Mr. Silver, Tear Down That Wall: It?s Time to Let the 16 Best Teams Into the NBA Playoffs «

 

Everyone knows that 16 of the league’s 30 teams make the playoffs: eight from the East and eight from the West. However, according to ESPN’s NBA Basketball Power Index, which accounts for strength of schedule and back-to-backs, all of the league’s top eight teams reside out West. Sure, you could argue that the Hawks, Cavs, Wizards, and Bulls are no slouches — and I would certainly agree — yet the quality gap between the playoffs we get versus the playoffs we deserve has never been wider. Something needs to change.

 

The biggest travesty of the current system is that four of those Western powers will be out on the golf course by the time the second round begins. Perhaps this point is best illustrated by visualizing what the playoffs might look like with an alternative (and more logical) seeding process simply based on overall records (as of Tuesday morning). Given the imbalance of the league’s schedule, this approach has its own issues, but all of those issues favor the already-favored East. So, scheduling discrepancies aside, this is what the playoffs would look like with true seeding.

Then do away with conferences if that's what they wish to do. Come up with a better balance on the scheduling because that's the problem with it right now if they just swapped straight to this.

They need to do a realignment of the conferences. No way the Grizzlies and the Pelicans should be in the West.

They need to reduce the playoffs, IMO. I like 12 with top two seeds in each conference getting first round byes and a best of five first round. JMO.

One thing to keep in mind: there's currently collusion in the league in terms of playoff seeding and matchups.

 

I don't "think NBA" in the way that a lot of the people who I talk basketball with here in San Antonio do (read: I'm a UK fan and follow the college game, they are Spurs fans and follow the pro game).

 

Friend made a good point to me when he mentioned teams possibly "tanking" when it came to letting the Thunder into the playoffs as opposed to the Suns. Definitely something to think about, as I'm sure whoever the #1 or #2 seed is would much rather see the Suns in their first playoff appearance than they would the Thunder.

No. It's fine how it is.

Can't go top 16 with the schedule the way it is now

Can't go top 16 with the schedule the way it is now

 

Excellent point.

I'd settle for the "Entertaining As Hell" tourney for the 8 seeds. Just to tide us over.