1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Is it time to change the playoff format?

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by DonnyMost, May 3, 2014.

?

Do you support a "true seeding" format for the playoffs?

Poll closed Jun 2, 2014.
  1. No, the playoff format is fine as is.

    28.0%
  2. Yes, I support true seeding for the playoffs.

    48.0%
  3. I am not in favor of true seeding, but something has to change.

    24.0%
  1. DonnyMost

    DonnyMost Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2003
    Messages:
    48,989
    Likes Received:
    19,932
    So yeah, this is direct kneejerk reaction to the fact that the Rockets got bumped early... but this idea was picking up steam before the playoffs began due to how absolutely horrible the East is.

    An example of this year's playoffs with "true seeding":

    [​IMG]

    Simple question, do you support this?
     
  2. Duncan McDonuts

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2008
    Messages:
    10,381
    Likes Received:
    4,179
    Definitely. Even though you have the Hawks giving the Pacers fits, the East lower seeds are generally fodder for the top heavy Eastern conference. They should get rid of all conferences and maybe just stick to the divisions for playing more games.
     
  3. Patience

    Patience Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    8,264
    Likes Received:
    10,731
    I don't know, I think the Raptors could have given the Rockets a good series too
     
  4. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2002
    Messages:
    46,550
    Likes Received:
    6,132
    No true seeding.

    But I like Battiers idea:

    1. First round is best of five.
    2. 7 and 8 seeds determined by single elimination tourney.
    3. Shorten regular season by 10 games.

    ALSO:
    - A Commissioners Cup during the All Star break, which would basically be March Madness style tournament with only the best teams invited.

    Imagine the gambling!
     
  5. ceonwuka

    ceonwuka Member

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2003
    Messages:
    1,947
    Likes Received:
    1,505
    The idea of changing up everything after we lose a series to an opponent comes off as whiny. To win it all you have to beat whoever is in front of you. We didnt.
     
  6. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2002
    Messages:
    46,550
    Likes Received:
    6,132
    Lowry would have destroyed us tbh
     
  7. hairyme

    hairyme Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2011
    Messages:
    691
    Likes Received:
    93
    The crazier thing is that out of the 7 East Conference teams, I would only expect one (Miami) to come out of the 1st round:

    San Antonio vs Charlotte
    Oklahoma City vs Brooklyn
    LA Clippers vs Washington
    Indiana vs Phoenix
    Miami vs Chicago
    Houston vs Toronto
     
  8. Major

    Major Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 1999
    Messages:
    41,681
    Likes Received:
    16,205
    Nothing wrong with changing up the playoff format, but arguing to do so after the NBA got the most interesting and exciting 1st round in its history seems a little misguided.
     
  9. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2002
    Messages:
    46,550
    Likes Received:
    6,132
    What are the chances it happens again? Make the first round best of five and I guarantee we have this more often
     
  10. AliefRockets713

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2013
    Messages:
    133
    Likes Received:
    18
    We still would've lost in the first round lol
     
  11. Major

    Major Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 1999
    Messages:
    41,681
    Likes Received:
    16,205
    Absolutely - shorter series always create more upsets. It just seems to weird timing - there's nothing that's happened in the last 2 weeks to make now the time to change the playoff format.

    If it wasn't time to change the playoff format last year or the year before, it's certainly not this year (from the NBA's entertainment value perspective).
     
  12. alcatrazpsycho

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2007
    Messages:
    713
    Likes Received:
    198
    Not a fan of true seeding as depicted, but rather semi-true seeding with two brackets.

    Bracket A: Odd-seeded teams.
    Bracket B: Even-seeded teams.

    Bracket A:
    1 vs 15
    7 vs 9
    5 vs 11
    3 vs 13

    Bracket B:
    2 vs 16
    8 vs 10
    6 vs 12
    4 vs 14

    In this scenario the Rockets would be matched against the Bulls. The hypothetical Finals where seed 1 faces seed 2 would be Thunder vs. Spurs.
     
  13. rudan

    rudan Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2006
    Messages:
    1,441
    Likes Received:
    65
    I would back this. A 72 game regular season would still be long enough to determine playoff teams and the first round should have always been best of 5. The first round of the playoffs should just be kind of a wild card playoff in the first place. This 7 game crap makes it go on forever :mad:
     
  14. J.R.

    J.R. Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2008
    Messages:
    114,346
    Likes Received:
    177,246
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>So who wants to change the playoff format? <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23game7madness&amp;src=hash">#game7madness</a></p>&mdash; Mark Cuban (@mcuban) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcuban/statuses/462653788960980992">May 3, 2014</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
     
  15. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2002
    Messages:
    46,550
    Likes Received:
    6,132
    Because we are seeing how exciting it can be when games that actually matter are played. Usually this doesn't happen until later rounds.
     
  16. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2002
    Messages:
    46,550
    Likes Received:
    6,132
    Says the guy who gets more money from a crappier system for the fans.

    I cannot stand Cuban and his transparent self interest in everything he says.

    Throw the idiot in the shark tank. I mean a real one like on Team America.
     
  17. RedRedemption

    RedRedemption Member

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2009
    Messages:
    32,542
    Likes Received:
    7,752
    Cuban sucks.
     
  18. rudan

    rudan Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2006
    Messages:
    1,441
    Likes Received:
    65
    Go Spurs!
     
  19. hairyme

    hairyme Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2011
    Messages:
    691
    Likes Received:
    93
    While I agree that this first round has been exciting (Rockets' loss included), I think if anything, it actually proves that the playoff format is broken!

    The first round, in theory, should NOT be exciting--it should be the top teams chewing up the bottom teams and spitting them out while the middle teams have close and contentious series. This year, the amount of Game 7s is a testament to just how evenly matched many of these teams are, and that really shouldn't be the case until later rounds.

    Granted, parity and upsets are a good thing, but with the current conference seeding, it's more like good teams are playing similarly good teams in the West and bad teams are playing similary bad teams in the East.
     
  20. alcatrazpsycho

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2007
    Messages:
    713
    Likes Received:
    198
    Here's what a two-bracket true-seeding looks like:
    [​IMG]
    This way the 8th-seeded team gets some breathing room too as opposed to facing the 9th-seed.
     

Share This Page