The 2014 NBA Playoffs are now under-way, and basketball-nuts are ready for it. The first-round across the board presents juicy match-ups that have fans wild with anticipation.
Or do they?
The NBA has always been a league that prides themselves on the “Dynasty Team.” There are very few upsets in the playoffs, and the first-round (sometimes second-round too) is always a boring affair. The big teams win and the bad teams lose. There is no theater.
Another issue the league has faced is the “Un-Balanced” Eastern and Western Conferences. While the West is still as deep as ever, the East struggles to fill out the last few playoff spots with above .500 teams, according to href= http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Div.html >NBA.com.
In 2014, the ninth-ranked Western Conference team has finished with a better record than the eighth-best team in the East. This marks the 11th time out of 14 years this has happened, according to href= http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/24531858/nba-playoff-system-needs-changing-and-silver-is-taking-a-fresh-look >CBS Sports. To add on to the insult, the 40-42 Timberwolves from the West would have also made the playoffs in the East, if they had such fortune to play within.
Some say it’s “Cyclical,” while others say “Something Must Be Done.” New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver agrees with the latter statement.
A lot of rumblings are surfacing that Silver will do something about it, and the proof is the “Draft Lottery” mix-up he’s also speaking out on. He seems to take the aggressive approach.
The most popular approach to solve the playoff problem is this: To allow the top 16 teams in the entire NBA into the playoffs. This would completely take away any importance of conference play. It would also bring the “Brackets” into the Pro’s.
The way all of us get crazy about March Madness would transition over to the NBA in April each season, as the #1 ranked team would play #16, and so forth. Who would match-up in the classic #5 vs #12?
I admit, it’s a solution to solve the current crisis. I do not believe it solves the long-term issues that plague this sport.
What’s missing more than ever in this league is true and natural-rivalries. Most fans long for the day of the 80’s. They dream about Bird, Magic, Michael and the Bad Boys. They dream about an on-court fight erupting because of the sheer passion each of those athletes played with in those days.
The hatred towards other teams in those days led to success for the NBA.
In today’s NBA, there is nothing. No rivalries, no hatred, no swinging punches. The players today play paddy-cakes with each other. Our best player in the game (LeBron James) teamed up with two other superstars to form a mega-team.
Would Michael Jordan have ever teamed up with another superstar? No. He would rather “Beat” the best (and rub their nose in it), than “Team-Up” with the best and take the easy-way out.
The way to solve the NBA’s long-term health issues is to take a page out of the NHL’s playbook. Silver needs to "Regionalize" the game a bit, and force rivalries down the player’s throats. Force these guys to play each other so much, they can no longer stand the sight of the opponent.
Instead of opening-up the playoffs to the best 16 teams, they should instead force the first-two rounds of the playoffs to be “In-Division” only, having the top-four in each division making the tournament.
Here’s how it’s done:
1. Create 4 Divisions (2 in the Eastern Conference and 2 in the Western Conference).
2. Go with a regular season heavily based on playing division rivals (Unbalanced Schedule).
3. Have the Top-4 teams in the division make the playoffs, and then seed them #1 - #4 to play each other in the first two-rounds of the playoffs.
Here’s how the 4 Divisions could look like under this format:
Atlantic Division (Eastern Conference):
New York Knicks
Brooklyn Nets
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards
Charlotte Bobcats
Central Division (Eastern Conference):
Chicago Bulls
Detroit Pistons
Cleveland Cavs
Milwaukee Bucks
Indiana Packers
Toronto Raptors
Atlanta Hawks
Mid-West Division (Western Conference):
Oklahoma City Thunder
Minnesota Timberwolves
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets
Dallas Mavericks
New Orleans Pelicans
Memphis Grizzlies
Pacific Division (Western Conference):
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Clippers
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz
Denver Nuggets
Here’s how the 2014 NBA Playoffs would look like with the proposed (NHL) system :
Atlantic Division (East)
#1 Indiana Pacers vs #4 Atlanta Hawks
#2 Chicago Bulls vs #3 Toronto Raptors
Central Division (East)
#1 Miami Heat vs #4 Charlotte Bobcats
#2 Washington Wizards vs #3 Brooklyn Nets
Pacific Division (West)
#1 San Antonio Spurs vs #4 Memphis Grizzlies
#2 OKC Thunder vs #3 Houston Rockets
Mid-West Division (West)
#1 LA Clippers vs #4 Phoenix Suns
#2 Portland Blazers vs #3 Golden State Warriors
So, the Phoenix Suns would be in the playoffs, while the Dallas Mavs (finishing at #5 in the Mid-West Division) would be on the outside looking in.
Those four-brackets would consist of the first-two rounds of the playoffs. The “Territorial” rivalries that would exist would be amazing.
Not only would teams have to play each other more in the regular-season, but they would also know that they loom in the playoffs.
With the “Unbalanced” schedule (teams playing in-division more), the records would balance out across the league, and playoff emotion would return.
Give us the rivalries NBA. Wouldn’t Miami vs New York intensify if they played more often? How about Chicago and Detroit? Allow the three Texas teams to play each other more during the season.
The truth is, the NBA has a bigger issue when it comes to creating more “Parody.” The “Star Nature” of the sport is something cannot be avoided, and big-teams will happen. Aside from discussing the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, this new “Divisional Structure” would be the first step in bring nastiness back.
Do you know why the Lakers and Celtics hated each other so much in the 80's? Because they played each other so much in the biggest games of the year.
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