It’s time for the tradition unlike any other: the NBA play-in tournament. Or, as it deserves to be called, the Atlanta Hawks Invitational.

For an unprecedented fourth consecutive year, the Hawks have qualified for this four-day Tournament of Mid that serves as the demarcation line between the NBA’s real teams and really bad teams.

(While we’re thinking about the NBA’s real teams, can we take a moment to celebrate the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets? They’re the only franchises that have qualified directly for the playoffs — a.k.a. finished in the top six of their conference — in all five years of the Atlanta Hawks Invitational era.)

OK, let’s put the punchline machine on pause for a moment to explain how the play-in tournament works — and how it came to be.

When COVID-19 overwhelmed the world and brought the 2019–20 NBA season to an abrupt halt, the league hit upon an idea as they prepared to finish the regular season and host the playoffs in the Walt Disney World bubble: If the No. 8 and 9 teams in a conference were separated by four games or fewer, they would hold a quick playoff to qualify for the postseason. The eighth-seeded team would only have to win once, but the ninth-seeded squad would have to win twice.

The Eastern Conference didn’t require such a playoff, but the West did, and No. 8 Portland snuffed out No. 9 Memphis in one game. And an idea apparently made in marketing heaven was born.

Prior to the 2020–21 season, the NBA decided to try the format that remains in effect today: The No. 7 and 8 seeds meet, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the conference playoffs. The No. 9 and 10 seeds meet, then the winner gets the loser of the 7–8 game for the right to be the No. 8 seed.

This year in the East, it means No. 7 Orlando (41–41) and No. 8 Atlanta (40–42) joust Tuesday for the right to face the Boston Celtics in the first round, while No. 9 Chicago (39–43) and No. 10 Miami (37–45) are in the mix to meet the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the West, No. 7 Golden State (48–34) and No. 8 Memphis (48–34) battle Tuesday to advance to face No. 2 Houston, while No. 9 Sacramento (40–42) and No. 10 Dallas (39–43) are in the mix to become the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-round foe.

Now, in most years, the play-in tournament looks and feels like a fool’s errand. Most of these teams should have focused on collecting NBA Draft lottery balls instead of play-in participation medals.

But this year might actually be different — especially in the Western Conference.

A few paragraphs above, you noticed Golden State and Memphis finished the regular season 48–34. That’s only four wins fewer than the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets, who will be the first-round foe for Tuesday’s winner between the Warriors and Grizzlies.

It doesn’t take much dreaming to project the Warriors or Grizzlies upsetting the Rockets in their best-of-seven first-round series, which would be just the third time a play-in tournament graduate got past the first round.

Most famously, the 2023 Miami Heat (led by Jimmy Butler) rode the No. 8 seed all the way to the NBA Finals. But there’s a Greek Freak of an asterisk attached to that achievement. Giannis Antetokounmpo injured his back in the first quarter of Game 1 and didn’t come back until Game 4. By that time, the Heat owned a 2–1 lead and won the next two to close out that first-round series.

It doesn’t make sense to expect lightning to strike like that again. But, hey, one of the reasons we watch sports is to enjoy a spectacular light show — no matter how random or unlikely it might be.

It would be amazing if, two months from now, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver climbed the steps on a temporary platform, looked directly into a camera and declared he was overjoyed to hand the Larry O’Brien Trophy to … Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young.

Then this postseason would truly deserve to be known as the Atlanta Hawks Invitational.