The 2021 NBA regular season has officially come to an end and the top-6 Playoff spots in both conferences have been secured. But, with the introduction of the Play-In tournament the first round Playoff matchups have not fully been finalized. 

This new format that became unprecedentedly successful last season during the Bubble has taken the NBA world by storm. In turn, it has brought some life and much needed excitement to the conclusion of the regular season in a way we have not seen in the past. 

With that being said, we will be taking a look at the Eastern Conference Play-In tournament. The tournament starts with the Charlotte Hornets who will be facing the Indiana Pacers at 6:30 P.M. today. Then the Boston Celtics take on the Washington Wizards at 9:00 P.M. later on tonight. 

This article breaks down the season each of these teams has had, analyzes any key factors that could influence the outcome of each game and then I also included my personal picks for who will secure the final two spots in the Eastern Conference Playoff bracket. Let’s get right into it.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Indiana Pacers (9) vs. Charlotte Hornets (10)

Indiana Pacers

Season Summary:

Surely a disappointing decline by one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Under coach Nate McMillan, the Indiana Pacers finished top-5 in the standings the last three seasons. 

Then in the offseason, they elected not to bring him back in favor of former Toronto Raptors assistant coach and Nick Nurse disciple Nate Bjorkgren. With a new coach at the helm with expectations of elevating a stagnant Pacers franchise, things have not gone nearly as planned. 

In spite of just the record, Indiana has taken steps back in a handful of areas. 

T.J. Warren, who was arguably Indiana’s best player in the bubble last season missed most of this season after undergoing foot surgery.

Myles Turner was on pace to be a top-3 Defensive Player of the Year candidate averaging 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks a game in 47 games before being ruled out with a partial tear of his plantar plate in his big toe. 

Even their All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis has been dealing with a quad injury that has led him to miss some time. 

Coupled with the fact that there has been a bit of internal turmoil reported that has caused a rift between the player and coach Bjorkgren, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. But again, this is a “win-or-go-home” scenario for the Pacers so there is still a chance for them to right the ship. 

In order to do this, they will need to roll with their lead guys. Sabonis is listed day-to-day but will more than likely play considering the stakes. 

He is averaging a double-double this season with 20.3 points and 12 rebounds along with 6.7 assists on 53.5% shooting from the floor. Standing at 6-foot-11, he has the chance to dominate in this one as he will more than likely be seeing two undersized Centers in 6-foot-8 P.J. Washington and Bismack Biyombo which leans in his favor considering the height. His presence downlow is really the most important factor in this game because of his ability to single-handedly control the paint.

Then there is the backcourt of Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert who they acquired in that four-team blockbuster trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn. The two are averaging a combined 41.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists. 

This duo has the capability of holding their own against the likes of Lamelo Ball and Terry Rozier. The question will be whether or not they can hang defensively considering how dynamic Ball is and the fact that Rozier is prone for an uncharacteristically hot shooting night from time to time. 

The battle of the backcourts in this game will be interesting because to an extent both of these duos are relatively even from a talent perspective. Ball will be the x-factor considering this is his first high pressure game in the pros. 

The Pacers still have the talent on paper to get them through a single elimination game, but you just have to wonder if the writing is on the wall that this just is not their season.

Charlotte Hornets

Season Summary:

The Charlotte Hornets have been a pleasant surprise as arguably one of the most exciting offensive teams in the league on the backs of the Lamelo Ball-Miles Bridges connection. 

This team has really shown out in a number of ways, but the most impressive thing about this season is the natural progression shown by some of their young guys. 

Starting with Lamelo Ball, this was a guy coming in as a rookie that people saw as a high-volume bad shot taker that also needed to drastically improve on the defensive end to be considered an elite level point guard. Well, he had proved those haters wrong and then some. 

In 51 games played Ball is averaging15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and leads the team with 1.6 steals a game. He is also shooting a solid 43.6% from the field, nearly 50% from two-point range and 35.2% from three. 

Ball has been a real breath of fresh air for this franchise especially with the recent departure of their former franchise player in Kemba Walker. Unlike Walker who was an elite isolation guard in his time with the Hornets, Ball’s flashy passing ability and high basketball IQ has lit a fire under the rest of his teammates in a way that has elevated the game of everyone around him. 

One of those guys is Miles Bridges who was already a human highlight film but has had more than his fair share of ESPN Top-10 plays this season on the receiving end of a Lamelo Ball dime. 

Bridges is averaging 12.7 points, six rebounds and 2.2 assists a game, but the signs of improvement can be seen through his shooting splits. 

He has shot up from 42.4% shooting from the floor last season to 50.3% and jumped from 33% shooting from three to 40%. The biggest jump comes in his two-point shooting where he has improved from 48.6% all the up to 59.6%. 

This is indicative of him getting better looks and taking advantage of his limited shot opportunities considering the team’s scoring hierarchy. It also helps that Ball’s facilitating ability is best demonstrated in transition and Miles Bridges is easily the most athletic target Ball has played with. 

Lastly is Terry Rozier who is simply having a career year. Rozier is averaging a career-high 20.4 points a game along with 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 45% shooting from the floor. 

The other real impressive thing for Rozier is his three-point shooting. He is not known as much of a shooter, but the man is shooting 38.9% from three on a career-high 8.3 attempts a game. The thing with Rozier that Indiana needs to keep in mind is his ability to get hot from deep. 

Rozier kicked off the season with 42 points on 10-of-16 shooting from behind the arc against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has also gone 6-of-10 from three in route to 41 points and most recently dropped a season-high 43 points on 7-of-11 shooting from three against the New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier has grown to be more consistent over the years but one thing about him is that once that shot starts falling, he can get as hot as anybody in the league. 

Outside of these three guys, Charlotte does have three other players averaging double-figures in P.J. Washington, Devonte’ Graham and Malik Monk who will all probably play big minutes in this game. 

There are two things worth worrying about if you are a Hornets fan watching this game. 

First is that Charlotte is not entering the Play-In tournament with much momentum considering they have lost all of their last five games. The other thing is that this would be a perfect opportunity to cash in on $128 million man Gordon Hayward, but he is still out with a right foot sprain and would not be unavailable until the start of the Playoffs if the Hornets were to make it. 

These factors should not discourage anyone from thinking that Charlotte can come out victorious, but they are things that could be potential major plot points to call back to in this game’s conclusion.

Nonetheless, Charlotte has been a fun team all season and has a bright future with the core that they have. It would be a serious statement for the immediate future of this if they could make the playoffs in year one with Lamelo Ball as their franchise cornerstone.

My Pick to Win: Charlotte Hornets Eliminate the Indiana Pacers and Advance to Face the Boston Celtics for the 8th seed

Boston Celtics (7) vs. Washington Wizards (8)

Boston Celtics

Season Summary: 

Yet another disappointing team in the Eastern Conference. Talk about a fall from grace for the Boston Celtics. Led by the front office guru Danny Ainge and the “It Kid” coach Brad Stevens, the Celtics have been discussed as having one of the most promising futures in the NBA. 

Between Ainge’s treasure trove of draft picks and hitting on guys like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who have ascended into All-Stars, it seemed like Boston was well on their way. Last season they finished the season as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and reached their third Conference Finals in four years before falling to the Miami Heat in six games. 

This season they have fallen all the way down to 7th with a record of 36-36 as they now have to fight for their playoff life in a “win-or-go-home” scenario.” How the tables have turned. 

Nonetheless, there are a handful of factors that led to this significant decline. Here are just some of them: 

1.     They lost two starters/solid rotational players in Gordon Hayward in free agency to Charlotte and trading Enes Kanter to the Portland Trailblazers.

2.     Free agent pickups Jeff Teague (who now is on the Milwaukee Bucks) and Tristan Thompson (playing a career-low 23.8 minutes) provided low impact. 

3.     Faced significant injuries to Marcus Smart (missed 18 games with calf strain), rookie guard Payton Pritchard(missed a few weeks with knee injury), and Romeo Langford (missed most of the season due to wrist surgery). 

To make a long story short: The Celtics were missing out on a lot of talent for most of the season and unfortunately the nightmare continues. 

Last week Jaylen Brown was ruled out for the rest of the season due to suffering a torn ligament in his left wrist that led to him getting surgery to repair it. So now the Celtics enter this Play-In tournament 4-6 in their last ten, 0-5 in their last five and they just lost their second-best player. 

Surely an uphill battle for Celtics, but they do have a few things going for them that still make them a threat in this matchup and the Playoffs if they make it. 

The players to watch are obviously the two remaining All-Stars in Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker.

In spite of Boston’s down year, all of Jayson Tatum’s counting stats are up. This season he is averaging career-highs in points (26.4), rebounds (7.4) and assists (4.3). He is shooting 45.9% from the field on a career-high 20.6 attempts a game along with 38.6% from three and 86.8% from the free throw line. 

Tatum is quickly emerging as one of the league’s top isolation scorers and with Brown out, it will be on Tatum to shoulder a majority of the offensive load in what should be a shootout with the Wizards. 

Then there is Kemba Walker who has not really been the same since receiving a stem-cell injection in his left knee back in October. But he has still managed to be a relatively effective player and was solid as the third scoring option between the young guns in Tatum and Brown. 

Walker this season is averaging 19.3 points (lowest since 2014), 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds on 42% shooting from the floor. This is pretty nice for a third option at the time, but now he is second banana, so the Celtics need “Cardiac Kemba” to be a full go in this one. 

His one vs. one with Russell Westbrook will be crucial as he does not have to outplay Westbrook, but he has to at least play up to him to give Boston any chance of winning. Of course, Boston has a handful of other interesting players to watch like Marcus Smart who is 

the third best playmaker on the team or the young Center Robert Williams who could be an x-factor down low. But the reality is that in a “win and you are in” situation, this entire tournament is going to be about the stars playing up to the bright lights with the Playoffs looming in the distance.

Washington Wizards

Season Summary: 

The Washington Wizards are hands down one of the best post All-Star break stories maybe in NBA history and that is not hyperbole. 

Before the All-Star break, the Wizards were 14-20, Scott Brooks was slowly inching onto the hot seat and Bradley Beal trade rumors were running rampant. Since the All-Star break, Washington is 20-18 and played themselves all the way up to the 8th seed with a chance to move up one more spot on the Eastern Conference leaderboard. 

This has a lot to do with the play of Russell Westbrook who has really picked up his game in the second half of the season. Westbrook yet again is averaging a triple-double with 22.2 points, 11.7 assists (career-high) and 11.5 rebounds (career-high). 

With that, he became the all-time leader in triple-doubles with 182 to pass the great Oscar Robertson and he is riding that momentum right into the Play-In. Bradley Beal may be the unquestioned leader and face of this Wizards franchise, but the presence of Westbrook in his first year in DC has truly instilled a much-needed boost of confidence throughout the rest of the team. 

Speaking of Beal, he is coming off of making his third career All-Star team and has been a bucket all season as one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the league. 

Beal is averaging a career-high 31.3 points to fall just short of Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (32) for the scoring title. Somehow Beal is third in the league in usage rate at 34.7% (only behind Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry), but he is managing to shoot a career-high 48.5 % from the floor and has an effective field goal percentage of 53.2% (third best of his career). 

This backcourt has been the catalyst of the Wizards being the third highest scoring team in the league (116.6 points). Another catalyst is their pace of play. Washington leads the league in pace of play as they love to get out and run. 

Pair a dynamic open court facilitator like Westbrook with athletes like Rui Hachimura and the newly acquired Daniel Gafford and you get a team that lives in transition. Keep an eye on this factor throughout this game because if the Wizards can play up-tempo and get Boston to play up and down with them, Washington will feel right at home. 

This team would be really special right now if Deni Avdija and Thomas Bryant were not out due to season ending injuries, but this team has found a way to overcome their depth deficit by riding their two All-Stars till the wheels fall off. 

On paper, one could argue that Boston has the best player in this game with Jayson Tatum. But after that, the Wizards have the next two best players in the game and that kind of firepower is more than enough to get them through one high stakes game.

My Pick to Win: Washington Wizards Advance to Become the 7th Seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs

Boston Celtics vs. Charlotte Hornets

My Pick to Win: Boston Celtics Eliminate the Charlotte Hornets and Advance to Become the 8th Seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs

This choice is simply because I believe that Jayson Tatum is far and away the best player in this matchup. 

Kemba Walker would also be taking on the franchise that drafted him. It is highly likely that he will get up for that game considering they elected to let him walk rather than pay him the max. 

Pair those two narratives with the fact that the Celtics are a strong enough defensive team (11th in the league in opponent points per game) to hold off Charlotte’s high-flying offense. 

Even with the injury to Jaylen Brown, Boston is still just more “win now” ready. That urgency leads me to believe that there is no way they fall from making the Eastern Conference Finals last season all the way down to missing the Playoffs this year. Just seems unlikely. 

Celtics win it in a close ball game with Walker showing up against his former squad.

Jalon Dixon
Jalon Dixon

BSL Analyst

Hi there! My name is Jalon Dixon, but most people just call me Jay. As an aspiring, young sports writer and podcaster, I enjoy discussing sports (mainly basketball and football) and sharing my knowledge with others. Growing up right in the middle of Towson University, Morgan State, Goucher College and others, I have gotten the chance to learn so much about a handful of the different athletic teams that thrive here in Baltimore. I want to be the voice of local fans and teams that may not get the same spotlight as others, but still play a big part in our everyday lives. My motto is “Always Embrace Conversation,” so if you ever want to give me feedback on a piece or even just have a friendly sports debate, feel free to email me! Hope you enjoy my work and maybe even learn something along the way.

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