End this shit Adam Silver, please!
Last night, news first broke that the NBA finally adjusted its playoff format of seeding now being based solely on record and not division winners like it has for the past decade. However, seeing the lack of competition in the Eastern Conference since the post Michael Jordan era has been plaguing the league with filth and mediocrity teams making the post-season.
This was evident last season when Russell Westbrook’s MVP-like season was cut short and we witnessed two below .500 franchises in the playoffs. Without Westbrook and future teams out west featuring top talent superstars having to sit home and wait until October to play again, is something we dread seeing every year. The question we have for you and the league (if/when they’re reading), is should the NBA finally eliminate both Easter and Western conferences?
We’ve had this discussion several times with friends and they tend to all agree, that the NBA should take a 16-team elimination approach like College Basketball. The league holds rich tradition with Finals matchups between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics from years past, but some Western Conference Finals have arguably been better than the actual main stage (see: 2000s).
Another suggestion someone made, is Adam Silver and the league might be trying to protect LeBron James in the East – ensuring he’s in the Finals every year for the biggest revenue possible against a West powerhouse. It makes sense for the NBA to have their biggest star in its biggest light every year; but once he retires, the league will be in horrible shape if they don’t fix things now.
The NBA’s popularity is an all-time high commercially, but without the future hall-of-fame dynamic small-forward in a few years from now, the Eastern Conference will be exposed more than ever for having the weaker talent. During the David Stern-era, this was questioned whether an adjustment should be made regarding a combined conference; but franchises felt fans and players would not like a cross-country back-and-forth travel if the Lakers and Celtics met in first round.
Well, judging from how idiotic both franchise have been ran for the last five years and moving forward, we’re not sure if this possibility would happen, as stars have shied away from both. So, the proposal we have is get rid of the conferences and have all teams combined for a best of 16.
Let us know in the comments if you’re ready for change or the same drag of boring playoff series.
NBA Playoff Seeding Has Finally Been Changed