Silver says NBA will 'take a fresh look' at changing playoff format

[BigGameDamian]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...-take-a-fresh-look-at-changing-playoff-format

Adam Silver has been open to change in the NBA so far in his young tenure as commissioner. One of which might include the postseason format.

This season, while tanking has dominated a lot of the conversation, another talking point has been how miserable the Eastern Conference has been, with the possibility to have two sub-.500 teams in the postseason. While on the other hand, there will be a Western team with possibly 50 wins to miss the postseason, and another over .500 that is guaranteed to be out.

Because of it, Silver said recently he's open to take a "fresh look" at restructuring the playoff format to make sure the best teams are included.

Via the San Antonio-Express News:

Conducting an in-game interview with Spurs broadcasters Bill Land and Sean Elliott during the telecast of Friday's Spurs-Suns game at AT&T Center, Silver said the league needs to consider changes to the format that puts the top eight teams in each conference in the playoffs.

[...]

“I don't know that there will be movement,” Silver said about changing the format. “My initial thought is we will take a fresh look at it. When these conferences were designed it was in the day of commercial (air) travel. It was very different moving teams around the country.

“In this day and age when every team is flying charter it changes everything. It's one of the reasons we moved back to the 2-2-1-1-1 format for this year's Finals.”
Making the change might be easier said than done, as conferences and divisions are pretty engrained into the NBA format. To just take the 16 best records seems like an easy fix, but that would require eliminating conferences, or at least completely readjusting them.

For instance, if you just scrapped the conferences, you could potentially eliminate the possibility of a LeBron-Durant NBA Finals. East versus West is an institution in the NBA, so there would have to be a way to still have that while making sure the best teams make the postseason.

Still, Silver has maintained he's open to looking at every league issue and he's definitely a big idea kind of person. So maybe he'll have a bright one.

 

[BigGameDamian]

It'd be weird to see two west teams in the finals.

 

[maxiep]

It'd be weird to see two west teams in the finals.

Not if one of them were the Blazers.

 

[blue9]

I'm torn on this issue. On the one hand, as a fan of the game, it sucks to see bad teams rewarded with a Playoff spot and good teams left out. But on the other hand, being in the West where you can be a good-ish team, and get left out of the Playoffs, but have a shot at a good draft pick is kinda nice. Honestly, the Suns are probably in a much better position than we are.

 

[maxiep]

The bigger issue with this year isn't just the superior records of West teams, but the superior record of the West vs. the East. It's not like the great West teams are feasting on the bad West teams and the East is just beating up on each other. Everyone is feasting on 2/3 of the East, which sucks ass.

 

[julius]

One thing I like about MLB is that they have no real eastern conference and western conference lineup.

So, you can have a NY/LA first round in both leagues.

In a way, the NBA could do something like that, although I'm not sure how.

If they could do a league where everyone plays everyone equally, that'd be good. But I'm fairly certain that would to an unbalanced schedule.

 

[BigGameDamian]

I'm torn on this issue. On the one hand, as a fan of the game, it sucks to see bad teams rewarded with a Playoff spot and good teams left out. But on the other hand, being in the West where you can be a good-ish team, and get left out of the Playoffs, but have a shot at a good draft pick is kinda nice. Honestly, the Suns are probably in a much better position than we are.

Well ya, I have a feeling this draft will be the strongest draft since "84.

 

[blue9]

The bigger issue with this year isn't just the superior records of West teams, but the superior record of the West vs. the East. It's not like the great West teams are feasting on the bad West teams and the East is just beating up on each other. Everyone is feasting on 2/3 of the East, which sucks ass.

How is that different from any other season? The majority of the East has always sucked. Yeah, maybe it's even more exaggerated this season, but it seems that for all of eternity there have been ~4 teams in the East that have no business being in the Playoffs each season.

 

[blue9]

If they could do a league where everyone plays everyone equally, that'd be good. But I'm fairly certain that would to an unbalanced schedule.

Contract the league by 4 teams, eliminate conferences/divisions, and have everyone play each other 3 times. There'd be some "unbalanced" schedules based on home vs away, but it'd be far more balanced than it currently is. If you can't overcome playing on the road you don't deserve to be in the Playoffs anyway.

 

[julius]

Contract the league by 4 teams, eliminate conferences/divisions, and have everyone play each other 3 times. There'd be some "unbalanced" schedules based on home vs away, but it'd be far more balanced than it currently is. If you can't overcome playing on the road you don't deserve to be in the Playoffs anyway.

I wonder what cities should lose teams?


Orlando is probably one (just due to market size), maybe Sacramento, Milwaukee and who else?

I still think Seattle should have one (but only after Portland gets either A: a MLB team B: an NHL team or C: an NBA title. C being the one I want the most.), but I'm not sure which teams would have to move AND contract.

It'll never happen though. If anything, the NBA would add regular season games and shorten the playoff series.

Make the first round best of 3, 2nd round best of 5 and the conference and NBA finals best of 7. Of course, that'd be throwing away money, so they'd never do that either.

 

[maxiep]

Contract the league by 4 teams, eliminate conferences/divisions, and have everyone play each other 3 times. There'd be some "unbalanced" schedules based on home vs away, but it'd be far more balanced than it currently is. If you can't overcome playing on the road you don't deserve to be in the Playoffs anyway.

You do realize, we'd likely be one of the four teams, right? Here are the NBA's smallest markets: Indianapolis, Sacrament, Memphis, New Orleans, Portland, Milwaukee, Orlando, Utah, Charlotte, Oklahoma City. We'd be gone.

 

[julius]

You do realize, we'd likely be one of the four teams, right? Here are the NBA's smallest markets: Indianapolis, Sacrament, Memphis, New Orleans, Portland, Milwaukee, Orlando, Utah, Charlotte, Oklahoma City. We'd be gone.

What does Indiana, Sacramento, Memphis, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Orlando, Utah, Charlotte and OKC have in common that Portland doesn't?

They aren't owned by the leagues and American sports richest owner. They wouldn't contract the franchise that has been the most stable of the group, the 3rd oldest (and considering the Kings have moved 83 times and the Bucks are just 2 years older that doesn't mean much), and the only one of the only one of these teams that has won a title in the last 40 years (or been to the finals more than twice).

 

[blue9]

You do realize, we'd likely be one of the four teams, right? Here are the NBA's smallest markets: Indianapolis, Sacrament, Memphis, New Orleans, Portland, Milwaukee, Orlando, Utah, Charlotte, Oklahoma City. We'd be gone.

Not a chance. Base it on who actually supports their team and who has had any amount of relevance in the NBA. NOP and TOR are easy to wipe off the face of the league. MIL, ATL, SAC, CHA, ORL, WAS. Once OKC loses Durant add them to the list. Heck, grandfather in any team with a Championship.

 

[julius]

Not a chance. Base it on who actually supports their team and who has had any amount of relevance in the NBA. NOP and TOR are easy to wipe off the face of the league. MIL, ATL, SAC, CHA, ORL, WAS. Once OKC loses Durant add them to the list. Heck, grandfather in any team with a Championship.

problem with that criteria is, OKC would technically qualify. :/

 

[blue9]

problem with that criteria is, OKC would technically qualify. :/

Bullshit.
edit: I know what you're saying, but you also know what I'm saying. OKC has never won a championship, and the Thunder have never won a championship. They have no leg to stand on.

 

[PDXFonz]

Not a chance. Base it on who actually supports their team and who has had any amount of relevance in the NBA. NOP and TOR are easy to wipe off the face of the league. MIL, ATL, SAC, CHA, ORL, WAS. Once OKC loses Durant add them to the list. Heck, grandfather in any team with a Championship.

Wiping Toronto would be very counterproductive to the leagues dream of expanding over seas.

Why are we talking about contracting over expanding?

 

[blue9]

Wiping Toronto would be very counterproductive to the leagues dream of expanding over seas.

I realize it won't happen. But it would be better for the players and fans if it did.
Expanding will just make the league mirror the nation's/world's economy by increasing the number of "have nots" while consolidating the power in a few key teams.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

for all his blowhardiness, i kinda dig bill simmons "tournament of fun" or whatever the fuck its called. top 7 teams from each conference make it in and then the other 16 teams play a single elimination tourny to decide the last two spots, and the legit playoff teams get a 5 or 6 days off to rest up

 

[julius]

Bullshit.
edit: I know what you're saying, but you also know what I'm saying. OKC has never won a championship, and the Thunder have never won a championship. They have no leg to stand on.

I totally agree, but they'd pull it out like it's a magic trump card. hope they choke on that trump card!

 

[maxiep]

What does Indiana, Sacramento, Memphis, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Orlando, Utah, Charlotte and OKC have in common that Portland doesn't?

They aren't owned by the leagues and American sports richest owner. They wouldn't contract the franchise that has been the most stable of the group, the 3rd oldest (and considering the Kings have moved 83 times and the Bucks are just 2 years older that doesn't mean much), and the only one of the only one of these teams that has won a title in the last 40 years (or been to the finals more than twice).

Just saying we'd certainly be high on the list. Sorry you're so defensive.

 

[julius]

Just saying we'd certainly be high on the list. Sorry you're so defensive.

I forgot that you channel John Canzano when someone points out your hairbrained ideas are hairbrained.

 

[maxiep]

I forgot that you channel John Canzano when someone points out your hairbrained ideas are hairbrained.

Wow, pulling the card of someone I don't read? I didn't know you were so desperate.

The fact is almost any team can make the pitch you did, but it means squat. We have almost no corporate sponsorship compared to other small cities and it would be a great excuse to get a team to move to Seattle, because they'd capture our market as a default. We also have an aging stadium and there's no appetite for public funding of a new one.

It sucks, but we'd be on the list.

 

[julius]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you maxiep!

 

[PDXFonz]

I realize it won't happen. But it would be better for the players and fans if it did.
Expanding will just make the league mirror the nation's/world's economy by increasing the number of "have nots" while consolidating the power in a few key teams.

Well then the problem isn't the number of teams, it's the dispersion of talent. That is what should be addressed imo.

 

[BigGameDamian]

Well ya, I have a feeling this draft will be the strongest draft since "84.

Not to mention 4 teams in the biggest markets are in the lotto this year under a new commish. Coincidence or not?

 

[KingSpeed]

Only 1 sub500 in playoffs this year. Wolves wouldn't make playoffs if we took top 16.

 

[KingSpeed]

Not to mention 4 teams in the biggest markets are in the lotto this year under a new commish. Coincidence or not?

Knicks aren't in lottery

 

[BigGameDamian]

Knicks aren't in lottery

Well they sure as hell aren't in the playoffs.

 

[julius]

Well they sure as hell aren't in the playoffs.

don't you ever admit when you make a mistake?

 

[BigGameDamian]

don't you ever admit when you make a mistake?

I think your talking about Brooklyn. I'm talking about the Knicks. The Clipps made it and the Lakers didn't. That's still 4 major franchises in the NBA. Counting along with Boston and Detroit.