orlando Magic, NBA

By Philip Rossman-Reich

No matter the return format, the Orlando Magic are likely staring down a playoff matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
No matter the return format, the Orlando Magic are likely staring down a playoff matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Nikola Vucevic, Markelle Fultz, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards
Before the season was suspended, the Orlando Magic were picking up some serious steam for another late-season push. (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images) /

The Play-In Idea

The desire to have more than the current 16 playoff teams will mean the returning teams will need the motivation to be at the campus site. And that means a playoff spot is likely up for grabs.

There is no secret that whatever format the league returns in, the Orlando Magic will have to fight for their playoff spot beyond the regular season — really beyond what they have earned.

Even if the league comes back with more than six games (which seems to be the popular proposal at the moment), the odds of the Washington Wizards making up the 5.5 games necessary to catch the Orlando Magic are small.

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Under normal circumstances, any return scenario would almost automatically clinch a playoff spot for the Magic. The Orlando Magic, of course, still has something to play for in catching the Brooklyn Nets for seventh, trailing the Nets by one-half game.

But manufacturing a play-in tournament seems to be the approach the NBA wants to take.

The Magic should welcome that in some respects. It probably would help their long-term growth and development more than going straight to the playoffs. The team should be hungry for a chance to play its way in and get experience in pressure games. It is rare they would get playoff-type games they can win considering their seeding.

Still, the team should get some advantage in any play-in tournament. The idea I have bounced around is giving the eighth seed a double-elimination advantage. The team trying to oust them from their spot has to win twice while the eighth seed only has to win once.

The NBA certainly fears this becoming too gimmicky. But they do not want to go straight to the playoffs. That is the one thing the players have made clear to the league.

The challenge the NBA is facing is figuring out how to balance everyone’s interests.

The league seems to be hesitant to get rid of conference distinctions — Eastern Conference teams especially do not want this precedent with the league’s current competitive balance. But it still needs to make the trip worth the time for anyone who arrives at Disney. There are no perfect solutions. The league needs to pick an idea and go for it, with the understanding it is an experiment for the uniqueness of this situation.

And that is why group play works.