NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces second Play-In ‘Tournament’ for the Lakers
An announcement came on June 11th that the Lakers will play against the Dora, NM varsity basketball team while the playoffs continue. The winner will then move on to play the NBA champion for a chance to usurp their throne. Dora is a community that consists of approximately 133 people as of the 2010 census and the team finished the 2020–21 season at 2–3 in New Mexico’s Class A division.
2021 offered fans their first glimpse at the Play-In Tournament, where the 7–10 seeded teams in each conference would duke it out for the final two spots in the playoffs. This was an attempt by the NBA to add some much-needed parody to the end of the regular season. Apparently, this wasn’t enough for commissioner Silver though, “We are always looking to provide a top tier product for our fans and LeBron is kind of like a lover to me, this move was a no-brainer for us.”
So far, there haven’t been many details released other than the teams involved in this matchup. But this hasn’t stopped fans from offering their own ideas as to what they would like to see.
Many expressed during the first Play-In Tournament that single-game deciders diminished the value of the regular season. Seeing as a direct shot at the title is at stake with this second Play-In it would make plenty of sense to write this wrong. Suggestions such as a full seven-game series between the Dora Coyotes and the LeBron and A.D. lead Lakers have gained popularity since.
Nonetheless, this development has surprisingly been somewhat well-received, even despite the intimate relationship between the ‘King’ and Silver. One Twitter user reasoned, “I mean I hate LeBron and that he’s getting another chance this year, but realistically who doesn’t want to watch these world-class athletes dunk all over some kids on primetime TV?” What he didn’t take into account: the parents of said kids.
It certainly was no easy task to get in touch with someone from a village of 133 people, let alone a parent of a player. However, one mother did give a small statement, “Is anyone even worried about the safety of our babies? My son is the team’s starting center, he’s 16 and only 6'1 yet they want these kids to play full 48-minute games? I just don’t understand what we did to deserve this.”
“I believe everyone deserves second chances,” said Silver at the end of his address, “especially our ratings on TNT.” For the loved ones of the Dora players, they would probably love a second chance to not be selected for this. However, it seems that Silver has found his dream matchup for a Lakers’ rebound, a beatable team that he doesn’t have to pay and can fine for flopping without a strongly worded text from Chris Paul.
