The NBA Needs To Change Their Playoff Format
For the last seven years, the NBA playoffs have lacked unpredictability in a major way. LeBron James has cruised through the Eastern Conference with ease as a member of both the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. And for the last three years in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors have cruised to an NBA Finals appearance without much of a fight from anyone.
But, there is a way in which the NBA could make the playoffs much more fun, fresh, and unpredictable without punishing the best teams. The best 8 teams in each conference would still make the playoffs, but instead of there being a bracket for the East and a bracket for the West, all 16 teams would be re-seeded in a bracket where conferences did not matter. This way, we would get to see brand new matchups that had never been seen in a series before, and there would be many more possible upsets.
Let’s take a look at this year’s playoff picture as an example- here is what the playoff bracket looks like right now:
Per usual, there are only a few storylines to watch this postseason- whether or not someone can upset the Warriors, and if LeBron will get to the NBA Finals again. There are only a few series that look like they would be lots of fun to watch.
But, what if the NBA decided to take on this non-conference bracket format this year?
Look at how much more fun and unpredictable this is! This bracket has so many interesting matchups both in round one and beyond, and there are many more chances for upsets. Could you imagine seven games of Embiid vs. Westbrook, or Anthony Davis against the team that has long been rumored to be trying to trade for him? Could the Spurs give Golden State trouble in round two? How tough can Utah play LeBron and the Cavs? Who wins Blazers-Raptors in round two?
The only person who won’t be a fan of this format is named LeBron James. Instead of his relatively easy path to the Finals that he has had for many years now, he would have a brutal path to winning a championship- having to beat Utah, Boston, Golden State and Houston in one postseason. No team can have an easy path to a title this way. With this format, NBA fans would be witnesses to a much more exciting, much less predictable playoffs.
