Part 8/10:
The advent of the play-in tournament further cements this shift. While offering an exciting path to the postseason, it also incentivizes teams to accept a lower seed if it means easier matchups or extra rest. For lower seeds, particularly the 9-10 spots, the risk remains significant; losing a single game can eliminate them altogether, but for teams just outside the top six, the chance of a strategic rest period and a fresh start in the playoffs makes aligning with this new normal appealing.