It's a topic that's sparked heated debate on both sides - it seems folks either love it or hate it - and Tuesday we'll get to see it in action. The NBA will debut a new playoff format with the play-in tournament. In both the East and the West the seventh- and eight-best teams will meet, with the winner clinching the seven seed. The loser will have one more chance to make it to the postseason, facing the winner of the matchup between the ninth- and tenth-best teams.
The East plays Tuesday and the West on Wednesday. Let's rank the four matchups in terms of excitement and popularity:
4) Pacers vs. Hornets: Easily the least exciting to the neutral fan, there's not a whole lot of superstardom in this game. Charlotte has the higher potential of the bunch, with a solid young core of LaMelo Ball (who would have won Rookie of the Year had he not gotten hurt), Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges and PJ Washington -- though they will miss the absence of Gordon Hayward, one of the few on the roster with playoff experience.
The Pacers, meanwhile, have been bit by the injury bug. Victor Oladipo played just nine games all year, Malcolm Brogdon is questionable and hasn't played in nearly a month with a hamstring injury, and they are missing three rotation players in Jeremy Lamb, TJ Warren and Myles Turner.
3) Grizzlies vs. Spurs: San Antonio (33-39) has the worst record of anyone in the play-in tournament, and is in danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight year, after previously qualifying for 22 straight postseasons. These two teams are similar in that both rely on seven/eight players, all of whom can score in double-figures, and have go-to All-Stars in the backcourt.
For the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan brings a wealth of postseason experience - he and Patty Mills have played in a combined 148 games - to go with his 21.6 points and 6.9 assists per game. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, have one of the most promising and exciting young players in the world in Ja Morant, who is rapidly rising up the list of the league's best point guards.
2) Celtics vs. Wizards: There was arguably no bigger disappointment this year than the Celtics, a team with superstar caliber talent in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker (the latter of whom was battling injury most of the year). With nearly the exact same core, minus Gordon Hayward, the C's went from 48-24 last year to 36-36 this season. Obviously, though, the talent is there when all the pieces fit.
Washington, meanwhile, features Russell Westbrook and, love him or hate him, he's impossible to not watch. After averaging a triple-double for the fourth time in five seasons he'll look to take the Wizards to the playoffs for the first time in three years. The star power alone in this one makes for must-see TV.
1) Lakers vs. Warriors: There's no other option for the top spot. Take away all other factors and names, from Anthony Davis to Andrew Wiggins, and the "LeBron vs. Steph" factor alone will attract millions of eyeballs. Because it's the 7-versus-8 contest there's a chance both get in anyways, but the possibility of two superstar future Hall of Famers playing for their playoff lives against one another, given how many battles they've had in the NBA Finals, it's exactly what the NBA must have pictured in their dreams when thinking up this concept.