In effort to keep the attention of fans in an ever-changing viewing landscape, sports leagues are in constant search of ways to keep eyes on their respective sport.
The NBA might be throwing their hat in the ring for a change in playoff seeding to do exactly that, if what Adam Silver says is correct.
Talk of seeding the teams 1-16 appears to be heating up. What's up in the air is whether the top-eight teams from each conference will go -- honoring division champions -- and seeded from there or if the playoffs will simply be the top-16 teams.
How about neither and we just stick with the status quo?
The NBA is one of the major sports leagues not losing fans or viewership. In fact, in an age when baseball is losing fans and the NFL is losing viewership, the NBA is holding strong and even gaining momentum in certain areas. Why mess with what's working?
I'm pretty traditional when it comes to sports. I enjoy them and tend to watch less and less if rules change and over indulgence of stats are introduced. I am likely in the minority especially when it comes to advanced stats. But I still enjoy the old standards, especially as it pertains to the old rivalries in the NBA, the playoff matches and all. The formula has worked for so many years and will continue to work if given the chance.
What exactly is the reasoning? Giving a chance for more parity? Tired of seeing the same two teams/players in the finals? Or is it, in the words of Shane McMahon's entrance song, "Here comes the money!"
Looking at the current standings of the top-16 teams this year, nine with the best records are from the Western Conference and seven from the East. This would seem pretty fair; nothing outrageous like a few years back when teams with winning records from the West were on the outside like in. Because the West is clearly the dominant conference. Right?
A perceived Western Conference dominance
Over the past six years, champions have been crowned from both conferences. In fact, during this span, the East and West are tied at three titles apiece.
Now, we've seen a lot of LeBron James in this time. In fact, he's participated in all six of the Finals. He is a major reason why the East winning, twice with the Heat, once with the Cavs, but you might also think teams from the West have a tougher road. Therefore, they're beat down and tired upon reaching the Finals.
This, too, would be a false assumption. In fact, outside the Warriors in 2015-16 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2013-14, teams in recent years were pretty evenly matched in games played prior to the Finals. The championships by the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013 actually saw them play more games than their Western Conference counterparts.
The last two years would have also seen more Eastern Conference teams make the playoffs if the NBA had allowed the teams with the best records to be in the playoffs. (9 to 7) in each year.
From the year 2000 to the present, the Eastern Conference has only won six titles. The Heat have won three with one each from the Cavs, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons.
Pretty dominant, yes. But looking back at the years 1980-1999, the Western Conference won only eight titles. Five of those were by the Los Angeles Lakers, two by the Houston Rockets, and one by the San Antonio Spurs. Even in the years the East won, the losing team often involved Houston or Los Angeles.
Tides sway over time and power shifts. The problem lies more in the creation of super teams (and teams tanking) than it does in playoff seeding and starting a new format. It might be fun for a year or two, but in the end you'll end with the same problem.
If Silver, on the other hand, decides to make a super league, much like the Premier League in soccer, that would be something to watch. 20 teams in an A-League, 10 in a B-League (or more with expansion, maybe) with the bottom four in 'A' relegated while top four in 'B' promoted after each season? Two different NBA drafts while even keeping the Gatorade league?
Now that's something I can get behind.
For more thoughts on sports, pop culture and more, be sure to follow on Twitter: @jasonrh_78
Picture courtesy of flickr.com
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