An Idea To Avoid Boring NBA Finals

[Typical London Boy]

It's pretty much accepted that the Spurs, Mavericks and Suns are the best three teams in the entire NBA, and so by wiping each other out before the final, it leaves a rather bland and eagerly un-anticapted final match-up (see: Spurs/Cavaliers).

I think the East/West conference teams should meet throughout the playoffs, rather than just in the final itself. Therefore you would have:

West Seed 1 vs. East Seed 8
West Seed 2 vs. East Seed 7
West Seed 3 vs. East Seed 6
West Seed 4 vs. East Seed 5
West Seed 5 vs. East Seed 4
West Seed 6 vs. East Seed 3
West Seed 7 vs. East Seed 2
West Seed 8 vs. East Seed 1

And thus the strongest teams would rise to the final, irrespective of their location. I'm sure everyone would rather have seen Spurs/Mavericks rather than Spurs/Cavaliers from a competition standpoint, as they're the best two teams in the league, and the finals are supposed to be exciting, not a formality.

In essence, this should help avoid the true final (and competitive series) of Spurs/Suns in the WCF Semis in the future.

[stretch]

Thats a really stupid idea. Maybe if teams in the east were a little smarter and made better draft picks and team desicions, they would have a better conference. It is their own fault. You gotta pay for your mistakes. But one thing I AM in favor of, is getting rid of the Draft Lottery. That's possibly the worst idea in NBA history.

[satexan77]

Let see the East would be totally gone after the 2nd round...nope dont think Stern would go for it.

[confined]

i think that's a decent idea

[Typical London Boy]

Thats a really stupid idea. Maybe if teams in the east were a little smarter and made better draft picks and team desicions, they would have a better conference. It is their own fault. You gotta pay for your mistakes. But one thing I AM in favor of, is getting rid of the Draft Lottery. That's possibly the worst idea in NBA history.

I wasn't blaming the eastern teams for their playing standards, but looking at it from an objective standpoint, it's clear that teams in the west are stronger - and so at this point in time, it would be better for the NBA if the strongest teams were represented in the final, even if that means that they're both from the west.

Then again, from your point of view, it must be bad enough getting slapped around by the 8th seed western teams, let alone the 8th seeds in the east...

EDIT: Just for demonstration's sake, if you used the brackets which I conjured up earlier, the playoff's (and subsequent ties) would've probably followed this pattern:

1st Round:

- Pistons vs. Warriors [East 1 vs. West 8]
- Cavaliers vs. Lakers [East 2 vs. West 7 etc.]
- Raptors vs. Nuggets
- Heat vs. Rockets
- Bulls vs. Jazz
- Nets vs. Spurs
- Wizards vs. Suns
- Magic vs. Mavericks

Quarter-Finals:

- Pistons vs. Bulls [Winner of top seed East series vs. Winner of lowest seed West series, etc.]
- Cavaliers vs. Spurs
- Raptors vs. Suns
- Rockets vs. Magic

Semi-Finals:

- Pistons vs. Rockets
- Spurs vs. Suns

Final:

- Pistons vs. Spurs

OK, maybe it's not perfect, but it's still better than this year's brackets.

[Cry Havoc]

Typically the East isn't so inferior. With the demise of Shaq as a dominant force, the fact that many East teams are retooling with younger players to compete, it's no surprise that they're weak.

Add that to the fact that the East has had some pretty horrible draft lottery luck. The Celtics and Knicks are in the basement of the League. I expect the East to remain that way until they get their act together.

[BUMP]

hey as long as we dont have to play the Warriors :drunk

[stretch]

I wasn't blaming the eastern teams for their playing standards, but looking at it from an objective standpoint, it's clear that teams in the west are stronger - and so at this point in time, it would be better for the NBA if the strongest teams were represented in the final, even if that means that they're both from the west.

Then again, from your point of view, it must be bad enough getting slapped around by the 8th seed western teams, let alone the 8th seeds in the east...

EDIT: Just for demonstration's sake, if you used the brackets which I conjured up earlier, the playoff's (and subsequent ties) would've probably followed this pattern:

1st Round:

- Pistons vs. Warriors [East 1 vs. West 8]
- Cavaliers vs. Lakers [East 2 vs. West 7 etc.]
- Raptors vs. Nuggets
- Heat vs. Rockets
- Bulls vs. Jazz
- Nets vs. Spurs
- Wizards vs. Suns
- Magic vs. Mavericks

Quarter-Finals:

- Pistons vs. Bulls [Winner of top seed East series vs. Winner of lowest seed West series, etc.]
- Cavaliers vs. Spurs
- Raptors vs. Suns
- Rockets vs. Magic

Semi-Finals:

- Pistons vs. Rockets
- Spurs vs. Suns

Final:

- Pistons vs. Spurs

OK, maybe it's not perfect, but it's still better than this year's brackets.

if you are going to do that, then why bother having conferences? your idea completely negates the idea of conferences. you might as well have a 16 team playoff instead of two separate 8 team playoffs, in which the 16 teams with the best record face off. the 16 team playoff idea isnt bad if that is more of what you were referring to. but having conferences and mixing the matchups up throughout the playoffs, IMO is simply a dumb idea and makes no sense whatsoever to have, if you have 2 conferences in the league.

[Typical London Boy]

That's a fair comment. I guess you could keep the conferences to a) reduce travel during the regular season, b) to avoid the subsequent playoff matches being over-done during the regular season, and c) the winner of each conference would be the outright conference winner, as there's no conference finals (based on my plans).

To digress, the team finishing top of the division doesn't seem to get much recognition at all. Oh well.

It's a tricky process as the USA is simply too large to be able to throw all the teams together into one single league. Travel times and expenses would be ridiculous, and the quality of performances may deterriorate. However, I think something should be done to change the system. The NBA finals - which in my opinion, should showcase the top two teams in the NBA - is doing nothing of the sort. Now I understand that it's the fault of the teams that lost during the playoffs, but it just seems odd defeating the best remaining team (Suns) in the WCSF's, and then playing easier teams all the way to the championship.

I'm not even saying that my suggestion is foolproof, or the way forward - but I just wish someone would investigate ways in which the current system could be improved, because as it stands, it's not really doing the NBA (or it's fans) many favours. And that's why the ratings for this years final (thus far) are so low.

[MrChug]

Strippers instead of cheerleaders.

[confined]

I wasn't blaming the eastern teams for their playing standards, but looking at it from an objective standpoint, it's clear that teams in the west are stronger - and so at this point in time, it would be better for the NBA if the strongest teams were represented in the final, even if that means that they're both from the west.

Then again, from your point of view, it must be bad enough getting slapped around by the 8th seed western teams, let alone the 8th seeds in the east...

EDIT: Just for demonstration's sake, if you used the brackets which I conjured up earlier, the playoff's (and subsequent ties) would've probably followed this pattern:

1st Round:

- Pistons vs. Warriors [East 1 vs. West 8]
- Cavaliers vs. Lakers [East 2 vs. West 7 etc.]
- Raptors vs. Nuggets
- Heat vs. Rockets
- Bulls vs. Jazz
- Nets vs. Spurs
- Wizards vs. Suns
- Magic vs. Mavericks

Quarter-Finals:

- Pistons vs. Bulls [Winner of top seed East series vs. Winner of lowest seed West series, etc.]
- Cavaliers vs. Spurs
- Raptors vs. Suns
- Rockets vs. Magic

Semi-Finals:

- Pistons vs. Rockets
- Spurs vs. Suns

Final:

- Pistons vs. Spurs

OK, maybe it's not perfect, but it's still better than this year's brackets.
wow kobe vs lebron and shaq vs yao in the first round?...I'd deffinatly watch that

[Typical London Boy]

I rest my case!

[ForeignFan]

you should keep the conferences ... to avoid air plane pollution

[MrChug]

I rest my case!

No, it's DEFINITELY and innovative idea and TLB-I do applaud it. Great use of ingenuity.

However as a BUSINESS decision, it's not feasable long term. The fact is that many of the bigger MONEY markets would be eliminated from the pot very quickly in the playoffs (for the most part, the league's cash cow). That would be a no-no to those businessmen that help pad the NBA's pocket. There's more on the East coast then on the west.

Would it generate more interest in the first few rounds? Yes, but what would transpire in the last two rounds is cutting off half the country.

And then: What's going to happen in 5 years when the balance of power evens out and the West is no longer THAT dominant? It could happen-just a thought...

[MadDog73]

And then: What's going to happen in 5 years when the balance of power evens out and the West is no longer THAT dominant? It could happen-just a thought...


Then the top East team would still battle the top West team...

But I agree with a comment above. If you're gonna redo the whole playoff structure like that, why not just remove the East and West entirely?

Of course, travel is the main concern. But I'm not convinced taking a plane from SA out to PHX is much different than taking a plane to Cleveland.

[boutons_]

Keep the E/W split of the playoff seeding, but cut the league from 30 to 15 teams. No matter which conference has the temporary dominance, there simply isn't enough talent for 30 teams.

They're isn't a pool talent of (30 x 8 rotation players) to field 30 competitive teams, and there aren't 30 capable coaches and GMs. The NBA is over-expanded, the talent is over-diluted.

What's good for franchise business, civic pride, and player enrichment (NBA average salary is $4M+/year) is shitty for the quality of basketball.

[Armando]

Stern will never go for that.

[SpursDynasty]

It's pretty much accepted that the Spurs, Mavericks and Suns are the best three teams in the entire NBA, and so by wiping each other out before the final, it leaves a rather bland and eagerly un-anticapted final match-up (see: Spurs/Cavaliers).

I think the East/West conference teams should meet throughout the playoffs, rather than just in the final itself. Therefore you would have:

West Seed 1 vs. East Seed 8
West Seed 2 vs. East Seed 7
West Seed 3 vs. East Seed 6
West Seed 4 vs. East Seed 5
West Seed 5 vs. East Seed 4
West Seed 6 vs. East Seed 3
West Seed 7 vs. East Seed 2
West Seed 8 vs. East Seed 1

And thus the strongest teams would rise to the final, irrespective of their location. I'm sure everyone would rather have seen Spurs/Mavericks rather than Spurs/Cavaliers from a competition standpoint, as they're the best two teams in the league, and the finals are supposed to be exciting, not a formality.

In essence, this should help avoid the true final (and competitive series) of Spurs/Suns in the WCF Semis in the future.


If the Mavs were a top two team in the league, they would've been in the WCF.

[ducks]

let the east not play in it

[Extra Stout]

Keep the E/W split of the playoff seeding, but cut the league from 30 to 15 teams. No matter which conference has the temporary dominance, there simply isn't enough talent for 30 teams.

They're isn't a pool talent of (30 x 8 rotation players) to field 30 competitive teams, and there aren't 30 capable coaches and GMs. The NBA is over-expanded, the talent is over-diluted.

What's good for franchise business, civic pride, and player enrichment (NBA average salary is $4M+/year) is shitty for the quality of basketball.
In an NBA with 15 teams, there wouldn't be one in San Antonio.

[tsb2000]

Keep the E/W split of the playoff seeding, but cut the league from 30 to 15 teams. No matter which conference has the temporary dominance, there simply isn't enough talent for 30 teams.

It takes a lot more than talent to win an NBA championship. The commitment must be there on all levels to win. Talent alone (read: Phoenix) does not punch ones ticket to the finals.

Along those lines, I think Pop could get half the teams in the lottery to the playoffs within two years.

[dallaskd]

I wasn't blaming the eastern teams for their playing standards, but looking at it from an objective standpoint, it's clear that teams in the west are stronger - and so at this point in time, it would be better for the NBA if the strongest teams were represented in the final, even if that means that they're both from the west.

Then again, from your point of view, it must be bad enough getting slapped around by the 8th seed western teams, let alone the 8th seeds in the east...

EDIT: Just for demonstration's sake, if you used the brackets which I conjured up earlier, the playoff's (and subsequent ties) would've probably followed this pattern:

1st Round:

- Pistons vs. Warriors [East 1 vs. West 8]
- Cavaliers vs. Lakers [East 2 vs. West 7 etc.]
- Raptors vs. Nuggets
- Heat vs. Rockets
- Bulls vs. Jazz
- Nets vs. Spurs
- Wizards vs. Suns
- Magic vs. Mavericks

Quarter-Finals:

- Pistons vs. Bulls [Winner of top seed East series vs. Winner of lowest seed West series, etc.]
- Cavaliers vs. Spurs
- Raptors vs. Suns
- Rockets vs. Magic

Semi-Finals:

- Pistons vs. Rockets
- Spurs vs. Suns

Final:

- Pistons vs. Spurs

OK, maybe it's not perfect, but it's still better than this year's brackets.

you have the magic beating the mavs??

[greyforest]

but tocks is the line of the year

[B and P Cats]

you have the magic beating the mavs??


I saw that too! I was waiting for someone to say so. What would be fun to watch is the Mavs and Spurs in the Finals! I would watch that. Probably a good close competition! :clap Too bad you can't have two Western conference teams playing each other.