There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about re-evaluating the current playoff format in the NBA, and there are plenty of valid arguments for change. The idea that’s gained the most traction is to simply take the top 16 teams in the league, regardless of conference.
The advantages are obvious. The playoffs would only feature the very best teams, and it would theoretically help avoid past situations in which the top two teams were in the same conference and therefore had to square off in earlier rounds, precluding them from meeting in the actual Finals.
It’s something commissioner Adam Silver has said the league will give serious consideration in the future. And apparently, that’s not the only postseason-related restructuring that’s on the table. According to a new report, the NBA is also mulling a possible play-in tournament for the final playoff spots in each conference.
Via Zach Lowe of ESPN:
Recent comments from NBA commissioner Adam Silver about tweaking the league’s playoff format drew intense media coverage, but sources say there is also some behind-the-scenes momentum for the idea of a play-in tournament determining the last two seeds in each conference — to the point that two specific proposals are circulating at the highest levels within teams and the league office.
The play-in proposal that has generated the most discussion, according to several sources: two four-team tournaments featuring the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th seeds in each conference. The seventh seed would host the eighth seed, with the winner of that single game nabbing the seventh spot, sources say. Meanwhile, the ninth seed would host the 10th seed, with the winner of that game facing the loser of the 7-versus-8 matchup for the final playoff spot.
Lowe, however, goes on to clarify that not only is this idea still far in the future, it would have to clear numerous hurdles (not the least of which would be as a component of the next collective bargaining agreement) before it becomes a reality.
Still, there are reasons why discussions have advanced this far. The impetus is two-fold. For starters, it would obviously offer the league a new revenue stream. And two, it would ostensibly help to dis-incentivize tanking.
Yet there would have to be other dis-incentives already in place to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, teams in full rebuild-mode would have no reason to offer themselves up as a first-round cannon fodder for the No. 1 seeds, not to mention that an un-competitive early-round matchup would do little for ratings.
Thankfully, it’s an idea still in its gestation period, with plenty of time to mutate and/or evolve into something better suited for this world.
(Via ESPN)
