[On my knees begging] Change the damn playoff format already

What's the point of complaining? The same is the case with other sports. AL has for a long time been better than the NL. AFC for a while now has been better than the NFC.

The Rockets may have been screwed because of they're not in the JV league. But the Astros have prospered from this inequity too. I didn't hear people complaining that the Astros playoff appearances were "tainted" because superior teams(mostly from the AL) were left out because they had better competition.

 

Tides will turn. Just be patient. Like Meh said, the AFC has been prominent lately but historically the damn thing is like 21-20 AFC vs NFC. Of course your proposal would always keep things balanced no matter what. Could be interesting.

 

the thing is that with the nfl and MLB so few teams make the playoffs that even though one conference is overall stronger you still will normally get the best teams playing in the post season. Basketball is different in that over half of the league's teams make the playoffs....if you are going to have that many you must make it balanced somehow.


have east and west standings but i saw the top 16 teams overall regardless of location makes the playoffs and they do it NCAA style matchups of 1 vs 16 etc...it will ensure that the final round will usually be the two most deserving teams

 

So don't rely on the NFL and MLB model; the NBA has seen the same phenomena over the years: during the '90s, teams with losing records made the playoffs all the time from the west. In 1997, three teams in the west made the playoffs with sub-.500 records; the Clippers made the playoffs with a record of 36-46.

These things balance out.

 

Things definitely balance out in the NFL. Their playoff sytem might be the same old format, but their season scheduling allows parity and new teams to contend every year in all divisions.

In MLB The playoff format is okay since so few qualify for postseason. Its the lack of salary cap that keeps the same big money teams loaded year after year.

NBA, yeah teams don't seem to care a crap about winning the division. Its been about playoff seeding for years now. There's little need to factor division winners into the postseason format in my opinion...

Why not reward the best teams in any conference or division period? The 10th place Rockets have worked harder, smarter and better to make themselves better than 70% of the franchises. While the poorly run Hawks and Knicks shouldnt be anywhere NEAR having hopes for a postseason. Who wants to wait 10 years for balance to naturally restore?

 

There's nothing wrong with the format, the problem is the people running the teams in the Eastern conference.

 

I don't see why the number of teams that gets in makes a difference. Whether you're determining top 8 or 12 or 16, you're going to have a bunch of "undeserving" teams who are going to make it.

Ironic you bring up the NCAA tournament, because the single-elimination format is very much AGAINST the best teams advancing. In NBA terms, chances that the Atlanta can beat Dallas in a game? Pretty good. Chances that Atlanta beats Dallas 4 out of 7? Slim to none. In the NBA playoffs, two teams with a significant talent gap will almost always result in the superior team winning.

Basically, life isn't fair, and neither is the NBA system. You just deal with it.

 

And yet, in the "2000s" 12 different teams have made the World Series and 7 different teams have won it. So even though the big money teams tend to make the playoffs (i.e. Yankees and Red Sox), mid-market teams routinely get to the World Series.

 

Since the Lakers just landed Pau, I'll start praying too. Hey, that way we'll at least get out of the first round!

 

I think they should use a 2-division format similar to European soccer. The worse 2 teams get demoted to Division II. The best two teams in D-II get promoted to D-I.

That would eliminate a lot of crappily run organizations from the REAL competition in the playoffs. Also would eliminate tanking for better draft picks. The regular season would mean something. You'd have competition fighting for playoffs seeding at the top, for playoff spots at the middle, and for staying in Division I at the bottom. No tanking, no meaningless games.