NBA commish Silver: Playoff system won't change until 2016-17 at earliest
NBA commissioner Adam Silver created some buzz last week when he said he was open to scrapping the current playoff format to adopt a system that would see the best teams get in, regardless of conference.
It's something proponents have pushed for over the last few years due to the imbalance in the quality of each conference. The Western Conference is continually better than the East, and the disparity only appears to be growing.
Silver clarified his comments to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports, saying the earliest a change to the playoff system would occur is for the 2016-17 season. And it's certainly far from a guarantee.
Silver says:
There is a lot to be said for taking a fresh look at our seedings and ensuring the very best teams are competing in the playoffs. I should've been slightly more cautious in my response (to Golden State broadcaster) only because there is a long tradition in terms of our conference system. There are some important logistic issues we need to examine in terms of travel (and schedules). It's fair to say it's something that requires a very strong examination."
The West is so loaded that the ninth and 10th seeds - the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively - would be playoff teams in the East, while the No. 7 seed San Antonio Spurs would have the third-best record in the conference.
| Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warriors | 40-9 |
| 2 | Grizzlies | 38-13 |
| 3 | Rockets | 35-16 |
| 4 | Trail Blazers | 35-17 |
| 5 | Mavericks | 35-18 |
| 6 | Clippers | 33-19 |
| 7 | Spurs | 32-19 |
| 8 | Suns | 29-24 |
| Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawks | 42-10 |
| 2 | Raptors | 35-17 |
| 3 | Bulls | 32-20 |
| 4 | Wizards | 32-20 |
| 5 | Cavaliers | 32-21 |
| 6 | Bucks | 28-23 |
| 7 | Hornets | 22-29 |
| 8 | Heat | 21-29 |
Silver further touched on potential playoff reform:
I'd like to think I've always been receptive to new ideas, but I'd also say I've learned, as much through osmosis - from owners who've been incredibly successful in their own right and from executives at partner companies of the NBA - that great ideas can come from anywhere. I've learned that you need to look broader than the traditional decision-making processes that businesses follow, especially with a sport like basketball, where there are so many people who follow it passionately and have great ideas about how to improve the game.