Adam Silver: 'We Need to Make a Change' to NBA Playoff Seeding System

[ace3g]

Ultimately we want to see your best teams in the playoffs. And there is an unbalance and a certain unfairness. There is a proposal (from one of the broadcasters)… where the division winners would all automatically go into the playoffs and then you’d seed the next 10 best teams. I think that’s the kind of proposal we need to look at. There are travel issues of course, but in this day in age every team of course has their own plane, travels charter. I don’t think the discussion should end there. And as I’ve said, my first year I was studying a lot of these issues and year 2 is time to take action. It’s something I’m going to look at closely with the competition committee. I do think it’s an area where we need to make a change.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2355691-adam-silver-we-need-to-make-a-change-to-nba-playoff-seeding-system?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming-national

[wildchild]

where the division winners would all automatically go into the playoffs

Obviously it doesn't sound good when a team have the Griz, Rockets, Mavs, Pels in their division but seeding need some change

[boutons_deux]

top 16 records, forget EC WC for seeding

[mystargtr34]

About time.. its ridiculous to think the Heat and Hornets will be in the playoffs while 2 of the Suns, Thunder and Pelicans sit at home :lol.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

This is very dumb, keep the conference setup the way it is. The pendulum always swings back the other way, the East will rise and West will fall, such is life, if you cant get a top 8 seed in your conference you arent winning anyways lol

[FromWayDowntown]

This is very dumb, keep the conference setup the way it is. The pendulum always swings back the other way, the East will rise and West will fall, such is life, if you cant get a top 8 seed in your conference you arent winning anyways lol

When was the last time that the East was, top-to-bottom, better than the West? There have certainly been dominant teams in the East over time and that depth has, in a few years, gone several seeds deep. But I can't honestly remember a time when the teams that were 6, 7, and 8 in the East were better than the teams in those seeds in the West (or when those teams had better records than their West counterparts).

The problem with not fixing the system is that you continue ending up with West teams that are among the 16 best teams in the league, record-wise, who are in the lottery and end up getting better draft picks than worse teams from the East that manage to make the playoffs because 8 East teams have to get in.

The beautiful thing about global playoff seeding, too, is that it automatically accounts for pendulum swings; if the East miraculously becomes deeper and better than the West next year, that phenomenon will be rewarded by the East getting 9 or 10 teams into the playoffs.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

When was the last time that the East was, top-to-bottom, better than the West? There have certainly been dominant teams in the East over time and that depth has, in a few years, gone several seeds deep. But I can't honestly remember a time when the teams that were 6, 7, and 8 in the East were better than the teams in those seeds in the West (or when those teams had better records than their West counterparts).

The problem with not fixing the system is that you continue ending up with West teams that are among the 16 best teams in the league, record-wise, who are in the lottery and end up getting better draft picks than worse teams from the East that manage to make the playoffs because 8 East teams have to get in.

The beautiful thing about global playoff seeding, too, is that it automatically accounts for pendulum swings; if the East miraculously becomes deeper and better than the West next year, that phenomenon will be rewarded by the East getting 9 or 10 teams into the playoffs.

I think its dumb that you would eliminate the conference system that is in every major sport. I dont want to see a 1-16 seeded system, thats so stupid. Im strongly against this idea. East teams also have easier schedules and divisions set up to be easier than others so its just a really dumb idea. Its fixing a problem that doesnt exist. I dont give a flippity fuck if OKC or NO dont get a playoff spot this year and Boston or Detroit does. Why does that matter, its not like NO or OKC are gonna win the title. Its just really pointless but it comes down to money and tv ratings and the new commissioner is greedier than Stern was.

Then Imagine a situation with a Houston vs SA/Dal final, That would be really dumb imo

[Nathan89]

I'm all for the best teams making the playoffs. Pendulum swinging is the worse argument when it stays on one side for over a decade. If swings the other way fans are once again robbed of the best teams making it.

[daslicer]

The current setup should stay the way it is. The East has been inferior to the west for over 20 plus years even when the bulls dominated the West was the better conference. My point is that the West's domination hasn't been recent its been going on for a long time but nobody complained before. Don't like the idea of setting up the playoffs to be similar to the NCAA tournament setup except without 1 game eliminations.

[DesignatedT]

Hmm. It's a tough one. The 6 division winners get seeded 1-6 first and then the next 10 best get seeded after that. It doesn't sound like an awful idea when you think about it but it would be pretty weird.

Travel is something to think about though. Imagine New York getting Sacramento the first round, LA the second round and then Portland the third round. That would be brutal for a team to have to travel like that for seven game series'

[Nathan89]

I favor top 16 making playoffs with the top seed being able to pick their opponent followed by 2nd seed etc. Benefits:
• New NBA TV event.
• Top teams decide how much they travel.
• May be the start of some new rivalries.
• Allows teams to make bold choices and also be second guessed.
Sure there would be arguments against it, but it would be fun to be arguing over who Golden State should pick as an opponent assuming Atlanta selected Milwaukee. Plus no way I would miss a one hour televised event to find out who my team picks to play in the playoffs.

Comment from reddit. This would be interesting.

[Nathan89]

The current setup should stay the way it is. The East has been inferior to the west for over 20 plus years even when the bulls dominated the West was the better conference. My point is that the West's domination hasn't been recent its been going on for a long time but nobody complained before. Don't like the idea of setting up the playoffs to be similar to the NCAA tournament setup except without 1 game eliminations.

I'm people have complained the entire time. The amount of people is the difference and the commissioner recognizes that shitty teams in the playoffs is bad entertainment.

[exstatic]

This is very dumb, keep the conference setup the way it is. The pendulum always swings back the other way, the East will rise and West will fall, such is life, if you cant get a top 8 seed in your conference you arent winning anyways lol

Except that it NEVER has. Sub .500 teams make it from the EC, and over .500 teams miss from the WC. THose EC teams miss out on lottery picks that could improve them, and the WC teams GET the lottery picks that keep 10-11 teams of playoff cailbur. The cycle re-enforces itself.

They either need to change the playoff seedings, or do the draft ABSOLUTELY by record, meaning that some EC playoff teams could get a lottery pick and some WC outsiders may not. Those are the only two ways to break this more than decade long cycle.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Except that it NEVER has. Sub .500 teams make it from the EC, and over .500 teams miss from the WC. THose EC teams miss out on lottery picks that could improve them, and the WC teams GET the lottery picks that keep 10-11 teams of playoff cailbur. The cycle re-enforces itself.

They either need to change the playoff seedings, or do the draft ABSOLUTELY by record, meaning that some EC playoff teams could get a lottery pick and some WC outsiders may not. Those are the only two ways to break this more than decade long cycle.

But where is the outrage about this, I dont see it, I have never heard of a 9 seed complaining they shouldve been in the playoffs. This is just a chance to make money, thats all, they dont give a fuck about balance of the conferences.

[letmk]

This is very dumb, keep the conference setup the way it is. The pendulum always swings back the other way, the East will rise and West will fall, such is life, if you cant get a top 8 seed in your conference you arent winning anyways lol

In terms of the No. 9/10 team to win it all, it is slim. However, even if we focus on the Finals champions only, that the Heat (now Cavs) going through three inferior teams before meeting the Western Conference Champion is not fair to the best Western teams at all. And from neutral fans' perspective, you don't want to see a 2007 Spurs-Cavs Finals. That's not the representation of the highest level of basketball competition. It should've been Spurs-Suns/Mavs.

[daslicer]

They either need to change the playoff seedings, or do the draft ABSOLUTELY by record, meaning that some EC playoff teams could get a lottery pick and some WC outsiders may not. Those are the only two ways to break this more than decade long cycle.

A lot of the EC teams sucking has a lot to do with crappy management and I don't think that will change any time soon even if you change the playoff format. Just look at the West the majority of the teams that are above .500 have good front offices that know how to put together a good team.

[ducks]

higher draft picks should help field better teams not all front office can pick a tony parker at pick 29 and manu at 58:lmao:lmao:lmao

[coachmac87]

Merge the conferences and take the best 16 teams. Seed 1-16.

1) Warriors vs 16) OKC

9) SPURS vs 8) Mavs


4) Rockets vs 13) Suns

12) Cavs vs 5) Blazers

** Bracket Splits

2) Hawks vs 15) Hornets

10) Wizards vs 7) Raptors


3)Grizzles vs 14) Bucks

6) Clippers vs 11) Bulls


That shit would be fucking nuts....That would be terrible bracket for the Spurs.... But it really makes things interesting. Thoughts?

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Merge the conferences and take the best 16 teams. Seed 1-16.

1) Warriors vs 16) OKC

9) SPURS vs 8) Mavs


4) Rockets vs 13) Suns

12) Cavs vs 5) Blazers

** Bracket Splits

2) Hawks vs 15) Hornets

10) Wizards vs 7) Raptors


3)Grizzles vs 14) Bucks

6) Clippers vs 11) Bulls


That shit would be fucking nuts....That would be terrible bracket for the Spurs.... But it really makes things interesting. Thoughts?

Unless the conferences are going to be abolished and the schedules are going to be completely balanced, which is nearly impossible, this is really dumb. OKC would obviously not be a true 16 seed if they played in the east...

[coachmac87]

Unless the conferences are going to be abolished and the schedules are going to be completely balanced, which is nearly impossible, this is really dumb. OKC would obviously not be a true 16 seed if they played in the east...

You can say the same about the Heat and Hornets making the playoffs and the Thunder missing it with the current system....You keep everything the way it is. Except you just take the 16 best records. It all evens out this way

[ducks]

the first round there are more days off between games in playoffs any how

[ducks]

the thunder do not need a lottery pick over a team in the east

[Spurs 4 The Win]

You can say the same about the Heat and Hornets making the playoffs and the Thunder missing it with the current system....You keep everything the way it is. Except you just take the 16 best records. It all evens out this way

But I dont care and all this faux outrage about a system that isnt even broken is whats stupid. There is nothing wrong with what they have now. I prefer a conference setup. That cant work in a top 16 teams make the playoffs league.

[Biernutz]

The idea of having the best teams in the playoffs is hardly a new idea. It's been
hashed out by anyone in the western conf. for years now. It remains to be seen
is Silver can get it done. I would like to see the 3 point line moved at least 3 feet back
as it seems anyone can make a three now.

[davi78239]

I've been saying this for years. The top 16 should be the ones to get into the playoffs regardless of conference.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Disagree that top 16 should make the playoffs regardless of conference - if you do that you also have to get rid of divisions and balance the schedule. It'd be weird watching an all-west NBA finals. Don't like the idea.

[travis2]

Disagree that top 16 should make the playoffs regardless of conference - if you do that you also have to get rid of divisions and balance the schedule. It'd be weird watching an all-west NBA finals. Don't like the idea.

Why would you have to get rid of divisions? Getting rid of conferences doesn't imply that divisions are a bad thing.

[TampaDude]

Pass.

[lefty]

I would like to see the 3 point line moved at least 3 feet back
as it seems anyone can make a three now.
I agree tbh

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Why would you have to get rid of divisions? Getting rid of conferences doesn't imply that divisions are a bad thing.

Because it wouldn't be logical to keep everything as is, including the schedule, give all division leaders a playoff spot, but disregard the conferences. Would it be fair that the Spurs play Dallas, Houston and memphis 4 times each, but some eastern team plays Knicks and Philly 4 times? Not really - if you disregard conferences you have to also balance the schedule, otherwise you can't compare the records of teams that have completely different strength of schedule. If an eastern team has a record of 42-40 and is fighting for the 16th spot with a western team with a record of 41-41, but the eastern team has had a much easier schedule then it'd be just as unfair as it is now. Also, what'd happen if there's a division leader with a record worse than top 16? Would they be given a playoff spot?

I think stuff is OK the way it. I'd love it if they reduce the schedule to 58 games and get rid of b2bs, because this would increase the quality and importance of each game, but they won't do it for financial reasons obviously.

[SupremeGuy]

Yeah, conferences just aren't needed anymore. Merge and send the top 16 teams to the playoffs.

[boutons_deux]

Another way to increase competition is the Euro-style soccer A and B leagues.

If you're crappy in A-league, you're "relegated" to B-league,

and if you great in B-league, you can get "promoted" to A-league.

16 teams in A-league, 16 teams in B-league

but the NBA (the owners) don't GAF about the competitive qualities of the games, only profits (and tax write offs).

[urunobili]

Love the idea tbh

[hater]

I think its dumb that you would eliminate the conference system that is in every major sport.

every sport and league are different. who cares about other major sports :rolleyes



I dont want to see a 1-16 seeded system, thats so stupid. Im strongly against this idea. East teams also have easier schedules and divisions set up to be easier than others so its just a really dumb idea. Its fixing a problem that doesnt exist.

the problem obviously exists that's why the league Comish is talking about fixing it



I dont give a flippity fuck if OKC or NO dont get a playoff spot this year and Boston or Detroit does. Why does that matter, its not like NO or OKC are gonna win the title.

you might not but most NBA fans do. so you are in the minority here. Most NBA fans want to see WB/Durant, A Davis in the playoffs. Not only does that help their individual and team developments but also increases revenue for the teams.



Then Imagine a situation with a Houston vs SA/Dal final, That would be really dumb imo

that would be fine with me and with most NBA fans. Much better than a snoozer of an East playoffs where CLE coasts to the Finals.

[cantthinkofanything]

Another way to increase competition is the Euro-style soccer A and B leagues.

If you're crappy in A-league, you're "relegated" to B-league,

and if you great in B-league, you can get "promoted" to A-league.

16 teams in A-league, 16 teams in B-league

but the NBA (the owners) don't GAF about the competitive qualities of the games, only profits (and tax write offs).

I was thinking about this yesterday. Never happen because VRWC and Big Pharma.
But I like personally like the idea.

[bluebellmaniac]

There is not a playoff seeding problem. The problem lies in teams tanking for lottery positioning. Fix the lottery system with a draft wheel and you solve the real issue. Then every team has every incentive to "win now". The competition improves and the smart front offices will rise to the top of the league.

[coachmac87]

I just want to see the best teams play each other...everything is fine other then the East first rd.

[boutons_deux]

Another way to increase competition is the Euro-style soccer A and B leagues.

If you're crappy in A-league, you're "relegated" to B-league,

and if you great in B-league, you can get "promoted" to A-league.

16 teams in A-league, 16 teams in B-league

but the NBA (the owners) don't GAF about the competitive qualities of the games, only profits (and tax write offs).

... and add in some bonus/malus to players' compensation for promotion/relegation.

[mercos]

Getting rid of conferences but keeping divisions and giving division winners the first six spots only solves half the problem. Divisions are just as imbalanced as conferences, if not worse. Toronto would have a huge advantage over San Antonio due to the horrible division they play in.

The league should do away with divisions. Have every team play every other team twice, home and away. The season is too long anyway. This format would cut the season to 58 games? It would make every game much more important, lessen the burden on players, and create a better overall product. At the end of the season, the top 16 teams make the playoffs and are ranked purely on record.

To make up for lost revenue, the league could stage a single elimination tournament at the beginning or middle of the season. Image March Madness but with NBA teams. They could also set up tournaments with clubs from around the world. As the game becomes more global, more opportunities arise.

[ducks]

Needs to happen

[exstatic]

There is not a playoff seeding problem. The problem lies in teams tanking for lottery positioning. Fix the lottery system with a draft wheel and you solve the real issue. Then every team has every incentive to "win now". The competition improves and the smart front offices will rise to the top of the league.

The wheel is an awful idea that just brings more problems. Do kids NOT declare if a team the don't like is up for the top of the wheel? Imagine that you're the team picking before the Lakers EVERY rotation of the wheel. With the wheel, we would never have gotten David and Tim 10 years apart.

Fix the lottery. Put it back the way it's supposed to be, where anyone can win. A couple of late lottery team wins made fools RUSH to make it even MORE weighted to the top teams, causing our current tanking fad. Go back to the simple formula of 14 balls for the worst team down to 1 ball for the last lottery team. That would be 14X odds for the worst team, MUCH lower than the current hundreds of times odds. You could also penalize teams for winning the lottery by automatically making them anywhere from #4 to #14 if they don't make the playoffs the next year.

[Horse]

He needs to change the way harden is officiated makes the game near impossible to watch.

[Beaverfuzz]

Getting rid of conferences but keeping divisions and giving division winners the first six spots only solves half the problem. Divisions are just as imbalanced as conferences, if not worse. Toronto would have a huge advantage over San Antonio due to the horrible division they play in.

The league should do away with divisions. Have every team play every other team twice, home and away. The season is too long anyway. This format would cut the season to 58 games? It would make every game much more important, lessen the burden on players, and create a better overall product. At the end of the season, the top 16 teams make the playoffs and are ranked purely on record.

To make up for lost revenue, the league could stage a single elimination tournament at the beginning or middle of the season. Image March Madness but with NBA teams. They could also set up tournaments with clubs from around the world. As the game becomes more global, more opportunities arise.



No, each team twice and each team in your current conference three times. 58 games is way too short.

[dbreiden83080]

This is very dumb, keep the conference setup the way it is. The pendulum always swings back the other way, the East will rise and West will fall, such is life, if you cant get a top 8 seed in your conference you arent winning anyways lol

With only a few exceptions the East has pretty much been shit since Jordan retired..

[UZER]

He needs to change the way harden is officiated makes the game near impossible to watch.

Yup...unwatchable. Even the thunder fall into this category sometimes with Durant getting free throws on 18' fadaways.

[look_at_g_shred]

Yup...unwatchable. Even the thunder fall into this category sometimes with Durant getting free throws on 18' fadaways.
Westbrook is even worse. Everytime the dude drives....everytime.

[UZER]

Westbrook is even worse. Everytime the dude drives....everytime.

yeah. As if he is unable to miss a layup or get blocked based on being contested. No, "he's so*athletic" he had to have been fouled.

[will_spurs]

Maybe it's because I'm a foreigner but I've never really understood why there's so much emphasis on East vs West, when most of the fans despise all the other teams in their conference. Do you really think East coast fans are more interested by a Lakers vs Miami finals than by Lakers vs Dallas? And I was nice by picking Miami, I could have picked Boston which doesn't seem to be getting much love in the East outside of their home state.

Here are some of the ideas I like:
- remove divisions, they are useless
- remove conferences, also useless
- 2x games against everybody (58 games is more than enough, and everybody's complaining about the 82-game schedule)
- rank strictly by record
- top seeds get to choose who they play (pick their match-up, reduce travel time, etc.), which means the top teams keep HCA as well
- lottery all the way (including playoff teams), worst team gets 30 balls, top team gets 1 (1 chance out of 465 to get top pick)

[Russ]

No way.

The current system will allow the Spurs to have HCA in the Finals (against Cleveland).

That would never happen if the seeding system changes.

[soxxx]

No way.

The current system will allow the Spurs to have HCA in the Finals (against Cleveland).

That would never happen if the seeding system changes.
No but it would also give the Spurs a much better chance to make the finals, it would also give Cleveland a much more difficult chance to make the finals. Right now the Spurs are looking at three competitive series to get to the finals. The Cavs on the other hand basically just have to get by Atlanta. Now if playoff seeding was proper, the Cavaliers would like have to play a Western team in round 2, 3 and finals.

Its a change that just needs to happen. It will make the NBA playoffs even better. Especially the second round, because by the second round any team could virtually lose.

[ace3g]

Fixing the playoff problem is easier said than done, but this dialogue isn't going away. And, somewhat surprisingly, one of the advocates for change is someone who has flourished with the ways of the old world: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

"I just think it would be more interesting, because you'd have more good teams or teams that performed better, and I think it's more fair," said Popovich, whose Spurs have won five championships since 1999. "If you can take the top 16 teams, you just do it. It's better competition for the fans. It's the best teams. It's fair. … It's a good enough notion that it should definitely be talked about."

http://www.usatoday.com/longform/sports/nba/2015/03/16/playoffs-format-change-eastern-western-conference-parity/24844365/

[RD2191]

the spurs have been dominant and won 5 titles playing in the west which has been stacked since 99 imo. can you imagine if they played in the east? 7 titles easily imo. lebron played teams (early rounds) with LOSING records on his way to 2 titles. come on man.

[ducks]

Cavs would not get to finals in west

[Sean Cagney]

the spurs have been dominant and won 5 titles playing in the west which has been stacked since 99 imo. can you imagine if they played in the east? 7 titles easily imo. lebron played teams (early rounds) with LOSING records on his way to 2 titles. come on man.

Yeah that would be crazy seeing the Spurs out East man. They would be in the finals almost every single year on end.
Cavs would not get to finals in west

I agree fully.

[RD2191]

to make the ecf this year the cavs have to play the powerhouse pacers in the 1st and either the bucks or raps in the 2nd.

http://i.imgur.com/Jpi9CvA.gif

[RD2191]

*if everything stays the same

[RD2191]

Record wise**

[Mikeanaro]

the spurs have been dominant and won 5 titles playing in the west which has been stacked since 99 imo. can you imagine if they played in the east? 7 titles easily imo. lebron played teams (early rounds) with LOSING records on his way to 2 titles. come on man.
They were robbed the first time against the Cheat so that would be 6 which is a loooootttt of championships, Spurs in the Least Conference could have 9 titles... Im serious that conference is pure evil weak shiat.

[Clipper Nation]

Why not try reshuffling the conferences first? Instead of having geographical conferences like hockey, maybe we'd be better off just having a basketball equivalent to the AL/NL or AFC/NFC where it's more arbitrary.

[Robz4000]

Why not try reshuffling the conferences first? Instead of having geographical conferences like hockey, maybe we'd be better off just having a basketball equivalent to the AL/NL or AFC/NFC where it's more arbitrary.

The NFL and MLB are starting to have the same issue too tho. The NFC has become extremely stacked and the NL has been pretty strong for a while now too.

[itzsoweezee]

Obviously way past due. The fact that the celtics might make the playoffs make is such a farce. The Cavs get to sleepwalk to the finals while every west matchup is ridiculously tough.

[Old School 44]

Maybe it's because I'm a foreigner but I've never really understood why there's so much emphasis on East vs West, when most of the fans despise all the other teams in their conference. Do you really think East coast fans are more interested by a Lakers vs Miami finals than by Lakers vs Dallas? And I was nice by picking Miami, I could have picked Boston which doesn't seem to be getting much love in the East outside of their home state.

Here are some of the ideas I like:
- remove divisions, they are useless
- remove conferences, also useless
- 2x games against everybody (58 games is more than enough, and everybody's complaining about the 82-game schedule)
- rank strictly by record
- top seeds get to choose who they play (pick their match-up, reduce travel time, etc.), which means the top teams keep HCA as well
- lottery all the way (including playoff teams), worst team gets 30 balls, top team gets 1 (1 chance out of 465 to get top pick)

I like everything on this list, but particularly the one bolded. As the season comes to a close, and the playoff teams are all but decided, I always get the impression teams tank for position. IMO lower seeds should NEVER have any influence (by tanking) on who they meet in the playoffs. If you are the higher seed, you should be able to pick who you want to face of the lower seeds. That's your reward for winning. I also think by top seeds picking their opponent you could fuel some rivalries. Can you imagine if the Warriors/OkC finished 1/8, but the Warriors chose to face the 7 seeded Clippers instead?

[Big Empty]

it would be more rewarding to do away with conferences. Now home court counts even more since all your hard work all season to get there practically gets you a first round bye playing a legitimate last place playoff team

[ThomasamohT]

My thoughts on how to deal with this:

1. Play everyone in your conference 3 times (42 games).
2. On a rotating schedule play 2 of the remaining divisions 3 times (30 games) and the final division 2 times (10 games).
3. Division winners plus the top 10 remaining teams all make the playoffs.
4. Playoff teams get to pick their opponent every round by order of record.
5. Non-playoff teams and teams that lose in the first round get 1 ping pong ball per loss in the regular season.

This idea would keep rivalries somewhat important and would make winning every game even more important. It would also de-emphasize losing as your odds to win the lottery are only 2-3 times higher than the best team that lost in the first round of the playoffs.

If we use last year as a rough example, Atlanta does not make the playoffs and Phoenix gets in instead. Milwaukee gets 67 ping pong balls while Houston gets 28. San Antonio might still pick Dallas in round 1 (it was a really easy series travel wise plus it tested them) or they could go the easy route and pick Charlotte or maybe Phoenix(that might have been just as fun as Dallas). In round 2, having the best record we pick Dallas, Portland or maybe someone else.

[james evans]

Then Imagine a situation with a Houston vs SA/Dal final, That would be really dumb imo
like a mets vs yankees world series?

[james evans]

Maybe it's because I'm a foreigner but I've never really understood why there's so much emphasis on East vs West, when most of the fans despise all the other teams in their conference. Do you really think East coast fans are more interested by a Lakers vs Miami finals than by Lakers vs Dallas? And I was nice by picking Miami, I could have picked Boston which doesn't seem to be getting much love in the East outside of their home state.

Here are some of the ideas I like:
- remove divisions, they are useless
- remove conferences, also useless
- 2x games against everybody (58 games is more than enough, and everybody's complaining about the 82-game schedule)
- rank strictly by record
- top seeds get to choose who they play (pick their match-up, reduce travel time, etc.), which means the top teams keep HCA as well
- lottery all the way (including playoff teams), worst team gets 30 balls, top team gets 1 (1 chance out of 465 to get top pick)
I've thought about this for years. that would be perfect.

[Brazil]

Biggest issue with PO seeding system is the fact that teams with significant negative records are in when teams with better records are out... it is dumb

[boutons_deux]

Biggest issue with PO seeding system is the fact that teams with significant negative records are in when teams with better records are out... it is dumb

yep, seeding to top 16 teams only, independent of conference

[Seventyniner]

Cleveland (2nd in the East) would be 8th if they were in the West. Enough said.

[gambit1990]

i've always thought two games against everybody is the most fair but i don't see the league cutting out two dozen games.

[Beaverfuzz]

Yup...unwatchable. Even the thunder fall into this category sometimes with Durant getting free throws on 18' fadaways.


Actually, seriously clean up the rulebook and call traveling, palming/carrying, the Harden kick...all of that crap needs to be cleaned up. Get back to fundamentals...

[DesignatedT]

582638412626149376

[Seventyniner]

582638412626149376

Or let the top 8 in each conference into the playoffs as normal, but then let the best 7 records in the league choose their first-round opponents from the 9th-16th group (8th gets whoever is left). Give division winners a guaranteed playoff spot but no guaranteed seed.

If the season ended today (before tonight's games), it might look like this:

#1 Warriors choose #16 Nets
#2 Hawks choose #15 Heat
#3 Rockets choose #14 Bucks
#4 Grizzlies choose #12 Thunder
#5 Clippers choose #13 Wizards
#6 Blazers choose #10 Mavs
#7 Spurs choose #11 Raptors
#8 Cavs play #9 Bulls

The opponent choice thing would be awesome, but there are three ways to continue the playoffs after that, and I'm not sure which is the best:
1) set the brackets before the playoffs start, the way things are now
2) reseed by record each round but no choosing opponents after the first round
3) choose opponents every round, ordered by regular season record (then tiebreakers) of remaining teams

[vander]

got to keep it East vs West. it's fun to have the geographic rivalry. I wish the NFL would go East/West.

[SnakeBoy]

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This would make most of the 1st matches boring as hell.

[DMC]

If the Spurs can't beat the best teams in the West, they couldn't beat them if the Spurs were in the East either. Finals appearances.. you bet. Wins? We had that chance every year for about as long as many here can recall.

[DMC]

This would make most of the 1st matches boring as hell.

Yeah but it would get them the fuck out of the playoffs. Want to cruise to a 7th seed .400 win season? Ok, you get ousted in the 1st round by the best team in the league. It would suck for the East though, they'd have to play a team about as good as them in the opening round.

[Blake]

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That's a horrible idea.....for so many reasons.

[exstatic]

This might be the most imbalanced year ever between East and West. I'm not sure I ever remember THREE teams under .500 making the EC playoffs. If the season ended today, that would happen.