tiebreakers

Jayson Tatum Rails Against In-Season Tournament Tiebreaker

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Jayson Tatum has become the latest NBA star to speak out against the In-Season Tournament tiebreaker rules. “We was in the game and I was like, I remember I tapped, I think it was Torrey Craig. I was like ‘yo bro, I don’t really want to be out here right now.’ Cause we were up 30 going into the fourth. If it was a Wednesday I would have been sitting on the bench and the younger guys would have gotten in. It just didn’t feel right,” Tatum told SB Nation‘s Point Break podcast.

The primary tie-breaker for the in-season tournament was point differential. This meant that come the final games of the group stage, teams were running up the score as much as they could to try and make the next round. This led to the bizarre, and uncomfortable, scenes of full starting lineups playing late into games with 30- or 40-point scoring gaps. Boston began fouling Andre Drummond so much to force him to shoot three throws that their coach openly apologized mid-game to his counterpart in Chicago.

Read More: Charles Barkley Invokes Florida State As Suns Crash Out Of In-Season Tournament On Controversial Call

In-Season Tournament A Success, But Players Hate The Tiebreaker

As mentioned, Tatum is just the latest player to speak out against the bizarre rule. The Celtics kept their starters in throughout the fourth quarter despite starting the frame up 29. Similarly, the Knicks scored 35 in the fourth quarter against the five-win Hornets to ensure they secured the Eastern Conference wildcard spot on point differential.

“It was interesting. I don’t really like it. We were focused, at first, just about winning. The last couple of minutes it feels weird. At a certain point, you just start chasing points, doing all that. So it kind of messes with the integrity of the game a little bit,” the Knicks’ Josh Hart said. “To be honest, it was a little weird, but the ultimate goal was to come out and get a win tonight, and that’s what we did. It’s tough because that’s just not how the game is supposed to be played. You’ve got to respect your opponents,” the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown added.

Read More: Uniform From Kobe Bryant’s Last Road Game Goes Up For Auction

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NBA Players Feel “Weird” About In-Season Tournament Tiebreakers Forcing Them To Run Up Scores

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Numerous NBA players have expressed their dislike of the consequences of the in-season tournament tiebreaker rules. With point differential being a major tiebreaker, several teams had to run up the score in their final games of the group stage to ensure they qualified for the quarterfinals. The Celtics kept their starters in throughout the fourth quarter despite starting the frame up 29. Similarly, the Knicks scored 35 in the fourth quarter against the five-win Hornets to ensure they secured the Eastern Conference wildcard spot on point differential.

“It was interesting. I don’t really like it. We were focused, at first, just about winning. The last couple of minutes it feels weird. At a certain point, you just start chasing points, doing all that. So it kind of messes with the integrity of the game a little bit,” the Knicks’ Josh Hart said. “To be honest, it was a little weird, but the ultimate goal was to come out and get a win tonight, and that’s what we did. It’s tough because that’s just not how the game is supposed to be played. You’ve got to respect your opponents,” the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown added.

Read More: Uniform From Kobe Bryant’s Last Road Game Goes Up For Auction

In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals Set

“Weird” feelings aside, Tuesday night marked the conclusion of the in-season tournament’s group stage. The quarterfinals will take place next Monday and Tuesday. In the West, the Lakers take on the Suns while the Kings face the Pelicans. Meanwhile, in the East, the Bucks take on the Knicks while the Pacers play the Celtics. The respective winners will play in a regional semifinal on December 7 before the East v West final on December 9.

However, results aside, the tournament format has been proving to be a big hit with fans. ESPN reported a 20% increase in viewership for in-season tournament games when compared with comparable games last year. Over 1.5 million watched ESPN‘s eight-game Friday night slate, compared with 1.2 million over the same period in 2022. Furthermore, tiebreakers aside, players and coaches have expressed their appreciation for the added incentive, especially early in the season, that the in-season tournament provides.

Read More: Kevin Garnett Blasts Jordan Poole, Says He “Does Not Belong In The League”

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