Update: Silver agrees, NBA playoff format needs changing (post #25)

[brackdan70]

Is it really broke. news to me....

[Parliament10]

Is it really broke. news to me....

It runs. But, it needs some tuning.

[threrf23]

I think there should be a middle ground in the poll - something like 6 teams from each conference plus four wild card teams. Or 7 teams from each conference plus two wild card teams.

[chakdaddy]

Interestingly, the NHL changed its playoff format in the opposite direction. Here's an article discussing it:

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/new-n ... not-awful/

I think it's a very good point - randomizing the conferences for the playoffs would kill all the mini-rivalries that develop. No Celtics/Pistons, no Lakers / Kings, no little Cavaliers/Wizards feud. In the current system, nearly every matchup has some local rivalry and flavor, often harkening back to classic series from years past. If we had a bunch of random Atlanta/Portland matchups happening once every 20 years we would lose that.

[Parliament10]

NBA commissioner Adam Silver open to changing playoff format to top 16 teams

By Sean Meagher | The Oregonian/OregonLive | February 06, 2015

http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/index.ssf/2015/02/adam_silver_wants_to_make_a_ch.html

The top 16 proposal Silver would like the league to consider would give automatic bids for the six division winners, while filling out the rest of the playoff field with the remaining 10 best records....

The next 10 in would be the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder.

This would eliminate the No. 7 and No. 8-seeds Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat -- both currently holding sub-.500 records -- in the Eastern Conference, while allowing the No. 9 and No. 10-seeds (Pelicans and Thunder) from the West.

Adam Silver says the NBA has 'to make a change' to its playoff format
By Kelly Dwyer | February 5, 2015

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/adam-silver-says-the-nba--need-s--to-make-a-change--in-its-playoff-format-232835099.html

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 competitive 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.

[ermocrate]

All they have to do is maintain the same spots and equilibrate the league, giving the teams picks on w-l record, regardless if they make the PO or not...

[benjaminbuttonz]

This happens in every league though. I remember when the Pats won 11 games with Cassel, missed the playoffs and the 8-8 Arizona Cardinals went to the Superbowl. Every year a division winner has a worse record then the last team out of one of the wild cards. This year the 7-8-1 Panthers get in and the 10-6 Eagles dont.

Back when there was a single wild card in baseball this happened a lot as well.

[pac213up]

One Big change that I think should be made: The format should go down to the best 12 teams, with the Top 4 getting a bye. -- In the current system, the First Round is a joke, and virtually useless.

The problem is they are not going to reduce the total number of potential playoff games. Too much revenue at stake.

[DarkAzcura]

The NBA is cyclical. This has been a particularly long cycle, but it will normalize one day. Think about this...even with the West domination for the last ~15 years, the East-West head to head matchup is pretty much .500 throughout the history of the NBA meaning the West was lagging behind the East for decades before 2000. I have the exact numbers on my home computer so I'll check that out later.. For the West to finally catch up and pass the East only recently means the theory that the NBA is cyclical is probably true..

I think there should be a middle ground in the poll - something like 6 teams from each conference plus four wild card teams. Or 7 teams from each conference plus two wild card teams.

I like this idea best. There is definitely an issue of conferences not being balanced, but the issue is also a bit overblown. Year to year, if you seed the top 16 teams in the NBA, you will see 9 West teams and 7 East teams. Sometimes you will even see 8 West teams and 8 East teams. Uncommonly you will see 10 West teams and 6 East teams, which I believe has been the issue this season. I dislike the arguments when people say "only 2 teams from the East would make the playoffs in the West." While there is truth to it, it ignores the fact that most of the time all of the East teams actually are deserving of the playoffs (at least 7 of them), just not necessarily deserving of their seeding, which I don't feel is a big deal honestly. Taking in the top 6 from each conference and filling the rest out with wildcards regardless of conference is a great idea. The top 6 from each conference are generally always deserving of the playoffs.

[jfs1000d]

This is a bad idea.

Why?

Because in places like Boston, Miami, Indiana, etc. the games still matter. The purpose of divisions and conferences is to insure meaningful games late in the year.

The East and West don't play nearly the same schedule. The East and West play each other twice a year. That's a problem IMO.

I don't think it needs fixing at all. What needs fixing is that teams in the East aren't even trying to compete. Injuries also have hurt the East this year.

[Parliament10]

The NBA is cyclical. This has been a particularly long cycle, but it will normalize one day. Think about this...even with the West domination for the last ~15 years, the East-West head to head matchup is pretty much .500 throughout the history of the NBA meaning the West was lagging behind the East for decades before 2000. I have the exact numbers on my home computer so I'll check that out later.. For the West to finally catch up and pass the East only recently means the theory that the NBA is cyclical is probably true..

I think there should be a middle ground in the poll - something like 6 teams from each conference plus four wild card teams. Or 7 teams from each conference plus two wild card teams.

I like this idea best. There is definitely an issue of conferences not being balanced, but the issue is also a bit overblown. Year to year, if you seed the top 16 teams in the NBA, you will see 9 West teams and 7 East teams. Sometimes you will even see 8 West teams and 8 East teams. Uncommonly you will see 10 West teams and 6 East teams, which I believe has been the issue this season. I dislike the arguments when people say "only 2 teams from the East would make the playoffs in the West." While there is truth to it, it ignores the fact that most of the time all of the East teams actually are deserving of the playoffs (at least 7 of them), just not necessarily deserving of their seeding, which I don't feel is a big deal honestly. Taking in the top 6 from each conference and filling the rest out with wildcards regardless of conference is a great idea. The top 6 from each conference are generally always deserving of the playoffs.

* I like this idea, as well. The Top 6 Teams from each Conference, and then four wild cards. The NBA D-League, actually does this, and more.
* The D-League takes the leader of each Division, with the the remainder filled with all wild cards, regardless of Division (not merely Conference).

* To your other point -- this is at least, the 2nd year in a row, and one of a several, within the past 10 years -- where 10 teams from the West Qualify, but only 6 from the East.
* This is the Re-stressed emphasis on Restructuring. -- As even this thread itself, was started last season.