The Best 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament Teams, Ranked
Written by SOURCE on April 10, 2023
The NBA regular season is over and done with, and the league’s final week didn’t disappoint in terms of drama, storylines and downright f*ckery (more on that in a bit). The top six teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences can kick their feet up for the week before the playoffs start on Saturday, while attention will be focused on the Play-In Tournament. So, with that, we’re going to do something a little different this week and rank the top five teams out of the eight that will be duking it out for the remaining playoff spots.
Even though these teams aren’t considered powerhouses, a few of them have legit chances at shaking things up and pulling off an upset on the top-seeded teams. So, these squads aren’t locks to be bounced out of the first round.
But one team is a lock to start their summer vacation early.
Ah, the Minnesota Timberwolves…
Even though they got a monster performance from Anthony Edwards (26 points, 13 rebounds, four steals, and four blocks) that led to their victory over the New Orleans Pelicans and their eighth seed secured, the levels of implosion during that game will certainly hurt their chances in the Play-In. They could’ve easily been on this list, but let’s face it, the team is plumb dumb for their dysfunction. Between Rudy Gobert swinging on his teammate Kyle Anderson in the first half and being sent home to Jaden McDaniels fracturing his hand after punching a wall (also in the first half!), the T-Wolves don’t have a puncher’s chance in hell getting out of the tournament.
But these teams do.
