LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are back in the play-in tournament. So is Stephen Curry, as he and Golden State will be fighting for their season. And Jimmy Butler returns as well, after this round last year was the first step on Miami's way to the NBA Finals.
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The postseason -- not technically the playoffs, yet -- gets underway on Wednesday (AEST) with a pair of Western Conference matchups. The Lakers visit New Orleans with the winner securing the No.7 seed and a series with defending champion Denver in round one. And then the Warriors go to Sacramento, an elimination game for both teams.
The Eastern Conference takes the stage on Thursday with Philadelphia playing host to Miami in a game to decide the seventh seed, and Atlanta visit Chicago with the season on the line for those clubs.
LA forced a rematch of Sunday's regular-season finale with a 128-104 victory in New Orleans that knocked the Pelicans out of the sixth seed. Now the Lakers expect the Pels to respond as if this were game two of a playoff series.
"You win that first game and a team has multiple days to kind of sit on that feeling, sit with that taste in their mouth of defeat, so they're going to be extremely ready for us and we have to come in with the same sense of urgency," said 39-year-old James, who is playing in his 21st NBA season.
New Orleans coach Willie Green certainly isn't going to forget the bitter taste between now and tip-off.
"We have to come back with the right mentality," he said.
"They played with a ton of force. They came out right away. At least for the first half, they punched us right in the mouth and kept going."
The Lakers and Heat showed that the play-in can be a springboard to bigger and better things last year. LA reached the West's finals and Miami reached the NBA Finals.
"We're not the same group as last year," Butler said.
"We -- I -- are very confident in the guys that we do have, and we know what we're capable of. We'll see what we got whenever the time gets here."
Golden State gets a short bus ride north for an elimination game against the Kings, on the same floor where the Warriors won in round one last season.
"We're happy to have a shot," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said.
So are Sacramento, who had an up-and-down season -- but have a chance to vanquish the memory of falling in the playoffs to the Warriors a year ago.
"Let's frickin' go get it," Kings coach Mike Brown said.
PLAY-IN FORMAT:
-- There are six games of the tournament. All six either have a team qualifying for the playoffs, or getting eliminated, or both.
-- No.7 play No.8. The winners are in and get the seventh seed for the playoffs. The losers have a second chance.
-- No.9 play No.10. The loser's season is over. The winners move on to visit the losers of the 7 v 8 game.
-- The remaining teams (the 7-8 losers and the 9-10 winners) play at the higher seed, with the winners getting the No.8 seeds in the playoffs. The loser's season ends.
With Reuters.
Australian Associated Press
