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LeBron James HATES the idea of the NBA’s new postseason play-in tournament … saying straight-up Sunday night, “Whoever came with that s*** needs to be fired.”
It’s shocking that LBJ and the Lakers are even in a position to possibly need the extra games to lock in a playoff spot — but after losing 6 of their last 7, it’s becoming very real now.
And, James is clearly NOT happy about it.
LBJ went off on the league’s new postseason rule after L.A. fell 121-114 to the Raptors … explaining he believes teams who finish the regular season in the top 8 should advance, no play-in games required.
FYI — the NBA implemented the new rule this year where the 7 through 10 seeds will have to battle it out to be the official 7 and 8 seeds of the playoff bracket.
The games will start on May 18 … a couple days before the real postseason tips off.
The Lakers — which got off to a roaring 21-6 start but have since seen their record fall to 36-28 as they’ve battled a ton of injuries — are the current 6th seed in the West … but they’re just one loss away from the dreaded 7 spot.
And, with LeBron — who’s missed most of the last two months with a sore ankle — still ailing … it’s possible he won’t even play in Monday night’s crucial game against the Nuggets.
But, LBJ said he won’t compromise his health to make sure the Lake Show avoids the play-in games … explaining, “It doesn’t matter at the end of the day if I’m not 100% or close to 100%. It don’t matter where we land.”
The Lakers have just 8 games left before the potential play-in tournament begins.
By the way … others in the league have been critical of the postseason plan as well — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban called the tourney an “enormous mistake” last month.