NBA Considering Balanced Schedule, 1-16 Seeding For Playoffs

[RealGM Wiretap]

The NBA is considering seeding teams from 1-16 in the playoffs while eliminating conference affiliation.

With the Western Conference typically having more depth of quality teams, the NBA has long been imbalanced.

"Reformatting the playoffs is something we'll continue to look at," Adam Silver said. "I think though it would require revisiting the regular-season schedule as well. As I've said before, we don't play a balanced schedule now, as I'm sure you know. And for those that don't, that means that teams in the East play each other more than they play teams in the West. And our feeling is, if we were going to seed 1-16, we would need to play a balanced schedule to make it fair for everyone if we were going to seed 1-16 in the playoffs. It may be that as we continue to experiment with the number of days over which we can schedule 82 games that it will create more of an opportunity for a balanced schedule."

Stephen Curry said he'd enjoy playing in a postseason that included the 16 best teams in the league, regardless of their conference, which is a sentiment many other players have expressed.

Via Nick Friedell/ESPN

[Ryan91729]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, hell yes!

[Lava Rock Kid]

This is about time.

It is funny that Hayward left for the east so he can be in the east conf finals every year. LOL

[Desiderium]

this has been long overdue. hopefully the league can figure out a way to get it done.

[FrigginFalcon]

In terms of regular-season records, last year's Playoffs DID include the Top 16 teams, or at least very close to it. [EDIT: IN fact, they did, unless maybe somehow the 41-41 Heat could have won a tie-breaker against the 41-41 Trailblazers. The Top 17 records were 41-41 and above, and 16 of those teams made the Playoffs.] The problem was with the Seeding,as something like 6 of the best 8 teams were in the Western Conference. The way the League is setting up now, the First Round will (should) be a cake walk for the top 2 seeds in BOTH Conferences, and the Conference Finals should be a tough game in both. The likely difference is the Second Round, where the West will likely feature GSW, Spurs, Rockets, and OKC, and the East will feature the Celtics, the Cavs, and . . . anyone? Maybe the University of Kentucky?

Last year, the seeding and first-round brackets would have been:

01 - Golden State Warriors 67-15
16 - Chicago Bulls 41-41

08 - LA Clippers 51-31
09 - Washington Wizards 49-33

04 - Boston Celtics 53-29
13 - Milwaukee Bucks 42-40

05 - Cleveland Cavaliers 51-31
12 - Memphis Grizzlies 43-39


03 - Houston Rockets 55-27
14 - Indiana Pacers 42-40

06 - Utah Jazz 51-31
10 - Oklahoma City Thunder 47-35

07 - Toronto Raptors 51-31
11 - Atlanta Hawks 43-39

02 - San Antonio Spurs 61-21
15 - Portland Trail Blazers 41-41

If all went as seeded, we'd have gotten GSW/LAC, SAS/TOR, HOU/UTA, and BOS/CLE in the Second Round, GSW/BOS and SAS/HOU in the Semi-Finals, and GSW/SAS in the Final. As it happened, the way the Cavs were playing, it probably would have actually been GSW/CLE in the Semi's, then GSW/SAS in the Finals, and SAS would have had pretty favorable draw.

Of course, if the schedule was balanced, records would have been different, and if it was a League-wide seeding, some team that cruised a bit late in the year might have been motivate to try harder.

(Note the seedings above are just the League-wide order per ESPN; there would actually need to be several tie-breakers, and the current rules aren't made for a League-wide selection anyway, so this is just a rough estimate. If the Cavs lost the tie-breaker to Utah, for example, and dropped from #5 to #6, the lower half of the draw would suddenly be much less friendly.)

One issue that I have with a "balanced" schedule is that the West Coast teams, which already travel more than anyone else, would have it even worse if they played more games East of the Mississippi. The Eastern teams would have to travel more, too, but not as MUCH more as the Far Western ones.

[IWishIWasHarden]

16 can't beat the 1 seed

[Pickled Prunes]

It's funny how lots of people are for it and I think it's weak. That's actually the last reason to have conferences. So yeah, get rid of the conferences and then do that, sure. But as long as Portland plays the Warriors 4 times and the Nets twice the seeding needs to stay the same. No reason to reward Eastern teams a playoff berth just because their schedule is easier.

[mawbsta]

It's funny how lots of people are for it and I think it's weak. That's actually the last reason to have conferences. So yeah, get rid of the conferences and then do that, sure. But as long as Portland plays the Warriors 4 times and the Nets twice the seeding needs to stay the same. No reason to reward Eastern teams a playoff berth just because their schedule is easier.

You've missed the plot.

[totalrekall]

this is the LeBron effect. they wouldnt do it when it was the logical thing to do for the last 10 years bc they wanted LeBron to get his free pass through the East. now that he's going to the West they'll make the change to help him out again. whatever it takes to inflate his legacy.

just like they changed the hand checking rules after his rookie yr to make him unstoppable going to the basket bc he had no jumper and didnt like physical play.

[hyberx]

Just when LeBron is about to move West as well and the East has been minor league for years. Nice timing there Silver

[eureca20]

In terms of regular-season records, last year's Playoffs DID include the Top 16 teams, or at least very close to it. [EDIT: IN fact, they did, unless maybe somehow the 41-41 Heat could have won a tie-breaker against the 41-41 Trailblazers. The Top 17 records were 41-41 and above, and 16 of those teams made the Playoffs.] The problem was with the Seeding,as something like 6 of the best 8 teams were in the Western Conference. The way the League is setting up now, the First Round will (should) be a cake walk for the top 2 seeds in BOTH Conferences, and the Conference Finals should be a tough game in both. The likely difference is the Second Round, where the West will likely feature GSW, Spurs, Rockets, and OKC, and the East will feature the Celtics, the Cavs, and . . . anyone? Maybe the University of Kentucky?

Last year, the seeding and first-round brackets would have been:

01 - Golden State Warriors 67-15
16 - Chicago Bulls 41-41

08 - LA Clippers 51-31
09 - Washington Wizards 49-33

04 - Boston Celtics 53-29
13 - Milwaukee Bucks 42-40

05 - Cleveland Cavaliers 51-31
12 - Memphis Grizzlies 43-39


03 - Houston Rockets 55-27
14 - Indiana Pacers 42-40

06 - Utah Jazz 51-31
10 - Oklahoma City Thunder 47-35

07 - Toronto Raptors 51-31
11 - Atlanta Hawks 43-39

02 - San Antonio Spurs 61-21
15 - Portland Trail Blazers 41-41

If all went as seeded, we'd have gotten GSW/LAC, SAS/TOR, HOU/UTA, and BOS/CLE in the Second Round, GSW/BOS and SAS/HOU in the Semi-Finals, and GSW/SAS in the Final. As it happened, the way the Cavs were playing, it probably would have actually been GSW/CLE in the Semi's, then GSW/SAS in the Finals, and SAS would have had pretty favorable draw.

Of course, if the schedule was balanced, records would have been different, and if it was a League-wide seeding, some team that cruised a bit late in the year might have been motivate to try harder.

(Note the seedings above are just the League-wide order per ESPN; there would actually need to be several tie-breakers, and the current rules aren't made for a League-wide selection anyway, so this is just a rough estimate. If the Cavs lost the tie-breaker to Utah, for example, and dropped from #5 to #6, the lower half of the draw would suddenly be much less friendly.)

One issue that I have with a "balanced" schedule is that the West Coast teams, which already travel more than anyone else, would have it even worse if they played more games East of the Mississippi. The Eastern teams would have to travel more, too, but not as MUCH more as the Far Western ones.

Yea but just because the Cavs had a worse record than they were capable off doesn't mean you put a kibosh on the whole idea. If you go by the year before than the Cavs had the 3rd best record without a balance schedule obviously. With a balanced schedule then maybe the Cavs are 6th and Jazz 5th. Which means Warriors could still face the Cavs in the finals. Or Spurs take out the Cavs which would be my guess.

They can also allow the top seed to choose their opponent in the 1st round like some leagues have done.

[FrigginFalcon]

In terms of regular-season records, last year's Playoffs DID include the Top 16 teams, or at least very close to it. [EDIT: IN fact, they did, unless maybe somehow the 41-41 Heat could have won a tie-breaker against the 41-41 Trailblazers. The Top 17 records were 41-41 and above, and 16 of those teams made the Playoffs.] The problem was with the Seeding,as something like 6 of the best 8 teams were in the Western Conference. The way the League is setting up now, the First Round will (should) be a cake walk for the top 2 seeds in BOTH Conferences, and the Conference Finals should be a tough game in both. The likely difference is the Second Round, where the West will likely feature GSW, Spurs, Rockets, and OKC, and the East will feature the Celtics, the Cavs, and . . . anyone? Maybe the University of Kentucky?

Last year, the seeding and first-round brackets would have been:

01 - Golden State Warriors 67-15
16 - Chicago Bulls 41-41

08 - LA Clippers 51-31
09 - Washington Wizards 49-33

04 - Boston Celtics 53-29
13 - Milwaukee Bucks 42-40

05 - Cleveland Cavaliers 51-31
12 - Memphis Grizzlies 43-39


03 - Houston Rockets 55-27
14 - Indiana Pacers 42-40

06 - Utah Jazz 51-31
10 - Oklahoma City Thunder 47-35

07 - Toronto Raptors 51-31
11 - Atlanta Hawks 43-39

02 - San Antonio Spurs 61-21
15 - Portland Trail Blazers 41-41

If all went as seeded, we'd have gotten GSW/LAC, SAS/TOR, HOU/UTA, and BOS/CLE in the Second Round, GSW/BOS and SAS/HOU in the Semi-Finals, and GSW/SAS in the Final. As it happened, the way the Cavs were playing, it probably would have actually been GSW/CLE in the Semi's, then GSW/SAS in the Finals, and SAS would have had pretty favorable draw.

Of course, if the schedule was balanced, records would have been different, and if it was a League-wide seeding, some team that cruised a bit late in the year might have been motivate to try harder.

(Note the seedings above are just the League-wide order per ESPN; there would actually need to be several tie-breakers, and the current rules aren't made for a League-wide selection anyway, so this is just a rough estimate. If the Cavs lost the tie-breaker to Utah, for example, and dropped from #5 to #6, the lower half of the draw would suddenly be much less friendly.)

One issue that I have with a "balanced" schedule is that the West Coast teams, which already travel more than anyone else, would have it even worse if they played more games East of the Mississippi. The Eastern teams would have to travel more, too, but not as MUCH more as the Far Western ones.

Yea but just because the Cavs had a worse record than they were capable off doesn't mean you put a kibosh on the whole idea. If you go by the year before than the Cavs had the 3rd best record without a balance schedule obviously. With a balanced schedule then maybe the Cavs are 6th and Jazz 5th. Which means Warriors could still face the Cavs in the finals. Or Spurs take out the Cavs which would be my guess.

They can also allow the top seed to choose their opponent in the 1st round like some leagues have done.

I wasn't kiboshing anything, certainly not based on the Cavs' record last year. In fact, I think that with the prospect of being in a single playoff pool with Western Conference teams, Eastern squads like the Cavs and the Celtics would be much more motivated during the regular season to work for the highest possible seed. If the schedule is balanced and every team knows that all 30 teams are in the mix, I say let the chips fall where they may. I would like to see SOME effort to equalize the travel burden, though. There's not a tremendous amount that can be done, but some home / away scheduling adjustments can be made to equalize travel while giving each team 41 home games.

[tribulations]

By all means change the end of season seedings, and crown the winningest team in each conference the WC/EC champ but please don't change the schedule (although for logistical reasons I don't really see this aspect changing too much).

[LordCovington33]

In terms of regular-season records, last year's Playoffs DID include the Top 16 teams, or at least very close to it. [EDIT: IN fact, they did, unless maybe somehow the 41-41 Heat could have won a tie-breaker against the 41-41 Trailblazers. The Top 17 records were 41-41 and above, and 16 of those teams made the Playoffs.] The problem was with the Seeding,as something like 6 of the best 8 teams were in the Western Conference. The way the League is setting up now, the First Round will (should) be a cake walk for the top 2 seeds in BOTH Conferences, and the Conference Finals should be a tough game in both. The likely difference is the Second Round, where the West will likely feature GSW, Spurs, Rockets, and OKC, and the East will feature the Celtics, the Cavs, and . . . anyone? Maybe the University of Kentucky?

Last year, the seeding and first-round brackets would have been:

01 - Golden State Warriors 67-15
16 - Chicago Bulls 41-41

08 - LA Clippers 51-31
09 - Washington Wizards 49-33

04 - Boston Celtics 53-29
13 - Milwaukee Bucks 42-40

05 - Cleveland Cavaliers 51-31
12 - Memphis Grizzlies 43-39


03 - Houston Rockets 55-27
14 - Indiana Pacers 42-40

06 - Utah Jazz 51-31
10 - Oklahoma City Thunder 47-35

07 - Toronto Raptors 51-31
11 - Atlanta Hawks 43-39

02 - San Antonio Spurs 61-21
15 - Portland Trail Blazers 41-41

If all went as seeded, we'd have gotten GSW/LAC, SAS/TOR, HOU/UTA, and BOS/CLE in the Second Round, GSW/BOS and SAS/HOU in the Semi-Finals, and GSW/SAS in the Final. As it happened, the way the Cavs were playing, it probably would have actually been GSW/CLE in the Semi's, then GSW/SAS in the Finals, and SAS would have had pretty favorable draw.

Of course, if the schedule was balanced, records would have been different, and if it was a League-wide seeding, some team that cruised a bit late in the year might have been motivate to try harder.

(Note the seedings above are just the League-wide order per ESPN; there would actually need to be several tie-breakers, and the current rules aren't made for a League-wide selection anyway, so this is just a rough estimate. If the Cavs lost the tie-breaker to Utah, for example, and dropped from #5 to #6, the lower half of the draw would suddenly be much less friendly.)

One issue that I have with a "balanced" schedule is that the West Coast teams, which already travel more than anyone else, would have it even worse if they played more games East of the Mississippi. The Eastern teams would have to travel more, too, but not as MUCH more as the Far Western ones.

Yea but just because the Cavs had a worse record than they were capable off doesn't mean you put a kibosh on the whole idea. If you go by the year before than the Cavs had the 3rd best record without a balance schedule obviously. With a balanced schedule then maybe the Cavs are 6th and Jazz 5th. Which means Warriors could still face the Cavs in the finals. Or Spurs take out the Cavs which would be my guess.

They can also allow the top seed to choose their opponent in the 1st round like some leagues have done.

I wasn't kiboshing anything, certainly not based on the Cavs' record last year. In fact, I think that with the prospect of being in a single playoff pool with Western Conference teams, Eastern squads like the Cavs and the Celtics would be much more motivated during the regular season to work for the highest possible seed. If the schedule is balanced and every team knows that all 30 teams are in the mix, I say let the chips fall where they may. I would like to see SOME effort to equalize the travel burden, though. There's not a tremendous amount that can be done, but some home / away scheduling adjustments can be made to equalize travel while giving each team 41 home games.

The Cavs sleepwalk the regular season at present. Why over-work your best players, when you know you can beat the top seeded team (Boston) in the conference final? With the changed format, the Cavs would try harder to get a top 2 seed to get a home semi. One way to stop the resting of players.

[Billl]

Please no. It sounds good until you look at the details. So West coast teams play half their games against east coast? For the west coast, that means 25% of the games start around 4pm. Sound good? For the east coast, 25% of your games don't start until 10pm? That would be a horrible schedule for fans. I get that the league wants competitive balance, but this is not a good way to get it.

[Pickled Prunes]

By all means change the end of season seedings, and crown the winningest team in each conference the WC/EC champ but please don't change the schedule (although for logistical reasons I don't really see this aspect changing too much).

You've got to balance the schedule with this or Eastern teams have a distinct advantage. That is, if the goal is really to get the best 16 teams into the playoffs.

[JordansBulls]

this is the LeBron effect. they wouldnt do it when it was the logical thing to do for the last 10 years bc they wanted LeBron to get his free pass through the East. now that he's going to the West they'll make the change to help him out again. whatever it takes to inflate his legacy.

just like they changed the hand checking rules after his rookie yr to make him unstoppable going to the basket bc he had no jumper and didnt like physical play.

Agreed

[12footrim]

Please no. It sounds good until you look at the details. So West coast teams play half their games against east coast? For the west coast, that means 25% of the games start around 4pm. Sound good? For the east coast, 25% of your games don't start until 10pm? That would be a horrible schedule for fans. I get that the league wants competitive balance, but this is not a good way to get it.

Teams from each conference don't even play each other equal times already......


Yes and it matters. Just a couple years ago we had a 48 win Phx suns out of the playoffs and a 38 win Atlanta making hit.

Phx 48-34

Atl 38-44

when you factor in SOS as well Phx was more like the 12th best team in the league and Atl #19. This is has been past time.

[12footrim]

nm

[12footrim]

This would make the regular season more meaningful as well. You wouldn't see a team like the Cavs half assing it fear of getting a bad seed and real teams that could test them and the east only got worse this season.

This needs to happen for the health of the league, last years playoffs were awful and this gives meaning to the regular season and probably curbs some resting too and would give us more competitive playoff series. Teams get a day or 2 rest between games and fly in luxury. The good far out weighs the bad here.