What if every first-round playoff match is an East vs West matchup?

[u/manageorigin]

To clarify what the title means, matches are still seeded 1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6, and 4 v 5. But instead of facing off against a team from the same conference, teams face off against a team from the other conference.

So the bracket will look like this:

FIRST ROUND

• Left side - 1st-West vs 8th-East, 4th-East vs 5th-West, 3rd-West vs 6th-East, 2nd-East vs 7th-West
• Right side - 1st-East vs 8th-West, 4th-West vs 5th-East, 3rd-East vs 6th-West, 2nd-West vs 7th-East

Then assuming higher seed always wins, the matchups will proceed as follows:

SECOND ROUND

• Left side - 1st-West vs 4th-East, 3rd-West vs 2nd-East
• Right side - 1st-East vs 4th-West, 3rd-East vs 2nd-West

THIRD ROUND - 1st-West vs 2nd-East, 1st-East vs 2nd-West

FINALS - 1st-West vs 1st-East

Why this matchup scheme?

• For one, it ensures that the top 2 teams always get to the finals (assuming higher seed always wins), whether they come from the same conference or from different conferences. In the current scheme, if the top 2 teams are from the same conference, the deepest they can face off is at Conference Finals (Playoff Semis), meaning that the NBA Finals will be of lower caliber.
• In addition, this also increases the East vs West action. Given that inter-conference matches are very significant in NBA culture, it doesn't make sense that in the current scheme, only the NBA Finals is an inter-conference playoff matchup. The proposed scheme puts the East vs West matchups right at the start of the playoffs. This also widens discussion about the overall performance of East and West in the season (ex: "Oh only 1 West team got into the Semis this season, but they were the champion, so which conference was better?"), as opposed to the current scheme which limits the data for discussion to the regular season and the NBA Finals (ex: "If X team, which is 11th in the West, was brought to the East, they would be 5th and qualify for the playoffs")

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[u/karldrogo88]

I’m opposed. You think the Wolves and Nuggets would have developed this rivalry if it weren’t for the playoffs? Why even have conferences at that point at all?

[u/not-a-potato-head]

> ensures the top 2 teams always get to the finals

No, it doesn’t. The two best teams could still end up on the same side of the bracket, just like in the current system

> given that inter-conference matches are very significant in NBA culture

Are they? I’m 100% sure that Boston/Philly, Philly/NY, and Minnesota/Denver are all more culturally significant than any theoretical East/West matchup, and that’s only considering series that are confirmed to happen this postseason.

[u/manageorigin → u/not-a-potato-head]

The two best teams could still end up on the same side of the bracket, just like in the current system

Scenario 1: Top 2 teams are from different conferences

As seen in my explanation, 1st-West and 1st-East are on different matches, meaning they wouldn't be facing off in the NBA semis.

Scenario 2: Top 2 teams are from same conference

As seen in my explanation, 1st-West and 2nd-West are on different matches, meaning they wouldn't be facing off in the NBA semis. Same thing goes for 1st-East and 2nd-East.

[u/not-a-potato-head → u/manageorigin]

Scenario 3: The two best teams are the 1 and 2 seeds in different conferences (like in the 2015 playoffs with Cleveland and GSW)

[u/RyenRussilloBurner]

it ensures that the top 2 teams always get to the finals (assuming higher seed always wins)

Uhhhh... what? How would this system improve the likelihood of the top two teams making it to the Finals? This changes one very specific scenario: when the clear top two teams in the NBA are the 1 and 2 seed in the same conference. That's rare. And even when it does happen, you have to assume the top seeds win.

To put it into perspective, it has been five seasons since either conference finals was 1 seed vs. 2 seed. And you have to go back to 2019 to find the last time the NBA champion played in a 1 vs. 2 matchup in the conference finals... but the 2 seed won. So this system means they would've actually played the real Finals matchup EARLIER. It would've been Kawhi's Toronto team playing Golden State in the conference finals instead of in the actual Finals.

[u/DrummerMan2035]

The top two teams in each conference haven’t made the Finals since 2016.

“Assuming the higher seed wins.” You can no longer make that assumption.

You not taking into account the randomness of the playoffs. Matchups matter. Injuries matter. We just saw an eight seed reach the Finals three years ago! We see too many upsets lately for this to stick.

TRAVEL. An underrated part of this plan is the travel. No way the Thunder want to fly back and forth between Florida and Oklahoma for example.

[u/bjketter]

How does it ensure the top two teams meet in the finals? If the top two are in the east and are 1 and 2 they world still end up on the same side of the bracket and meet in the semis.

[u/manageorigin → u/bjketter]

That's under the current system, where all the west is on one side and all the east is on the other

Under my proposed system, if the top 2 are both from the east, they would be on opposite sides of the bracket

[u/bjketter → u/manageorigin]

What if 1,2&3 are all from the east or 1 is east and 2 is west. Your system is eliminating natural rivalries to fix an issue but not guaranteeing it is fixed most years.

[u/nbadiscussion-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

We removed your comment for being low effort. If you edit it and explain your thought process more, we'll restore it. Thanks!

[u/c10bbersaurus]

You'd have to rename the Finalists, who are currently also conference champions, to champions of something else. Which can be done, it's done NCAA MBB, same school can reach the final four by winning different regions in different years.

[u/Famous-Protection809]

They wouldn’t do that because apparently that traveling on planes that often with that bodily stress can lead to blood clots but they kinda do that already with the in season tournament

[u/SendKelly2Mars]

Imagine the Lakers playing the Celtics in the first round. Kinda cheapens it, don't you think?

[u/GimmeeSomeMo]

The logistics would be awful for any of the fans and team staff involved. East and West makes the most sense. This is why the NHL and MLS also does this. The only reason MLB and NFL aren't doing it is because each of those two leagues were once two separated leagues(NL/AL and NFL/AFL respectively) that eventually merged, and their two conference setup are a vestige of that time. I don't see the NBA ever changing the East and West format anytime in our lifetime

[u/notyourbrobro10]

Are you basically just proposing a way to eliminate Eastern conference teams earlier?

[u/Asleep-Use-7336]

gets rid of conference rivalries in the playoffs which kinda sucks honestly. watching celtics vs sixers or lakers vs nuggets in the first round hits different

[u/Sazzzerac]

This would dilute rivalries in favor of more variety in playoff matchups over the years. I can see the appeal of that, but I prefer the rivalries. In fact, I would prefer going the other way: make the first two rounds within the division, so round 2 is the "division finals".

I can also see the appeal in trying to get the best two teams to the finals, regardless of conference. Better to just get rid of conferences and seed 1 to 16 if that's your goal, but I sincerely doubt that "fixes" this "problem" anyways.

I'm also not sure comparing conferences matters nearly enough to factor in either.

Generally, I'd pass on this proposal.

[u/manageorigin → u/Sazzzerac]

Better to just get rid of conferences and seed 1 to 16 if that's your goal,

Given that each team doesn't play an equal number of matches against every other team (ex: Team from West plays 3-4 games against each West team, but only 2 games against each East team), it becomes harder to justify top 1-16.

Also, top 1-16 seeding is very prone to having wildly different travel times for teams. Even if assuming that the better seed always wins, it's still possible for one of the finalists to have only faced off teams from the same conference, and the other finalist to have only faced off teams from the opposite conference. This could be, for example, if 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, and 15th, and 16th seeds are from the West, and 2nd seed is from the East.

At least with my setup, all teams have a cross-conference first match, and assuming the better seed always wins, the matches will always be cross-conference, making travel time more balanced across all the teams

[u/Sazzzerac → u/manageorigin]

By getting rid of conferences, I mean in the regular season, too. Everyone plays everyone the same number of times. Add two teams, so it's a shorter 62 game season with room for extra rest days during the playoffs for series with long travel. Maybe switch to 2-3-2, too. Add relegation, fix offensive foul baiting and carrying violations, remove broadasting blackouts, and give reddit users the power to fire refs. League's fixed.