Mavericks criticize play-in tournament as Memphis Grizzlies breathe down their neck

The Memphis Grizzlies are breathing down the Mavericks’ necks

It’s no coincidence that the Mavericks are becoming increasingly concerned about the play-in tournament as Memphis begins to hit its stride near the end of the season. That doesn’t even take into account the fact that they’ve gotten within striking distance of Dallas without their second-best player in Jaren Jackson Jr., who will be returning within the next couple of weeks.

The first member of the Dallas Mavericks who was critical of the play-in format was Luka Doncic after the Mavs’ second loss in a row. Here’s what he said:

"“I don’t understand the idea of a play-in,” he said after their second consecutive loss, “You play 72 games to get into the playoffs, then maybe you lose two in a row and you’re out of the playoffs. So I don’t see the point of that.”"

Clearly, the Memphis Grizzlies are a threat to them, otherwise, their star player wouldn’t be complaining about this format. If he believed they could win, there would be no complaints about a play-in tournament that could eventually save their chances later in the year.

That’s not to say that they shouldn’t feel threatened either — the Grizzlies are hitting NBA Playoff form with Ja Morant in a slump, Justise Winslow out with injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. still sidelined. If there is a team that could threaten the Mavericks in the play-in tournament, it’s Memphis.

But Doncic wasn’t the only one who had comments about the play-in tournament.