UNT Eagles 2016
12-28-2015, 07:10 PM
Start earlier in October, push back the preseason and reduce it.
The thing is, back when it was 29 teams for that long stretch, it was kind of bizarre for the East, but worked perfectly for the West. All teams played their own conference teams four times each, and opposite conference teams twice each. Very axisymmetrical.
But ever since 2004 (the expansion Bobcats/Hornets) have come into the league, we've had 30 teams and there's been an issue with strength of schedule being a confounding variable because some teams play others in the conference only three times, while other teams get four meetings. (Six out of ten non-division conference rivals are played 4 times per season, the other four only 3 times, this is rotated from season to season on a six-year basis). This could mean playing the Warriors, Clippers, Thunder and Jazz 4 times while a division rival (say the Rockets in a better year for them) only plays all those teams only 3 times. So, if the records are close at the end of the year, say one game difference or tied (with the Rockets in this scenario winning a conference record tiebreaker) this really is not fair. This disparity has no business being in the NBA considering the number of games played; this is not the full-contact NFL that only plays 16 games and plays each non-conference team only once every four years.
Make sense?
The thing is, back when it was 29 teams for that long stretch, it was kind of bizarre for the East, but worked perfectly for the West. All teams played their own conference teams four times each, and opposite conference teams twice each. Very axisymmetrical.
But ever since 2004 (the expansion Bobcats/Hornets) have come into the league, we've had 30 teams and there's been an issue with strength of schedule being a confounding variable because some teams play others in the conference only three times, while other teams get four meetings. (Six out of ten non-division conference rivals are played 4 times per season, the other four only 3 times, this is rotated from season to season on a six-year basis). This could mean playing the Warriors, Clippers, Thunder and Jazz 4 times while a division rival (say the Rockets in a better year for them) only plays all those teams only 3 times. So, if the records are close at the end of the year, say one game difference or tied (with the Rockets in this scenario winning a conference record tiebreaker) this really is not fair. This disparity has no business being in the NBA considering the number of games played; this is not the full-contact NFL that only plays 16 games and plays each non-conference team only once every four years.
Make sense?