In the Basketball Bundesliga, two playoff places will be awarded via a play-in tournament for the first time. The BBL is following the example of the major international leagues such as the NBA. For teams like Oldenburg and Hamburg, it is above all the chance to get into the playoffs through the back door after a messed up season.
Unlike the traditional mode, in which the eight best teams of the regular season move into the playoffs, from this season only the top six are set for the quarterfinal series.
Bonn, Ludwigsburg, Oldenburg, Hamburg in the play-ins
The remaining two spots will be determined in a total of three play-in games, which are scheduled for Tuesday (May 14, 2024). The seventh place from last season, Bonn, welcomes the eighth from Ludwigsburg. Oldenburg, ninth in the final table, plays at home against Hamburg Towers, who secured tenth place and a chance of making it to the play-ins with a win on the last matchday against Göttingen.
The winner of the duel between Bonn and Ludwigsburg qualifies for the playoffs. The loser then plays in the third knockout game on Thursday against the winner of the duel between Oldenburg and Hamburg for the eighth and final playoff place. The team with the better record in the regular season has the home advantage.
BBL, play-ins arrow right
More excitement through play-ins – based on the NBA model
For the teams that have already qualified with cup winners FC Bayern Munich, Alba Berlin, European Cup winners Niners Chemnitz, champions Ulm, Würzburg Baskets and newly promoted Rasta Vechta, there are a few additional days left to regenerate.
In addition to additional income, the league also hopes to be more attractive in terms of sport. “That’s another element of tension. We thought about pre-playoffs and play-ins and had a wide variety of options on the table,” said BBL managing director Stefan Holz to the German Press Agency. In the end, says Holz, they came up with “the same solution as the NBA.”
The US professional league introduced the play-ins in 2021. This mode is now also used in the Euroleague. The experiences are positive because more games mean more marketing revenue. But above all, and this probably played a role in the NBA from the start, teams with big names still have the chance to jump on the playoff bandwagon after a messed up season.
Oldenburg hopes for second chances – like the Lakers
In the NBA, for example, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers recently made it to the final round twice in a row via the detour of play-ins. The Golden State Warriors, on the other hand, recently didn’t make it through the play-ins either. The league’s season highlight without the Warriors with Steph Curry, one of the biggest superstars – this doesn’t fit the NBA’s concept either.
In the BBL, people should be happy about the second chance, especially in Oldenburg. The Oldenburgers, who have only failed to make the playoffs once in the past eleven years, would have received the payment for their messed up season under the old system and said goodbye to vacation in ninth place. They can now put this right again in two play-in games.
For the fallen former series champions from Bamberg, however, their last hope of making it into the top 10 was dashed on the last match day.