Basically, what it boils down to is the increased number of divisions that allows average teams to make the playoffs... For baseball, somebody has to win 3 divisions in one league, so more often than not an average team will make the playoffs and then anyone can get hot for two series, (it takes 7 wins to make the WS) for basketball, it takes more victories to make the finals, the rockets had a good enough group to make the playoffs with 47 wins, not 41. (the league only had 2 divisions in each conference back then) The only other team to make it as far was the knicks of 99 and that was a 50 game season. The rockets had beaten the jazz & suns the year before, then it was about being on a roll that got them past SA & orlando. They still had two hall of famers on that squad too. Therefore one of the top teams will usually make the finals. So to say "If you're a Rocket fan, you can't make this argument," to me is not an accurate if-then statement.
here's the deal..the rockets finished 6th in their conference in 1995. finish 6th in your league in baseball, and you're going home. there is no "second season" in baseball. you're talking about average teams making the playoffs...IN A LEAGUE WHERE ONLY 8 OF 30 EVEN MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. and comparing it to a sport that allows in twice that many.
You also have to consider that one basketball game is more physically demanding than one baseball game and the NBA plays more playoff games. The NBA playoffs weeds out the bad teams.
huh??? it lets in bad teams to begin with! that's my point. the regular season should be weeding out bad teams.
the cards only won 83 games, were they not an average regular season team? of course The red sox were actually better but didn't make the playoffs. yes only 8 teams make the playoffs however, THEY ARE NOT THE TOP 8 IN THE MLB. In the nba, the top 8 make it in each conference...granted average teams make it but they are faced with higher challenge of course, name a team that made it to the finals that was average in the regular season (obviously the rockets don't count because they were the defending champs with two HOFs.) its not like the cards were defending champs?
the defending champs argument is not a strong one. a team can be entirely different from one season to the next...with free agency, injury, trades, etc. my point is there is a premium on playoff spots in baseball. the cardinals were not an average team...not at all. if you watched baseball this season, you know the cardinals were far better than an average team. you will never convince me the playoff system in the NBA is a good one. sorry. i prefer for the regular season to mean something. again, limiting the number of teams allowed in or limiting the number of regular season games played would be great, in my view. the strike-shortened season was just about right. about 50-some odd games.
But what does NBA format matter when the best teams (the teams with the best records) are still winning the championships? Miami, Detroit, San Antonio, Los Angeles, etc. These teams compete year after year at the top. The world series almost seems to have two new teams every year...
you watched all last season and you thought miami was the best team?? same with detroit the first time they beat LA? you're acting as if it's a bad thing that baseball has new teams in the world series every year...i'd call that a strength.
i understand where you are coming from however, with the division realignment, it allows average teams to qualify for postseason, ie. 2005 Padres, 2005 Denver Nuggets (in this case a higher seed). Before the realignment it was difficult to make the playoffs in baseball ala SF giants the year they won over 100 games. Basketball you were a lower seed with those records. But with the split divisions it allows potential average teams to either make the playoffs or have a higher seed. The cardinals were an average team because they only won 83 games during the regular season. They were not far better than average, the mets were far better, so were the yankees, redsox, tigers, and A's. They played .515 baseball throughout the season...how is that not average? and as for the rockets situation, the only changes they made from 94 to 95 was drexler for maxwell and pf by committe for OT. The other cast of players were there already. They also were 12 games over .500 that year.
Look... no playoff system is perfect. But, out of all of the sports, baseball's regular season STILL MEANS MORE than any other. Yes, since realingment/wild card, it does allow an "non-spectacular" team to qualify for the playoffs... and once the playoffs start, anything can happen... but its still an honor to be one of 4 teams in your league to even get that chance. Also, in baseball (like the NFL), your divisions mean something.... you actually play your division more than any other sport... so if you were the best of your division (even if your division sucked), you're still at least accomplishing something. (and if you end up beating the other two best teams in the league, and then the best team in the other league like the Cards did... more power to you). The NBA regular season is meaningless... the divisions don't mean anything since everybody in each conference plays the same schedule. It gets annoying when people complain about how all the tough teams are in the Rockets division... IT DOSEN'T MATTER... especially since the NBA changed the seeding rules, and home court advantage always goes to the team with the better record regardless. The NFL is somewhere in between... has meaningful divisions, does have two wild cards in each league... and does allow for some parity from year to year.
Okay, if the teams with the best records arent good champions then which teams are? I don't think it is a "strength" for teams like the Marlins to build a team for one season, win a championship, then never make the playoffs again. But I guess we have two different philosophies when it comes to sports and we'll have to go our separate ways... <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BX0fjs4ZVTs"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BX0fjs4ZVTs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
the problem with your example is that the rockets were a decent team that beat the 4 best teams to win the title. the cardinals are a mediocre team that beat 3 mediocre and 1 good team that literally gave away the series. these cards are the worst champs to come along in a long time.
are you seriously saying the mets were mediocre? the mets got hit by injury, but they won as many games as anyone else. this whole concept of nba guys complaining about mediocre teams in the playoffs is laughable.
So should the MLB office just hand THEM the trophy at the end of the season... you know... don't have PLAYOFFS at all... just... make the end of the season the last game? I don't think so, gentlemen. Take into consideration that there are GREAT teams in either the AL or the NL, and in the opposite one there are mediocre teams. If the Astros were to win most of their games against mediocre teams, does this make them the best in the ENTIRE LEAGUE? C'mon, now. That's why we have the series. To addo a little more spice to this thread, they should be called Major League Champions, not WORLD champions.
If you can make it through to the end of the clip (great song by the way with one of THE worst videos in history)... You can see what this video does to people... (puts them to sleep) btw- I hope the Cards got it out of their system now.. and we can finally break on through to the other side... <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YlYCK6f-nEY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YlYCK6f-nEY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
