Stern needs to revise the playoffs format again. Scrap the conference seeding format. Put the best teams in and seed them by completely by record. The weak sisters in the east can keep their advantage of making it to the playoffs by playing each other more than the heavy hitters in the west but that's it.
As it curretnly stands if seeds were by records the playoffs would look like:
Round one
1. San Antonio vs 16. Sacramento
2. Utah vs 15. Cleveland
3. Phoenix vs 14. Golden State
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs 13 Chicago
5. Dallas vs 12 Washington
6. Cleveland vs 11 Indiana
7. Houston vs 10 Orlando
8. Detroit vs 9 Denver
Round two assuming highest seeded teams won
1. San Antonio vs 8. Detroit
2. Utah vs 7. Houston
3. Phoenix vs 6. Cleveland
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs 5. Dallas
Once you got past round one every series would be a barn burner. The way it is now some round two series are still dogs.
On top of that, scrap the first-round seven-game series. Hate it. Too long and addes easily another week to the postseason with all the staggered games.
I know why they do it, but it drags...
Matter of fact, in all series I'd like a "no more than two days off in between games" policy. The postseason doesn't need to be two months long. They need to cut it to six weeks tops.
It's just gotten way too long. No way we should have to wait up to 3 days or more for Game 3 of a Suns first-round series just so they can put it on Sunday and get more revenue... 5 game series would be nice again, too - as long as Bennett Salvatore doesn't get to officiate any 5th game.
Then why bother having conferences at all?
And why stop at basketball? How about doing the same thing for the NFL and MLB?
Yeah I don't think you should play outside your conference until the Finals, but I do think something needs to be done inside the conference seeding.
I mean why should a team who could finish 10 games under and even though they win their division be able to make the playoffs?
Don't know what you could do to fix that in the east though, since only like 4 teams are going to have winning records.
Too many teams, since even with dozens of players from overseas, a country of 300M doesn't have the talent to field 30 teams of 8 rotation players respectable enough to hold our interest.
Same diluted lack of talent in the GM and coach departments.
NBA avg salary is $4M+ across 450 players = $1.8B
The product is low-quality, diluted, over-priced, and over-paid.
And I fully agree with Top16 playoff format. Like the divisions, the E/W conferences should be arbitrary fictions only for scheduling purposes.
Wanna knock 2 weeks off the playoffs? Make the playoffs a Top 8 playoff tournament. The Bottom 8 of Top16 are going to be eliminated in the first round anyway, 99% of the time.
30 teams and two months of playoffs is a successful $business plan, but the product sucks on average. But when was the last time a corporation was primarily interested in delivering quality? Like any business, the NBA wants the maximum revenue from the minimum product in high-volume.
Last edited by boutons_; 12-17-2006 at 12:14 PM.
I'd love to see the first round eliminated altogether (because too many average teams make the Postseason), but I'd rather it be 7 games than 5 games. The best way to shorten it is to stop having 3 day breaks between first round games.
The margin for upset is next to nothing in seven games. I like upsets. It makes the round matter, rather than make it a formality.
Friday-Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday
or
Saturday-Monday-Wednesday-Friday-Sunday
You've got games every day and if they play them the way they used to with two being aired on one channel and two being viewed on another channel at the same times. They used to have four games a night and split them twixt TNT and TBS.
THen the series after that can be seven games.
I agree.
No, that is silly. Conference play breeds rivalries. Don't forget the East has won 2 of the last 3 ies. It is still up to each team to win each game.
Rivalry in the playoffs? Fans want to see good series. Most would rather see Cleveleand playing Utah in round two than some weak little sister like Washington or Indianna in the second round. Of course for some fans if yours is a compe ve Eastern conferenece team like Detroit or Cleveland it's nice to know you basically get a pass until the conference finals playing near lottery fodder while the West tesms beat each other up and one goes into the finals banged up and bruised.
It wouldn't be a free pass if it was a 5 game 1st round series. Upsets happen in 5 games.
Rivalries make bad teams play above their means, this can only happen if the same teams play each other year after year.
For example, lets say the 7 game 1st round had not been implemented. While the rest is speculation, without a doubt the 1 series it would have changed was the Orlando-Detroit series in 2002... T-Mac would have already made it past the 1st round, and the Pistons may have never won anything. They may have even been relegated to mediocrity the next season.
That would have hurt my team, but I am still for 5 game first rounds.
Again, why not do the same for all other sports?
Who wants to see a bunch of weak-ass NFC teams or barely-above .500 division winners in the playoffs?
Put the Spurs in the West and what are the Vegas betting odds of them making the finals? Now put the Spurs in the East this year and what are those odds? Nuff said.
I don't really understand your point. It is not relevant to even your own argument.
There is an argument against this "best record" playoff talk. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series this past year and had fewer wins than 12 other teams in baseball, but got to the playoffs because of its current format, won their series vs. better recorded teams, then won the le.
I get what you're saying, and a part of me agrees, but you can't just eliminate the Cinderella aspect. With the current 7-game format and with your top-record proposal, it would go a long way to do just that.
"you can't just eliminate the Cinderella aspect"
An 6,7,8 seeds in an 8-team NBA playoffs have plenty of Cinderella potential.
At some point, the 9th - 16th seeds are just time-wasting cannon fodder. Dragging them along simply for the minuscule Cinderella potential is counter-productive.
That would be kinda lame because what if San antonio and Utah be in the finals? Thats 2 west teams in the finals and no east team. You might as well have to cancel the all star game and anything related to East and West because it wouldn't be fair to the East teams or the East period.
It would be a major boycott in the NBA and all will break loose for Mr. Stern.
I think fans whos team is from the so called MIGHTY SUPERIOR WESTERN CONFERENCE gets a little big headed sometimes and start fantasizing
about what the nba should be their way.
Theres nothing wrong with the Nba playoff seeding. It's just right. Spurs fans are just a little bitter for their team dropping out of the 2nd round with the best record in the west. HEHEHHEHE
I just which my team could turn it around so I can talk about the playoffs.
You should worry about teaching the Knick's players to take a hit and not fall on the ground.
I just which my team could turn it around so I can talk about the playoffs.
Which is why the first series should be five games and spaced over no more than a week. If an upset occurs, great, if not, nobody cares because it's not dragging out for two weeks.
My main gripe is the duration of the playoffs, not the teams playing. If you want do get rid of some fodder, then elminate two teams from the playoffs from each conference all together, shorten the first round to five games with a 3/6 - 4/5 format, give the top two seeds a week off and then play the rest as the traditional seven-game series, but change the format to every other day play.
You should worry about teaching the Mavs players to not get owned by D-WADE in the finals.
Been there lately?
AS it stands now the nation would have the pleasure of watching Toronto and Atlanta with winning percentages of .391 in the playoffs. As it stands now East second round matchups would be:
1. Cleveland - 4. Chicago
2. Detroit - 3. Orlando
Meanwhile West would be:
1. San Antonio - 4. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Utah - 3. Phoenix
Dallas, Houston and Denver, much better teams than Orlando and Chicago and equivalent to Detroit and Cleveland couldn't even make the cut.
If you're a fan of the East or mediocre basketball then the current system is just fine.
94, 99 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> More than Dallas Franchise
Didnt even have to count 70 and 73. LOL
You ain't funny. And if you wasnt trying to be funny, you must be a dumb spurs fan
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