NBA leaning toward not guaranteeing playoff spot for division champion

[HawkItus]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13301887/nba-leaning-no-playoff-guarantee-division-winners-adam-silver-says

 

NBA leaning toward not guaranteeing playoff spot for division champion

 

ESPN.com news services
 

NEWARK, N.J. -- A division title might soon mean a banner but no assurance of a playoff spot in the NBA.

Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday the league is leaning toward not guaranteeing a postseason berth to a team that wins its division, forcing clubs to finish in the top eight of their conference if they want a shot at the title.

 

The Clippers and Spurs were left battling in the opening round of the playoffs when the Trail Blazers, despite a worse record, received the better seed as the Northwest Division champions.

 

Silver had already said he expected a change from the current format that guarantees division winners no worse than the No. 4 seed. But after discussions with both the competition committee and board of governors, he believes the change will go further than that.

"First of all, it's never happened before that a division winner did not finish within the top eight, and our basketball analytics folks calculate that there's less than a 5 percent chance that it would happen," he said before taking part in a panel discussion at the Beyond Sport United program.

"Where we are leaning right now is that we would not guarantee a spot for a division winner in part because it's so unlikely to happen, and No. 2 if it does happen it would be potentially confusing to fans. No. 3, you would be displacing a team that did have a top-eight record."

Portland got the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference last season by winning the Northwest Division, but the Trail Blazers would have been seeded sixth by win-loss record.

As a result, the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs, two teams vying for the second seed on the last night of the season, met in the first round of the playoffs.

That sparked new calls to throw out the protection for division winners, and Silver said after the owners' annual summer meeting in Las Vegas that change was coming, though they wanted more time before voting on it.

"So while we're going to continue to discuss it a little bit more -- we need to make a decision before the preseason begins -- I think the greater likelihood is we will not be guaranteeing a spot to a division winner," he said Wednesday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[capstone21]

I absolutely agree with this ... Portland should not have had the home court this last season

[MaceCase]

Portland didn't have home court though, the Grizzlies did by virtue of having a better record.  Division winners only guarantee you a top 4 seed not home court, you should remember this from the last Boston-Atlanta series where Boston was the 4th seed and Atlanta the 5th yet Atlanta had home court advantage.   It is a stark contrast from the NFL where a division winner automatically gets home field in the wildcard round, going this route (although they admit that it's statistically insignificant) kind of brings up the question of what's the point of having divisions then?  It could even possibly open up the door for playoff seeding going by top 16 records eschewing conferences altogether too. 

[macdaddy]

Why even have divisions then?   If you win the division and miss the playoffs do you still raise a pennant to the rafters?   

[Ruckus]

I'm not sure this is the answer. What is the point of divisions at that point?

[macdaddy]

I think it's a good idea if they get rid of the divisions.  Didn't hockey do this?

[Dnice]

Don't think so, I'm good going back to 4 divisions all together pre-Bobcats.  

[AHF]

Portland didn't have home court though, the Grizzlies did by virtue of having a better record.  Division winners only guarantee you a top 4 seed not home court, you should remember this from the last Boston-Atlanta series where Boston was the 4th seed and Atlanta the 5th yet Atlanta had home court advantage.   It is a stark contrast from the NFL where a division winner automatically gets home field in the wildcard round, going this route (although they admit that it's statistically insignificant) kind of brings up the question of what's the point of having divisions then?  It could even possibly open up the door for playoff seeding going by top 16 records eschewing conferences altogether too. 

 

I don't like the idea of any artificial seeding within a conference.  I agree that it will open the door to discussion of top 16 overall records but I am much more in favor of just seeding the top teams from the East for the playoffs than what we saw last year.