i am not sure who instituted the new 3 division system but it has certainly has caused a kink in the playoffs. Would they change if it something like this happened: (which it very well may) Denver who is sitting currently in the 3rd seed due to leading their division arent that far ahead of the teams fighting for the 8th spot. So what would happen if Sacramento,Golden State, Houston end up having a better record then denver but end up missing the playoffs because of the mandatory division winner playoff lock? It very well could happen this year I would be really upset if something like this happened, even if it wasnt to the rockets i just feel the best teams should be represented in the playoffs.
They would only change it if it cost them money. For instance, the highly anticipated Spurs/Mavs matchup in the 2nd round will probably get solid ratings, but the WCF matchup could be a snoozefest depending on who makes it (Nuggets, Suns, Clippers?). Then again, I'm not so sure that the Spurs/Mavs would get good ratings anyway.
Fixing NBA's playoff format by Steve Kerr If the Western Conference playoffs began today, one first-round matchup would pit the Dallas Mavericks – who own the third-best record in the NBA – against the Los Angeles Clippers, who own the fifth-best mark in the West. The survivor would then most likely take on the team with the second-best record in the league – the San Antonio Spurs – in the second round. This obviously makes no sense whatsoever, but the Mavs and Clips would be the victim of the league's one-year-old realignment plan, which awards the playoffs' top three seeds to the three division winners in each conference, regardless of records. As a result, the Denver Nuggets – who lead the Northwest Division despite having the conference's seventh-best mark – would actually be the third seed, with everyone else getting bumped down a spot. Under the old format, the two division winners were the top seeds, with every other club lining up in order of record after that. Rarely could a team win a seven- or eight-team division without having a top-notch record, so the seeding fell right into place. Now, with just five teams in each division, there's a much greater chance that a mediocre team – like the Nuggets (or the Boston Celtics last season) – can snare the No. 3 seed and throw a wrench in the plans. In this system, the Mavs, Clips and Spurs will all be furious. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns – the current No. 2 seed – would be thrilled. They would avoid either San Antonio or Dallas and face a much weaker opponent in the second round, assuming they got that far. And the fans might get cheated out of seeing the two best teams in the conference slug it out for a trip to the Finals. My TNT colleague Doug Collins believes that for the playoffs' second round the deck should be reshuffled and the highest-seeded team should play the lowest-seeded team regardless of the bracket. I agree with him, although that still wouldn't take care of the Mavericks-Clippers first-round matchup issue. I would take things one step farther and simply seed all eight playoff teams by record. The winners of each division would be guaranteed a postseason berth, but nothing more. If the Nuggets had the seventh-best record in the conference, they would make the playoffs and be the seventh seed. That way every team would be rewarded for their performance, and not for competing in a bad division. Conversely, teams like Dallas wouldn't be penalized for being in the same division as San Antonio. The argument against my idea is that, by seeding according to record, the league would take away the reward for winning a division title. I understand that, but in my estimation, that would be a much smaller injustice than the one that will be committed under the current rules. The way this season is shaping up, it looks like there will be plenty of controversy come playoff time, and I think that will instigate a change in the rule next season. My guess is that the league would go for Collins' reshuffle in the second round over my plan, but either way, there will be plenty of discussion this summer. The Chicago Bulls may not be heading back to the playoffs, but there's light at the end of the tunnel for John Paxson and Scott Skiles. The Bulls are developing a solid young corps of perimeter players, and they have New York's first-round pick this summer as a result of the Eddy Curry trade. Chicago also has the right to swap first-round picks with New York the following season when 7-foot Ohio State-bound phenom Greg Oden is expected to be the first pick in the draft. With the Knicks in disarray, it appears that the Bulls will own a very high lottery pick in June – and maybe two, if they continue to struggle as they have, because they have their own pick as well. The Curry deal also allowed the Bulls to clear $15 million of salary-cap room for this summer, so they can be major players in the free-agent market. With plenty of young, attractive players like Luol Deng, Darius Songaila, Kirk Hinrich, and Ben Gordon to go along with the future draft picks and financial flexibility, Chicago is well-positioned for the future. A team whose future may be now is the Clippers, who are challenging Phoenix for the Pacific Division crown. The Clips have had plenty of talent the past few years, but Sam Cassell has pushed the team over the top this season. His penchant for hitting the big shot has given this Clippers team a different feel. They're cocky now, like they know they're going to win, and Cassell is the reason. Last week, he hit a three-pointer in Toronto to force overtime, then hit two huge threes at Madison Square Garden to take care of the Knicks late. Cassell laughs his way through games and is clearly unaffected by pressure. In fact, he welcomes it. Adding a weapon like that to the young nucleus he already has, coach Mike Dunleavy has to feel very good about his squad right now. Speaking of difference-making guards, Chris Paul has been the catalyst for the surprising New Orleans Hornets this season and very narrowly missed out on an All-Star appearance in his rookie season. Paul has the ability to get to any spot on the floor with a unique blend of strength, speed and ball-handling skills. Hinrich described Paul as "slippery strong" after playing against him last week. That's as good a description as any. Nobody can seem to stay in front of the guy. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...YF?slug=sk-notebook021506&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
I agree that the playoff seedings suck lets go back to the 2 divisions. Right now I am going to keep an eye on the Pacific if somehow the Clippers pass Phoenix for the division crown I will rejoice. That would mean a match up of Phoenix vs. Dallas in the first round. I would love to see Phoenix kicked out of the playoffs in the first round. Then that lets Dallas and SA duke it out in the second. If we can somehow get super hot and the other playoff teams start to falter we may have a chance at the 6 or 7 seed as none of them are playing well right now. Current 6 is NO Current 7 is Mem Lakers are about to fall out of the playoffs and I see NO falling to the 8 or lower. Which means we may have a shot at the 7 seed versus the Suns or Clippers. what do you think? Based on my assumptions second round would pit us against Denver or Memphis. Both teams we can beat. Only teams I want to avoid in the first round are Dallas / SA (save that for the second) J
here is a smart fix: since the NBA wants at least one team from each division in the playoffs, just take away the division leaders "right" to home court. for example, using the same senario as the thread starter, denver can have a rose record than a team the misses the playoffs, but at least they won't be the 3rd seed, they'll be 8th. also, the WCF doesn't have to take place in the second round between the spurs and the mavs. the rockets and the mavs wouldn't have to play in the first round again. the 3 texas teams could be the top 3 teams next year.
