J.Ross: NBA, No Need To Change Your Playoff Format

The NBA All-Star Weekend just wrapped up and one of the takeaways from the showcase in Los Angeles was the league’s continued discussion of modifying their playoff format.  Over the last couple of years there has been a ground swell of discussion of making sure the top 16 teams make the post-season.  For years the Eastern conference wasn’t holding up their end of the bargain.  There were more good teams in the west and some of them were being left home.  I don’t like this discussion for several reasons.

If they were to tweak things then the league should eliminate conferences.  What would be the significance of playing in the East or West if the top 16 make the playoffs anyway?  Plus, if you think the leagues are unbalanced then the league would need to find a way to balance out the scheduling of all the teams.  I think the league goes in cycles and right now the conferences are pretty even.  The top of the West may be better than the top of the East but 1-8 on both sides is fairly even.

This is what the playoff bracket would look like if they adopted the top 16 format right now:

#1 Houston vs. #16 Los Angeles Clippers

#8 Washington vs. #9 Indiana

 

#5 Cleveland vs. #12 Denver

#4 Boston vs. #13 Portland

 

#3 Toronto vs. #14 Philadelphia

#6 San Antonio vs. #11 Oklahoma City

 

#7 Minnesota vs. #10 Milwaukee

#2 Golden State vs. #15 New Orleans

 

In this format you would have one additional Western Conference team in the Los Angeles Clippers that would get in and the Miami Heat would be left out because their record would fall short.  I don’t see these match-ups as a win for the league.  The Boston vs. Portland match-up would be a travel nightmare.  The main reason that people seem to want this is to get the two best teams in the final.  Have we missed out on that a lot in the past?  I have really enjoyed Cleveland vs. Golden State the last three years.  This would be done to get us a final of Golden State vs. Houston, unless of course we had an upset.  I think the league will continue to talk about this but that may be just it, talk.  Not that I am anti-change but I am for having it exactly how it has been for years.  This doesn’t feel broken to me at all.  Don’t over think it NBA.

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