Easily the best idea that the NBA has come up with in years. Forces a good number of teams to play until the 82nd game and beyond. With anywhere from about 12-16 teams vying to make the playoffs each season. Bravo NBA

_________________

Half the league making the playoffs is a joke for any sport. NBA, NHL, and now MLB have too many teams in the postseason. No doubt about it.

_________________

Ok then start a thread about how that concept has screwed up other sports. In the meantime bravo to the NBA for coming up with a concept that keeps actual fans engaged without caring whether haters such as yourself are engaged or not.

_________________

Larger pools of playoff teams only reduces the value of regular season meaning. It sucks across all sports.

Just get to the point where every team makes the playoffs. Then you realize that is what the regular season is. No need to play 80 games so 75% of the teams can keep playing.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

Nobody's watching
Nobody cares

Sort of like this board. Which only enhances the concept imo

_________________

But there are only 12 spots which are guaranteed. Which guarantees that 8-12 teams will have to compete at the end of the season just to make it in. And last season one of the play in teams made the Finals. Which only enhanced to concept.

_________________

But you play 82 games to determine who is worthy. Anything more than four teams per conference is a waste. Raise the value of the regular season or just eliminate it. When you let any decent team in, why make them play 82 mostly meaningless games?

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

But they actually aren't. Which is the point. There is currently a 4 game difference between the 2 and 8 seeds in the East. With Philly currently 8th. Philly is hardly an 8th seed. Their unworthiness isn't due to the merits of 82 games not mattering as much as it is due to Embiid being injured. They shouldn't miss the playoffs because of that.

_________________

Teams have always missed the playoffs due to injuries. That is just part of the luck involved in all sports.

I hate the direction of the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NCAAF towards more playoff teams. Each diminishes the value of regular season play.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

If there were only 4 teams from each conference then teams would be resting players like crazy right now. With this format they can't if they have a shot to miss ot make the playoffs. Which keeps fans that actually like the league interested.

Bob and Frank aren't that, thus it doesn't matter if it's an 8 team, 16 team, or 24 team format. They still won't watch. This time of year Bob is too interested in trolling White Sox fans about their shitty team, and Frank is too busy counting Bob's posts in the White Sox section and bitching about why Cub fans are concerned about the White Sox. Talk about something "no one cares about". Good grief

_________________

I will outline extreme examples to make my point. If you made the team with the best regular season record the winner of the league, then the regular has supreme value. If you let every team into the playoffs, then it has almost no value. Thus there is a natural tension between creating regular season value while still making the playoffs the arbiter of the league champion.

I know most like more playoff teams. But recognize how that reduces interest in the long regular season. My argument has already lost.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

But if this were the case then the NCAA tournament wouldn't hold much value either. The primary reason that it holds value for MANY is because people know that the regular season champion is not a determining factor in who ultimately wins the championship. And knowing this has not hurt its value 1 bit either

_________________

It’s why the champion is considered a random outcome.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

And it hasn't made it less interesting either. Which is my point. The play in has made the regular season much more interesting this time of year than it ordinarily would be

_________________

I would contend most do not pay attention to regular season NCAA basketball because of the tourney structure.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

The dreadful NBA play in will draw lower ratings than the out of town out of season football draft. Book it!

_________________

Just like YOU said the NFL Combine was supposed to do huh? Leave the prediction game to Swami Bob
NBA is killing off season Football currently by the way.

_________________

That isn't the case for the NBA. And again if there were only 4 teams allowed in from each Conference, interest would be way down

_________________

it's basically the safety net to full on tanking. it reminds me of the end of a soccer season where the relegation zone teams become fantastic matches to watch. the ones trying to stay up in their league play like it's the world cup final.

In terms of the final outcome, yeah, only 2x has a seed lower than 3 won it all: 69 Celtics were a 4 seed, 95 Rockets a 6 seed (getting Drexler mid-season that year helped out with their run to the title).

However, some of the best/most memorable/compelling? NBA playoff moments have been delivered by lower seeds: 8th seed We Believe Warriors taking down top seeded Dallas and last year with the Heat making a run out of the play-in (and almost being eliminated by the Bulls right off) to lose in the Finals to Denver.

Wouldn't be surprised to see a play-in team make another run at the Finals this year: potentially Sixers/Heat in the East and Lakers/Warriors out West (not sure the Pelicans can get done in the playoffs, dangerous team tho, New Orleans).

That too but last season the Miami Heat made it to the Finals as a play in team. MANY forget that they were 3 minutes away from being knocked out of the playoffs by the Bulls.

_________________

If mediocre is in the playoffs, then the season needs to be shortened. One or the other, you can't have both without, in the long run, hurting the sport.

Yep. There is more parity in the league than ever. Which is what MANY claimed that they wanted.

_________________

Mediocre (and often bad) teams always makes it to the NFL Playoffs and it has never hurt that sport.

_________________

On the rare occasion a mediocre NFL team wins a bad division and makes the playoffs, they don't play in the Super Bowl.

Ltg again.

_________________

You might want to check the percentages between NFL and NBA. And I would be the first to point out 8 divisions and the possibility of 8-9 team making it is a weakness in the NFL structure.

NFL season is short so its regular season is essentially an extension of the playoffs.

Other sports just let all teams make the playoffs and call the regular season what it is: Playoff seeding and bill paying.

All baseball teams making the playoffs would also let you shorten the regular season so games would not need to be played in the snow.

_________________
"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

This sort of analysis might be just a tad bit too "complex" for someone known as "Simple Frank"


https://champsorchumps.us/records/worst ... super-bowl

_________________

What if the play in winner got Caitlin Clark for the first round?

_________________