[ESPN] NBA considering re-seeding conference finalists, postseason play-in

I have a feeling we would all end up enjoy it at some point, however, it does feel like a let down for the yearly championship run. Almost as if it would mean less.

 

Yeah...this is pointless. A lot of the best players will sit out of these games which will just make them irrelevant.

If the NBA wants to make more money they should look at creating an international tourney with other leagues around the world, a sort of champions league tournament. I mean yeah the NBA teams are going to wipe the floor with the other teams but it would at least help the sport grow and the league grow.

 

That makes too much sense. Silver is babbling about European soccer being some sort of "inspiration." Well, why not use your suggestion and have a mid-season tournament against the top Euro teams? I don't know how their seasons jive with our own, but perhaps some members who know more about that could chime in.

The monetary aspect of this NBA "mid-season tournament" idea of Silver's, and you can bet he didn't come up with this on his own, that some of the owners are howling about wanting to add to their income stream, anyway, the money aspect pisses me off. I already shell out for League Pass. It used to include all the games, except for those blacked out, and you could watch them after the fact. So to get more dollar bills from the fans they dreamed up NBA TV. If I want to watch those games live, I have to buy that damn thing. Somehow, they're going to hit us up for this tournament over and above LP and NBA TV, in my opinion.

 

Right. That would be 10x better IMO.

It might start off small and sure, the NBA teams are going to wipe the floor with the international ones, but it would really help the NBA grow and basketball grow. A UEFA champions league run by FIBA is never going to to work because it's going to exclude the NBA since it's not in Europe...and Silver mumbles about having teams in Europe play in the NBA but the travel and that regular season is never going to work barring some revolutionary transportation invention that makes going overseas as quick and easy as going cross country. I know the idea floated was another division of European teams but also...there's already teams with rich history there, you can't just replace them the Barcelona Toros or something. Should be trying to integrate them in some way and cooperate them.

The logical sense would be to make this tourney international. Invite the best teams around the world that want to participate and just see where it goes from there.

I think it would be the next step for the sport globally and eventually you might get some teams like Real Madrid becoming big enough internationally to lure players to play in Europe. I know that's a hard pill to swallow for American NBA fans but that should be the goal. Selling tickets of a series between Barcelona vs the Lakers, Giannis returning to a rowdy crowd in Greece for the Bucks vs Olympiacos, that **** would be cool to see

At the very least, we know these games would sell. Team USA and Basketball is such a huge asset for the Summer Olympics, people love seeing the NBA stars and if those cities get a chance to see a real game for a trophy that could mean something especially if you name it the "World Championship" and name the trophy after Jordan (because who is more responsible for its international growth than he?) I bet you'd get interest for it.

I just don't see the point of this tourney. It sounds like yeah, it's just a cash grab that does nothing for the NBA season. At least with the play-in it makes it harder for teams to give up on a season...but this is just overkill and I bet it'll just end up being a participation award.

 

Would be better than Summer League lol.

Totally agreed, mang.

You have two opinions in there, which one do you favor?

It is good in the Summer but bad in the Winter?

 

I honestly don’t understand the need to keep trying to look for the next gimmick to generate more interest in the NBA. The NBA is the most popular it’s ever been, globally. It’s a good product. This need to keep tinkering with it to create fake drama... I don’t know, I just don’t get it.

You wanna copy European soccer? Well guess what those guys do: they’ve got a good product that sells well, don’t tinker with it too much and let the best team win. Seems pretty simple. Then again FIFA seems to be on the same path now with the whole “let’s have a World Cup every month!” thing so... I don’t know.

Maybe I’m too old school, maybe I’m an old man yelling at a cloud. But each new gimmick makes me less and less interested.

 

Dumbo ears Adam Silver is turning the nba into amateur hour. If it ain't broke don't fix it. How did he get his job anyway?

 

That is the question, when would it be. My initial thought is to just copy the soccer model, sprinkle in these games throughout the season.

So for example the Warriors would have a week where they play an international team for two games, then return back to the states to continue their NBA season.

 

I don't see how the mid-season tournament has the same popularity as the play in without including something that fans care about.

It would have to be something that has an actual impact like maybe improving draft odds.

 

Isn't that just the next step, lessen game loads and make more mini tournaments out of that?

 

I'm not sure what their next step is, or if there should be a "next step." I'm all for reducing game loads, doing away with back -to-backs entirely (definitely a "game load" in my opinion), unless they are for making up cancelled regular season games (venue has a roof leak, etc.), for example.

As for "mini tournaments" during the season, how do they reduce "game loads?" Who gets to play in them? Do they reduce the number of regular season games? Do they impact playoff seeding, or are they simply for generating more broadcast revenue? If the latter, what if a player is injured during one? I'm sure there are other potential issues I'm not thinking of.

 

If they want to make the play-in permanent then switch the 1st round back to best of 5. Making every series a best of 7 is unnecessary from a competition standpoint imo.

A mini tournament in the middle of the season would be logistical/travel/revenue nightmare.

As crazy as it sounds I wouldn't mind seeing a separate 4-team tournament running parallel with the regular postseason that determines the top 4 picks. Winner of the tournament gets 1st, 2nd gets 2nd, 3rd gets 3rd, etc. It would not only give those bottom dwelling teams more playing time for their rookies and young guys but also fans of those cities something to have a rooting interest after the regular season.

Round 1: Best of 3 moves on
Houston vs. Oklahoma City
Orlando vs. Detroit

Forces OKC to miraculously heal Giddey's hip injury and have him ready for the tourney.

 

Leave the game like it is damn. A 7th seed proved for 82 games they are better than the 8th, 9th and 10th seeds. They shouldn’t have to prove it again in a bogus tournament just to make the playoffs. In season tourney and play in tourney are both dumb imo.

 

That's a freaky idea! Not sure what I think of it, but it sure beats the mid-season tourney lunacy.

 

the play in is still just dumb. It really only made sense the covid year when the season was forced to stop

the play in, especially in the wcf is essentially rewarding losers. You had 82 games to prove you can be a playoff team. Teams that are clearly under .500 are not playoff teams and teams not within a realistic reach of a last seed should be allowed to qualify for some loser tournament to get in.

now some mini, midseason tourney, what a joke

 

This in season tournament crap is only viable because Silver is a HUGE supporter and he is constantly pushing it.

it is supposedly all a push to eventually have NBA teams play games in China and Europe and possibly eventually have NBA teams in those cities.

The NBA is huge on being a global game after their experience with the Olympics a couple decades ago and the popularity of the product outside the USA.

I suppose if there are enough top level European players, it may be viable to have players willing to play over there.... but getting them to agree to play in China is a long ways off. It is too far away, the culture and politics are too different and there is a language barrier. Most of these guys make so much money now you couldn't pay them enough to play in China over the USA.

 

another dumb idea just like the play in

The fact that Pat bev actually cried for winning a play in game is just absolutely hilarious

 

You could have 6 teams in Europe in another division easy enough. The travel isn’t that bad as you can get there in a 10 hour flight while we already have some 6 hour flights. The key would be that you only take one trip over there the whole year and you play all of the teams that you need to play at the same time kvetch the course 2 weeks- with a 3 or 4 day break when you get back. That seems viable and not unduly burdensome.