During the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the league had to get creative. Not just from a logistics standpoint, but from a competitive one too.
The league moved into a bubble in Orlando to protect players from COVID-19, but also implemented a new format to qualifying for the playoffs that has continued as a new league tradition: the Play-In Tournament.
Though the rules are different today than they were back in 2020, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the league’s first play-in game since 1956 on this day two years ago.