Switch to MLB-style playoffs

[GeoDim]

Does anyone else think that the NBA playoffs would be better if they switched to an MLB format?  It would just be the winners from each division and then one wildcard.  This would not only make the regular season more competitive, but also eliminate the possibility of sub-.500 teams making the playoffs.  There should not be more than half of the entire league in the postseason anyway.

Of course I realize that this would probably never happen, because there's far too much money involved to cut an entire round out of the playoffs.  I also realize that this first round is probably the most exciting round in years and would not be possible under the proposed format.  What we're seeing now is not typical and the postseason is just too long, especially with some games being 3 days apart.

[Toine43]

I wish that the NBA would do that, but like you said, it'll never happen.

[Steve Weinman]

the postseason is just too long

I realize that this sentiment is fairly widespread, but I'm not among those who share it.  I love every bit of the NBA playoffs, no matter how long the tournament runs, and I find myself mildly bummed each year on the day I realize that we're done watching NBA games that count until the following fall.

I understand the sense in your proposal, but I have no desire to change the first round from the current format we've got now.

-sw

[PierceMVP08]

No way, cut the season down if you must, but not the playoffs and certainly not the first round.  That first weekend is still my absolut favorite weekend of the year.  There is nothing like a quadruple header on consecutive days and then at least a doubleheader everyday for the next two weeks.  Once you get to the second round and conference finals, its not really the same.  I hate when there are days off in between playoff games... I get fidgety 

[vagrantwade]

Longer playoffs!

[Edgar]

I dont even want first round to go best of 5
so i dont think so
but thats just me
and my love for playoff games and fun off regular season fantasy

[PosImpos]

The playoffs are fun and exciting the way they are.  I'm satisfied with them.

It's lame when teams don't make the playoffs that have better records than other teams in the playoffs, but that's just how it goes.  Until underdog teams stop winning upset games entirely, I think this kind of playoff system works just fine.

[GeoDim]

Detroit: 4 games under .500, makes playoffs

Phoenix: 10 games over .500, misses playoffs

This format would eliminate this scenario.  The other possibility would to seed the entire league by standings, but I'm a fan of divisions.  

You could also go the NFL route and go 6 teams from each conference and give the 1 and 2 seeds a first round bye.  This would cut down the amount of teams, while still keeping the length of the current playoffs.  The only problem is that the NBA is an extremely star-heavy league and more of an individual sport than football.  There's no way Stern would keep his top stars out of an entire round.

The upset scenario is almost nonexistent these days, unless there is a major injury on the higher seeded team.  In a 7 game series the better team almost always dominates.  If an underdog wants to prove themselves, they already have 82 games to do so.

Overall, my main beef is that the Playoffs should be more elite than they currently are.  Don't be jaded by this current series.  The Celtics are a mess injury-wise.

[PierceMVP08]

Detroit: 4 games under .500, makes playoffs

Phoenix: 10 games over .500, misses playoffs

This format would eliminate this scenario.  The other possibility would to seed the entire league by standings, but I'm a fan of divisions. 

You could also go the NFL route and go 6 teams from each conference and give the 1 and 2 seeds a first round bye.  This would cut down the amount of teams, while still keeping the length of the current playoffs.  The only problem is that the NBA is an extremely star-heavy league and more of an individual sport than football.  There's no way Stern would keep his top stars out of an entire round.

The upset scenario is almost nonexistent these days, unless there is a major injury on the higher seeded team.  In a 7 game series the better team almost always dominates.  If an underdog wants to prove themselves, they already have 82 games to do so.

Overall, my main beef is that the Playoffs should be more elite than they currently are.  Don't be jaded by this current series.  The Celtics are a mess injury-wise.

Under you scenario, neither team makes it. Also, neither do Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago or Detroit.  The only team I would want out of these playoffs is Detroit.  In the west, Houston, Dallas, Utah and New Orleans don't make it.  If you think it's bad that Phoenix didn't make it, imagine all those 50-win teams not making it.

Dallas never upsets San Antonio, Portland avoids early elimination at the hands of a clearly superior Houston team, we don't see this boston-chicago series or Philly-ORL.  Instead we get first round series of Cle-atl, and bos-orl in the east.  In the west we get LAL-por, and SA-DEN.  Clearly, DAL-DEN will be a better series and it looks like HOU-LAL would probably be a better series.

Houston would never have won the championship as a six seed in 95 and Boston never wins in '03 against the Pacers (a 6 vs. 3 matchup and a personal favorite  ).  A better solution might be to seed the whole league from 1-16 and that way a team like phoenix would have been in and Detroit out.  To put it shortly, I just don't like the idea of shortening the playoffs haha

[Edgar]

under this scenario we need our guys to stick a little i cant see rondo and perk getting speed against orl
so i will keep it how it is and hope

[GeoDim]

Under you scenario, neither team makes it. Also, neither do Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago or Detroit.

Miami, Philadephia, Chicago and Detroit really shouldn't be playoff teams, though.  None of them have any chance in winning a championship.  The only team that may even get out of the first round is Philadelphia, and that would only be due to D-wight's suspension.  They are all okay to good teams at best.  The playoffs should be reserved for very good to great teams.

Once again, don't be jaded by this current series with the Bulls.  The Celtics are a mess right now and only have one player who is legitimately over 6'7" (that Doc allows to play, of course).  The Bulls' regular season record was still .500 and in my opinion, should not have been good enough to make the playoffs.  They're streaky at best and are being led by a rookie.  Their time will come, but not this year.

In baseball, the playoffs are elite.  Because so few teams get in, the end of the regular season is some of the most competitive play in any sport.  September becomes its own playoff series in a sense.

[GeoDim]

Off-topic: My status just went from Bill Walker to Patrick O'Bryant...how is that an upgrade?

[guava_wrench]

Detroit: 4 games under .500, makes playoffs

Phoenix: 10 games over .500, misses playoffs

This format would eliminate this scenario.  The other possibility would to seed the entire league by standings, but I'm a fan of divisions.  

You could also go the NFL route and go 6 teams from each conference and give the 1 and 2 seeds a first round bye.  This would cut down the amount of teams, while still keeping the length of the current playoffs.  The only problem is that the NBA is an extremely star-heavy league and more of an individual sport than football.  There's no way Stern would keep his top stars out of an entire round.

The upset scenario is almost nonexistent these days, unless there is a major injury on the higher seeded team.  In a 7 game series the better team almost always dominates.  If an underdog wants to prove themselves, they already have 82 games to do so.

Overall, my main beef is that the Playoffs should be more elite than they currently are.  Don't be jaded by this current series.  The Celtics are a mess injury-wise.

All that matters is that the playoffs are fun to watch. Horrible idea.

Why would anyone want to follow the example of baseball. Talk about boring. 162 games? Yawn.

I also wonder why the focus on the East? Dallas is still in it.

Don't forget Houston won a championship in 1995 as a 6th seed. The Knicks made the finals as an 8th seed.

[GeoDim]

Why would anyone want to follow the example of baseball. Talk about boring. 162 games? Yawn.

And I must have implied that I wanted the NBA to play 162 games.  

There are so many games in a baseball season, because there can be, due to the type of play.  Also, because you have a 4-5 pitcher rotation, which requires more games.  And of course, because more games = more $$$.

I never said that the NBA should be turned into the MLB.  My point is to either take a page out of the MLB or NFL's book and cut the amount of teams, so that 54% of the league doesn't make the post season.  It doesn't have to be 4 teams from each conference.  6 would be fine too, but would require a bye week, if done by conference.  Anything less that 8 teams is what I'd like to see.

I understand that Houston won in 1995, which would have still worked in an NFL format.  The Knicks made the finals as an 8th seed....well, if you let 20 teams into the playoffs, maybe one fluke year a 10th seed makes it to the finals....would that justify a 20-team playoff system?

Either way, you don't have to worry, because it will never change.  Just throwing in my 2 cents.

[Roy Hobbs]

I don't like the idea.  Look at this year, for example.  If your proposed format was in place, the NBA would be missing out on an absolutely classic playoff series (Bulls vs. Celts), and another first round series that is in all likelihood going to go seven games (Philly vs. Orlando). 

Series like those are good for the league, as are upsets like Golden State over Dallas or Denver over Seattle (back in the day).  guava's example above of Houston winning from the 6th seed is of course the best counter-argument to this proposed plan.  Would the league be better off if fans were deprived of Hakeem leading his team to that title?

The other thing an expanded playoff field does is that it keeps the interest of various fan bases for far longer than it otherwise may.  A lot of fans get excited to see their team in the playoffs, even if they are the 6th, 7th, or 8th seed.