<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The Hook: A smarter NBA schedule begins with realignment <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EndConferences?src=hash">#EndConferences</a> <a href="http://t.co/U08kLeCUa6">http://t.co/U08kLeCUa6</a> <a href="http://t.co/PwM6sjHt17">pic.twitter.com/PwM6sjHt17</a></p>— Tom Ziller (@teamziller) <a href="https://twitter.com/teamziller/status/537632943167254528">November 26, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The result of that is that the record of East teams will decrease even more due to the more difficult schedule, the record of West teams will increase even more due to the easier schedule, and then you'll still let the 8th best East team with a record of 35-47 into the playoffs and reject the 9th seeded West team that will now be 51-31. So what you said is literally the opposite of what should be done. You're confusing the strength of schedule issue with the playoff competitors issue. Both favor the East right now, but fixing the strength of schedule without fixing the vastly more important problem (bad teams bumping better teams out of the playoffs via arbitary geographical line) just turns the latter problem into a cartoonish farce. Doing both would be great if they could pull it off, but if you're only picking one, you have to adjust the playoff format before you adjust the regular season schedule.
AS bad as the East is overall, there is almost always at least 1 or 2 teams that are really good, and then just a dramatic dropoff after that. So in the Finals, a lot of times you have a Western Conference team that has had a brutal playoff schedule where every series is a tough matchup vs an Eastern team that is good, but has had a relativity easy march through the playoffs with maybe one tough series, and then a tough game or two before that.
What? Dude it's basic math. If you look at the current playoff seeding for both conferences, neither one of these teams would make it....although the NBA would take a huge hit to viewership and revenue if Lebron isn't in the playoffs. I sense the sarcasm, but I'm still not understanding your point.
Just switch Phoenix and Portland. Keep the rest as is. The fact that PHX is in a different division from DEN makes no sense. The fact that POR/MIN/OKC are in the same division makes no sense.
I was wondering about why would you want Portland in the same division for the SW region, PHX is much closer (regionally speaking) and would make more sense than POR.
Think about this, if you took the top 16 teams, Anthony Davis could be squaring off as the #16 seed against a #1 seed of Memphis or Toronto or Golden State. How unbelievable of a 1st round series would that be? Instead we'll be treated in the East to a snore fest of Toronto-Indiana, Toronto-Brooklyn, or Toronto-Orlando.
I don't think they should abolish conferences but I do believe they should abolish divisions, or at the very least go back to 4 divisions.
The past several years I've seen theoretical 1-16 seedings that make the playoffs, especially the first round, look way better overall. The abolish conferences and redo the divisions ideas with a 1-16 seeding could be fantastic.
The're listed in Southeast, at the bottom (on the tweet, it only shows 5 teams, but on the full picture it shows Grizzlies), you will need to expand the entire picture. I asked the same thing, but found it when I expanded the image.
Yes, but racism still exists, so does conference bias. "This team is in the East. They must suck!" :grin:
