Cleveland’s Lopsided NBA Playoff Win Exposes Issues With Play-In Tournament

At the time of its creation, there weren’t many drawbacks to the NBA’s play-in tournament, a system designed to increase competition during the dog days of the regular season and give franchises a sliver of hope.

Devised by the NBA’s head of basketball strategy and analytics Evan Wasch, along with other lead executives, the play-in tournament was intended to stir up intrigue and provide more teams with a puncher’s chance.

Needless to say, that chance did not apply to the 2025 Miami Heat or Memphis Grizzlies. Instead, they both found themselves out for the count, embarrassed in the opening round with proverbial black eyes.

In the Heat’s case, becoming the first No. 10 seed to win the play-in tournament ended how most people expected on Monday night. And it was the latest sign of a major problem with the play-in tournament that should be addressed at some point.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took no prisoners in their four-game sweep of Miami, winning the series by a combined 122 points. It set the NBA record for the most lopsided series in playoff history, surpassing the 2010 Orlando Magic. Quite frankly, it wasn’t even close:

Let’s go deeper and give Cleveland more credit, though.

Since the first round was only a best-of-five format until 2003, this feat doesn’t capture all of the blowout sweeps from the 1980s and 1990s.

Right?

Digging deeper, they also broke the NBA record for the largest point differential in any four-game playoff stretch, regardless of series. The previous record was held by the 1986 Los Angeles Lakers, who managed to go +109 against the Spurs and Mavericks during the West playoffs.

Cleveland’s offensive attack was as balanced as you’ll ever see. Five players averaged at least 14 points per game, and the Cavs had a 120.1 offensive rating on halfcourt possessions alone. That was 24 points above league average for this year’s playoff field, the largest gap in NBA history.

In these four lopsided games, the Cavs drilled 77 three-pointers. They joined the 2021 Jazz, 2020 Rockets, and 2016 version of the Cavs (title-winners) for the most threes in any four-game playoff span.

Altogether, their offensive attack produced a 63% effective field goal percentage, tied for the third-highest in playoff history for any four-game span:

Side note: Those LeBron and Kyrie teams were borderline unfair.

This series is the strongest argument against the play-in tournament since its inception during the 2020 bubble. No 37-win team should’ve been in the position to get embarrassed to this degree, which is what the current format allows.

Should the tournament be scrapped entirely? No. But there’s some modification needed.

We understand why it exists. It provides a March Madness feel to the playoffs, where you have a chance to get hot at the right time and create some magic. There’s certainly a fair point to be made that Cinderella stories can draw incredible viewership and rally a fanbase unlike anything else.

But that scenario isn’t as prevalent in the NBA. It never has been.

Ironically, Miami would argue it is living proof the play-in tournament is a great idea. After all, their 2023 run to the NBA Finals – dethroning the No. 1 overall seed in the first round – was one of the most appealing storylines of the last decade.

They are, justifiably, proud of that 2023 team and what it accomplished considering they were counted out in every series.

But there’s one major difference: Miami was a competent playoff-caliber team in 2023. They were a 44-win team that finished with the seventh-best record in the East, had a league-average net rating during the season, and were led by a fierce playoff performer in Jimmy Butler that terrified opponents.

This current version of the Heat finished seven wins under that mark … and were dead on arrival.

We just witnessed an offensive juggernaut dissemble an eight-seed with nearly half the number of regular season wins. No exaggeration here – the Heat could have won every single game between January 15 and the end of the regular season and still finished behind Cleveland in the standings.

At the very least, this series outcome provides evidence of a simple tweak that should be made – teams should not be rewarded with a spot in the play-in tournament if they are below 40 wins.

There needs to be some type of cutoff, even if it seems arbitrary, that helps maintain the integrity of what a playoff berth should represent. If there’s one knock on the NBA compared to other professional leagues, it’s that reaching the postseason is classified as ‘easier’ or not as impressive.

It would behoove the NBA to inch closer to the NFL and MLB in terms of their playoff spots being tougher to achieve.

There are only two positives a team like Miami can point to, despite getting decimated on national television and being forced to deal with a sour taste all summer: The boost in experience it gives the team’s younger players, along with the added revenue any franchise gets from hosting two playoff games.

But, seriously – does anyone believe the Heat’s youth benefited from the shellacking Cleveland handed them? By the start of the second quarter of Game 4, it appeared none of the players wanted to be on the floor.

You won’t encounter many owners in favor of ditching the play-in tournament. Those two extra home games in ticket sales, concessions, and general playoff revenue serve as an incentive that most fans seem to forget about. Because this system allows more teams an opportunity to reach the postseason, it’s not going anywhere.

I’d just implore the NBA and its competition committee to review the standards each team should meet in order to reach the play-in. At a certain point, the league has to wonder if what happened to the Heat, a 37-win team that should’ve been on vacation, is good for the league and its playoff audience.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are getting a head start on preparing for their next matchup.

They will take on the Indiana Pacers or Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. Indiana currently leads that series 3-1, with Milwaukee’s future looking bleak after Damian Lillard’s unfortunate Achilles rupture.