Ideas to fix the current playoff format

[The_Coyote]

If this thread is redundant, let me know. Honestly I was just too lazy to search the archives.

Anyway, in light of the East being historically bad (which is really saying something), I was thinking it would be interesting to hear y'all's opinions on how to improve the competitiveness of the playoffs as a whole, short of dissolving both conferences.

My idea is to make sure as few below-.500 teams make the playoffs. If both conferences have at least 8 teams at or above .500, the playoffs would be seeded by conference, like they've been for decades. However, as is the case this year, if one conference has less than 8 plus-.500 teams, AND the other conference has more than 8 plus-.500 teams, the team(s) above .500 in the "better" conference will be included in the "weaker" conference bracket, based on record and head-to-head matchups. This means that the teams with losing records in the weaker conference will be crowded out for every winning team that didn't make the playoffs in their own conference. This year, it would have a huge impact on Leastern Conference seeding:

1. IND
2. MIA
3. TOR
4. CHI
5. PHX (0-2 against CHI h2h; TOR won division and tiebreaker with CHI)
6. WAS
7. BKN
8. CHA

Ideas? Thoughts? Insults?

[Splits]

Ideas? Thoughts? Insults?

Is your name Rob?

[davi78239]

Top 16 teams go regardless of conference

[Jacob1983]

Organize the conferences like the NFL does. Make the conferences not based on geography.

[Franklin]

Agree, the old format is kinda outdated. In the past traveling by air was both expensive and risky, and also time consuming, but it's quite a different story these days. The chance of someone dying of air crash is just as good as him catching HIV fucking a young virgin bitch tbh. That said, there still exist such risks that's why I never travel by plane nor fuck any bitch.

[DMC]

I have no problem with how it is now. No one who doesn't deserve to be there is going to beat someone who does.

[Thebesteva]

I have no problem with how it is now. No one who doesn't deserve to be there is going to beat someone who does.

Cuz Stone Cold said so and thats the bottom line, tbh

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

So you'd have the possibility of playing 2 western conference teams in the Finals ( or 2 eastern ). No way that'd ever be even considered. Also, how awesome would it be to have a 1st round matchup of Toronto vs LA. That flight time!

[Infinite_limit]

1. Spurs vs 16. Bobcats
8. Warriors vs 9. Grizzlies

4. Pacers vs 13. Suns
5. Heat vs 12. Bulls

6. Rockets vs 11. Raptors
3. Clippers vs 14. Wizards

7. Blazers vs 10. Mavericks
2. Thunder vs 15. Nets



Currently Heat vs
1st Round: Bobcats #16
2nd Round: Nets #15
CF: Pacers #4 or Wizards #14

OR

Revised Heat vs
1st Round: Bulls #12
2nd Round: Pacers #4 or Suns #13
CF: Spurs #1 or Warriors #8 or Grizzlies #9

[TDMVPDPOY]

So you'd have the possibility of playing 2 western conference teams in the Finals ( or 2 eastern ). No way that'd ever be even considered. Also, how awesome would it be to have a 1st round matchup of Toronto vs LA. That flight time!

playoffs is usually 1-2 day game breaks, i see nothing wrong with it...just a bunch of wankers gettin paid millions cbf to goto work the next day

[Jacob1983]

The NHL and NBA are the only sports of the major 4 that have the conferences based on geography. MLB does Leagues and the NFL does the NFC and AFC. If the NBA did that, the Bobcats, Kings, and Pelicans would probably be better teams and make more money.

[Infinite_limit]

The NHL and NBA are the only sports of the major 4 that have the conferences based on geography. MLB does Leagues and the NFL does the NFC and AFC. If the NBA did that, the Bobcats, Kings, and Pelicans would probably be better teams and make more money.
The geography angle is crippling the NBA. A lot of top players are prima donnas. Warm weather and party scenes are high on the attraction list. Throws everything off

[Jacob1983]

I just don't know what the names would be for the two new conferences in the NBA.

[Infinite_limit]

I just don't know what the names would be for the two new conferences in the NBA.
Thugs & Gangsters

[Malik Hairston]

The 80s Lakers ran through arguably the easiest conference in NBA history and the league didn't consider changing anything..

The early 2000s East was arguably the worst overall conference in modern NBA history, and the league didn't do anything to fix it, either..


They aren't going to change anything now, tbh..

[Jacob1983]

I know they won't fix it. I am just saying if they actually wanted to improve the image of the NBA and profits then they should get rid of the Western Conference and Eastern Conference.

[Clipper Nation]

The 80s Lakers ran through arguably the easiest conference in NBA history and the league didn't consider changing anything..

The early 2000s East was arguably the worst overall conference in modern NBA history, and the league didn't do anything to fix it, either..


They aren't going to change anything now, tbh..
To be fair, there was a different commissioner in charge back then, tbh.... Silver seems to be doing things differently from Stern so far, I wouldn't totally rule out a new playoff format....

[spurraider21]

tbh right now you could fix everything by moving miami to the west and just contracting the entire eastern conference

[Seventyniner]

I just don't know what the names would be for the two new conferences in the NBA.

Using the NFL's system, the conferences would be the ABC and the NBC. Something tells me that wouldn't fly.

[Seventyniner]

To be fair, there was a different commissioner in charge back then, tbh.... Silver seems to be doing things differently from Stern so far, I wouldn't totally rule out a new playoff format....

That and the fact that Silver is already on record saying that he would consider a top-16 playoff.

[HemisfairArena]

Its all cyclical,,,in the 90's the West sucked. Detroit and Chicago won 8 out of 10 titles from 1989-1998,,,and the only reason the West(Houston Rockets) won 2 titles was because MJ "retired".

[HemisfairArena]

In the 90's,,,you had the Pistons, Bulls, Knicks, Pacers playing tough basketball,,,then you had the Mormon state of Utah representing the West in Karl Malone and Stockton,,,,the Lakers were a joke with their best player being Nick Van Exel,,,Spurs soft as tissue paper with Robinson as the guy,,,and Dallas relying on Derek Harper and Tarpley,,,LMAO,,,OKC was Seattle which got crushed by the Bulls,,,you see how it goes,,,,

[LarryDavid]

Move Memphis to the East and Milwaukee to the West.