Division Winners no longer guaranteed top 4 spot

[bksballer89]

Division winners will no longer be guaranteed a top-4 seed if they don't have a top-4 record, the NBA Board of Governors announced today. The 8 teams in each conference will be seeded by record. The league also modified tiebreakers, so being a division winner will no longer be considered.

 

[bksballer89]

So it is now possible for a division winner to miss the playoffs. One step closer to throwing divisions away

 

[wildturkey]

Bah! You bastard. You beat me to it. Now I know how every NBA reporter feels when they get Woj'd.



Anyway, bout time. This all but kills divisions which had served their purpose and aren't really relevant anymore

 

[Arizona_Sting]

This is good and long overdue. Next step: Eliminate divisions…. then conferences. Sweet 16 > NBA Playoffs

 

[bksballer89]

This is good and long overdue. Next step: Eliminate divisions…. then conferences. Sweet 16 > NBA Playoffs

Pretty sure they'll never eliminated conferences. Divisions will be eliminated pretty soon and it will just be 2 conferences but conferences are here to stay.

 

[Davis_Mike]

Yep, divisions need to go. But for traveling purposes, conferences need to remain.

 

[wildturkey]

This is good and long overdue. Next step: Eliminate divisions…. then conferences. Sweet 16 > NBA Playoffs

Eh...I like conferences. Sure its been unbalanced with the East sucking so much ass over the last decade+ but I think it changes too much of the history if you eliminate them. Lots of the most memorable moments happened in the conference finals or even semi finals. Plus, its not like there's been a clear champion where I've said "the only reason they won the Finals is they cakewalked through the East". Every champion has been worthy in my eyes to the point where I could still see them winning it even if they played a seeded 16 team tournament

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Eh...I like conferences. Sure its been unbalanced with the East sucking so much ass over the last decade+ but I think it changes too much of the history if you eliminate them. Lots of the most memorable moments happened in the conference finals or even semi finals. Plus, its not like there's been a clear champion where I've said "the only reason they won the Finals is they cakewalked through the East". Every champion has been worthy in my eyes to the point where I could still see them winning it even if they played a seeded 16 team tournament

I know it'll never happen. I'm just a bitter Suns fan that's stuck in the dreaded playoff purgatory.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Pretty sure they'll never eliminated conferences. Divisions will be eliminated pretty soon and it will just be 2 conferences but conferences are here to stay.

I think keeping the conferences is good. Even in the NFL, Hockey and Baseball, you have some divisions that are similar in nature, but I do like the top 8 in each conference making it to the playoffs.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Wow! I didn't see this coming this year.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

I think keeping the conferences is good. Even in the NFL, Hockey and Baseball, you have some divisions that are similar in nature, but I do like the top 8 in each conference making it to the playoffs.

You keeping that AVI forever?

 

[OregonDucks]

Yea conferences can't go because of scheduling purposes, but this is a positive movement for the league.

 

[tducey]

Awful move, got to be given something for winning your division. Only way this works is if they go to top 16 teams by record making the playoffs.

 

[Black Adam]

Wow! I didn't see this coming this year.

me either, but good stuff...

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

It is a minor change correcting a minor mistake that happened every once in a while.

Nobody was wininng a division and not finishing in the top 6.
That is almost absurdly impossible.

Home Court was already decided by record not seeding.

The old rule only really affected the 5 seed or occaisonal really good 6 seed.
No 7 seed or 8 seed has ever been affected.

And since the 4/5 was already on that side of the bracket regardless, it was negligible for the 5.
The impact is mostly to protect dominant 6 seeds.

How often did we have dominant 6 seeds getting screwed over?

 

[huskers1217]

and the east still gets a below .500 team while the west has a .600 team playing the lottery.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

You keeping that AVI forever?

No - I'm going to change it now that the bet is over, but I was hoping that eventually they get it together and become something. Damn, I miss the Steve Nash Days. One of the best players ever to not win a title.

 

[CitySushi]

It is a minor change correcting a minor mistake that happened every once in a while.

Nobody was wininng a division and not finishing in the top 6.
That is almost absurdly impossible.

Home Court was already decided by record not seeding.

The old rule only really affected the 5 seed or occaisonal really good 6 seed.
No 7 seed or 8 seed has ever been affected.

And since the 4/5 was already on that side of the bracket regardless, it was negligible for the 5.
The impact is mostly to protect dominant 6 seeds.

How often did we have dominant 6 seeds getting screwed over?

This past season. Your Spurs would have been the 5 seed, as opposed to the 6th, with Portland dropping to 6th.

Spurs probably beat the Grizzlies, which sets up a match up of GS vs. SA. The Warriors were the much better team overall for the season, but the Spurs have held over the Warriors almost to the point of considering it bullying. The Spurs were also the only team to have a winning record against the Warriors this year.

Not saying the Warriors don't win, but it does change the dynamic of the playoffs considerably. The Clips don't go 7 against the Blazers (new 6th seed) and are likely much more fresh against Houston, which they could then potentially win. If they do, the Warriors road to the finals goes, Pelicans, Spurs, Clippers. That's a considerable difference all with just this rule change.

 

[Demonjoe93]

Now divisions are even more meaningless. Seriously, what is the points of divisions?

 

[bksballer89]

Now divisions are even more meaningless. Seriously, what is the points of divisions?

Makes scheduling easier is my assumption. Scheduling gets a little more complicated without divisions