NBA: Adam Silver says the NBA has 'to make a change' to its playoff format

[spursparker9]

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has picked a good season to go on record about restructuring the NBA’s playoff bracket.

In his first full year running the show, Silver is addressing what is now turning into a Conference imbalance that has droned on for over a decade and a half. The Western Conference is clearly better than the Eastern version. It hardly matters if an eventual NBA Finals between representatives from each conference turns out to be a compe ive one, because deserving playoff squads are being cut from the postseason rotation out West while mediocre or worse Eastern squads are being handed playoff dates.

In years past, opponents of such restructuring (such as your humble, misguided author) could point to the cyclical nature of conference inbalances dating back through the NBA’s long history, or the tough travel that would result with either the abolishment of conferences or the allowance of letting the 16 best teams into the playoffs regardless of conference affiliation.

Those arguments aren’t working in 2014-15, and while nothing will be changed this spring, Silver is at least considering his options. Via Pro Basketball Talk, here’s what Silver said to the Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area Golden State broadcasting team while being interviewed during last night’s thrilling Warriors win over Dallas:

“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 two is time to take action. It’s something I’m going to look at closely with the compe ion committee. I do think it’s an area where we need to make a change.”

That last statement leaves no room for ambiguity, and that’s refreshing. That’s not surprising from Silver, who has made quite an impact in just 12 months on the job, but it’s also not something that can be easily processed.



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

[spursparker9]

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

Wow...

Crazy dog fights on the top bracket. But very entertaining.

lol Bottom bracket...Hawks or Grizzles can cake walk to the Finals.

[lefty]

I agree with Silverberg tbh

[da_suns_fan]

I like the "double down on divisions" approach myself.

You play your division teams EIGHT times. All other teams twice.

Division winners make playoffs and one "wild card" team. Eliminates half the teams from making playoffs but would probably create REAL division rivalries as opposed to manufactured ones.

Of course it will never happen. Why? MONEY. Teams get around a million dollars per home playoff game.

[DMC]

East teams have stacked a lot more than West teams, but only a couple of them have done anything with it.

[DMC]

I like the "double down on divisions" approach myself.

You play your division teams EIGHT times. All other teams twice.

Division winners make playoffs and one "wild card" team. Eliminates half the teams from making playoffs but would probably create REAL division rivalries as opposed to manufactured ones.

Of course it will never happen. Why? MONEY. Teams get around a million dollars per home playoff game.

That thinking is counterintuitive. If the format would be better, the NBA would likely reap the financial benefits of it. That 1M per home playoff game could become 2M and therefore fewer games needed, also with profit sharing it could make all teams richer.

[Stalin]

I hope they change the format.

[Thread]

Just more symbolism over substance. Whoop-dee-doo. GIGO.

[Infinite_limit]

Half ass solution is to simply merge the Playoffs. Long term solution is scrape East vs West setup. IE Lakers and Clippers in opposite Conferences

[FlAVaK]

^you mean like NFC vs. AFC?

[Thebesteva]

Lebron is screwed. I'm not sure how I feel about this, makes winning a championship 10 x harder now.

[Infinite_limit]

^you mean like NFC vs. AFC?

Exactly. NFL and MLB don't split the Leagues graphically


Yankees - AL
Mets - NL

Dodgers - NL
Angels - AL

Giants - NFC
Jets - AFC

49ers - NFC
Raiders - AFC



NBA stars prefer to play, live and party in warm weather. There is a disproportional amount of warm weather teams in the Western Conference



Playing in California & Texas > Playing in North-East & Mid-West.

[da_suns_fan]

Exactly. NFL and MLB don't split the Leagues graphically


Yankees - AL
Mets - NL

Dodgers - NL
Angels - AL

Giants - NFC
Jets - AFC

49ers - NFC
Raiders - AFC



NBA stars prefer to play, live and party in warm weather. There is a disproportional amount of warm weather teams in the Western Conference



Playing in California & Texas > Playing in North-East & Mid-West.

I dont think its as much due to weather as you think. The only "good" team in the West that got its superstar via free agency is Houston. Everyone else got their guys via the draft.

Now maybe it was easier for warm weather cities to KEEP their superstars since they played in warm weather. But which Eastern conference cities can make an argument that they lost a guy because their weather sucks. The only ones I can think of are Cleveland (Lebron) and Toronto (Bosh).

I think the disparity is more to do with a LOT of bad gms and owners are in the eastern conference.