Silver said the Play-In, which was created for the Orlando bubble in 2020 and will be in its third season this April, was better than anticipated because it not only created more opportunities for teams to reach the postseason — it created more urgency among contenders to make sure they finish in the top six and avoid the Play-In in each conference. “Related to that, to me, in terms of trying new things, then does it make sense to look at some other concepts we’ve talked about, like an in-season tournament,” Silver said. “In some ways, the players have been more receptive to the possibility of an in-season tournament, because the Play-In has been a bit more successful.”