Should division winners get an automatic bid to playoffs?

[iowajerms]

Or should NBA take the top teams in each conference?

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[iowajerms]

IMO, there is no point of having divisions of you are not going to reward the winners.

 

[Davis_Mike]

This doesn't go far enough. They should take the best 16 teams regardless of their conference & seed them 1 through 16. I am tired of seeing the 17th-19th best teams make the playoffs while the 14th-16th best teams miss the playoffs

 

[jontaejones]

In the NBA, it doesn't matter as much.

In baseball or football or hockey, teams that are barely over .500 can march to the title. Not so much in basketball.

There have been a few teams in the West that have had close to 50 wins and didn't make the playoffs, but I wouldn't say any of them had a prayer of winning.

 

[iowajerms]

One thing I like about NBA is how they have their conferences split up. East vs West. I feel the rivalry between the two conferences is stronger in NBA than it is in NFL and MLB. I think taking that out and getting the best teams in the league will take that away. I like that it is the best teams in conferences.

I don't like that NFL has division winners automatically have home-field advantage. I think they should get auto-bid, but once you get in the playoffs, it should be seeded by criteria.

i understand there will always be flaws to the system. I figure to make the flaws to make the system more entertaining.

 

[redseat]

What would be the point of having divisions then if they do away with the winning getting an auto bid?

 

[WiggyRuss]

What would be the point of having divisions then if they do away with the winning getting an auto bid?

I agree - its not like there is a big controversy or anything....what would this really effect?

I am trying to think of a division winner in one of the current divisions that would be so bad they wouldnt get an 8 seed i nthat teams conference- and it doesnt seem like that is possible...i mean the atlantic is weak but the Raptors should get a playoff spot one would think.

 

[jontaejones]

No divisions. It should be like premier league. One big mass of teams...

Relegate the Sixers and bring up the Reno Big Horns!

 

[ericd7633]

I think it's a moot point anyway. There is basically no shot a division winner won't have a top 8 record in a respective conference.

 

[wildturkey]

Divisions have outlived their usefulness. Do away with them all together

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

Wah

the system is fine.

Are people really that upset that a 45 win team misses the playoffs while a 39 win makes it??

Neither are winning the title.

I like having divisions and conferences. It gives us rivalries.

 

[tducey]

This doesn't go far enough. They should take the best 16 teams regardless of their conference & seed them 1 through 16. I am tired of seeing the 17th-19th best teams make the playoffs while the 14th-16th best teams miss the playoffs

I want this in the NHL as well. People can say travel and what not but they do it during the season, why not the playoffs. Oh and Option A is my answer here.

 

[trojanfan12]

I don't think they need to get rid of divisions, but I'd like them to do away with homecourt advantage for a division winner with a worse record than the non-division winner they are playing.

A 45 win team shouldn't get HCA over a 50 win team just because the 45 win team played in a crappy division.

 

[The Derski]

Divisions in the NBA are worthless. I bet you half the fans around the league have no idea what division their team is in.

 

[wildturkey]

I don't think they need to get rid of divisions, but I'd like them to do away with homecourt advantage for a division winner with a worse record than the non-division winner they are playing.

A 45 win team shouldn't get HCA over a 50 win team just because the 45 win team played in a crappy division.

But then that gets rid of the only value divisions actually have. Without it, you get nothing of tangible value. They were mostly used to cut back on travel expenses and for people to see teams within their region. But technology renders that mute with better travel and television giving you the ability to see every team whenever you want. That's why divisions are arbitrary and no longer serve a useful purpose. 2 conferences, seeded 1 thru 8, is all that really matters now.

 

[trojanfan12]

But then that gets rid of the only value divisions actually have. Without it, you get nothing of tangible value. They were mostly used to cut back on travel expenses and for people to see teams within their region. But technology renders that mute with better travel and television giving you the ability to see every team whenever you want. That's why divisions are arbitrary and no longer serve a useful purpose. 2 conferences, seeded 1 thru 8, is all that really matters now.

They can still hang a "Division Champs" banner like the Clippers.

 

[DaRev]

Divisions are pointless. It doesn't even add rivalries now because the second place team in the division will most likely make the playoffs as well. Scrap the system

 

[ducky]

Divisions and conferences are needed to make schedules. They aren't pointless.

NBA schedules are brutal enough. You don't need to add 1000's of airline miles to every team's itinerary every year by doing away with divisions and flying teams haphazardly around the country every year.

Every single year logistics should trump a rule for the EXTREMELY rare times a division winner isn't a top 8 team. Same thing in the NFL.

 

[logic]

Is this even an issue? Has a division winner ever had a record that would have missed the playoffs? I can understand looking at the seeding as there are commonly division winners that are not top 4 that get the #4 seed, but saying they shouldn't get an automatic bid seems like a non-issue (at least for the last decade).

 

[WickedGoodPostah]

I say keep the conferences but do away with divisions all together. They literally serve no purpose. Just take the 8 best teams from each side and call it good.