BREAKING NEWS -- NBA to seed conference playoff teams by record

[phxspurfan]

http://www.nba.com/2015/news/09/08/nba-to-seed-conference-playoff-teams-by-record/index.html

NEW YORK — The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved changes to playoff seeding and qualification procedures effective with the 2015-16 season, the league announced Tuesday.
As part of the modifications, the eight playoff teams in each conference will be seeded in order of their regular-season record. Most recently, every division winner was guaranteed a top four seed in its respective conference regardless of its record but did not receive home-court advantage if its playoff opponent had a better record.
The Board also approved changes to tiebreak criteria for playoff seeding and home-court advantage. Head-to-head results have become the first criterion to break ties for playoff seeding and home-court advantage between two teams with identical regular-season records; the second criterion is whether a team won its division. Under the old tiebreak system, a division winner was awarded the higher seed and received home-court advantage in a series if the two teams met in the playoffs.
The NBA's Competition Committee unanimously recommended each of these changes prior to the Board of Governors vote.


lol LeBron starting to get concerned...


when they make it inter conference playoff it's over for LeBron

[LkrFan]

LeHype will still feast on 42 win lEastern teams. Big whoop.

[jeebus]

http://i.imgur.com/Dz9NaYW.gif

[Caltex2]

It's about time. That crazy setup screwed up the seeding way too many times. They didn't even guarantee homecourt advantage with that. Imagine the Spurs and Grizzlies last year. Heck, imagine the Spurs and Jazz in 2008. That Spurs and Suns series in 2008 was a good enough matchup to be an NBA Finals, let alone first round series. Not that the Rockets-Suns playing that year would have been any less entertaining.

[Kidd K]

Tbh this is very minor news and is no indication of inter-conference playoff seeding ever happening.

This simply means mediocre division winners don't get auto high seeds for being fortunate to play in shitty divisions. Sadly I don't believe they will ever seed all 16 playoff teams fairly. East teams will always have the advantage of not playing the west 'til the Finals.

[Caltex2]

The NBA needs lots of east teams for ratings. Most of the population lives out east and many of the teams out west play in among the smallest markets not just in the NBA but in all of major pro sports. Even the LA team that is good right now is not the one LA cares too much about. To top it off, New York and Philly, 2/3 largest of the five markets, rarely make the playoffs and the Nets only half the time.

So again, the NBA needs more east teams to last longer for the sake of ratings.

[ambchang]

The league just had to screw the Spurs one last time before changing the rules.

At least they didn't change the rules TO screw the Spurs this time around.

[Killakobe81]

The league just had to screw the Spurs one last time before changing the rules.

At least they didn't change the rules TO screw the Spurs this time around.

Come on Amb, no rules were ever meant to screw the Spurs ... the Spurs despite being successful and run like a top notch shop have never mattered that much to the powers that be. Spurs chose their bed last year with how they finished the season and the Clippers took a shit in it. Spurs could have went all out for a better seed chose to let Monty walk in ...giving Warriors an easier "lie" and Dem Spurs a bunker shot to defend the title.

[spankadelphia]

It's about time. That crazy setup screwed up the seeding way too many times. They didn't even guarantee homecourt advantage with that. Imagine the Spurs and Grizzlies last year. Heck, imagine the Spurs and Jazz in 2008. That Spurs and Suns series in 2008 was a good enough matchup to be an NBA Finals, let alone first round series. Not that the Rockets-Suns playing that year would have been any less entertaining.

"WAAAA the grizzlies got to play the blazers WAAAA"

Shut the fuck up. The Rockets were handed game after game after game after game last year by the goddamn refs. The Grizz rarely shoot more than 15-20 FT's a game and have to fight, scratch, and claw for every win.

and even with all the ref help, the Rockets only finished one game ahead of the Grizz.

[Biernutz]

Will this new playoff procedures give the East a edge in the finals? The West has the best group
of teams in the NBA but because of the new lineup will they be tired out by this line up before the Finals?
Playing the best of the best will take a toll on any West team with no weak teams as a breather. Will LBJ benefit
from this change?

[Killakobe81]

Will this new playoff procedures give the East a edge in the finals? The West has the best group
of teams in the NBA but because of the new lineup will they be tired out by this line up before the Finals?
Playing the best of the best will take a toll on any West team with no weak teams as a breather. Will LBJ benefit
from this change?

Won't matter the East is still weak ... I think it could help him slightly but ultimately it won't matter.

[Blake]

Good.

Next step imo should be to take the best 16 teams, but in doing so getting rid of the eastern and western conferences altogether. Just have one NBA.