The Eastern Playoff Race

[shadowgrin]

This thread was more interesting with the Andre Miller love going on.

Aside of the relatively large 3, who else is there?

Thaddeus Young. Louis Williams.

Add Willie Green and rebounder Reggie Evans. If only Evans can hit a fricking shot 2 feet away from the basket then the Sixers won't need a PF that can score.

Andre Miller has also become really comfortable with his teammates. Past interviews with teammates, including from the Cavs, Clipps, and Nuggets, portray him as quiet, talks only when talked to, or in other words an introvert. Before their winning run took a significant turn for the Sixers, Miller has started talking more to his teammates and being open with them. I know it's trivial information but I guess it's an insight on the Sixers' leader on the court and how it reflects on how they're doing as a team.
Samuel Dalembert is still a puzzle to me, I still don't know how they movitated that walking overpaid contract.

Who really wants to see the Sixers and Hawks in a postseason over the Nuggets and Blazers?

*raises hands*

Back to the topic of the seedings.
With the conference-less playoffs, won't travel be a pain in the arse for the competing teams, say the Magic-Mavs matchup in benji's post?

[Sauru]

getting rid of conference playoffs would be stupid. who cares if the west is better right now 1 through 8 or 9 or 10? i mean why not just go and make it a 8 team playoff? or 4? the system is fine as is

[benji]

Why would it be stupid? Since when did "because that's how it is now" a valid argument against something?

With the conference-less playoffs, won't travel be a pain in the arse for the competing teams, say the Magic-Mavs matchup in benji's post?

The distance between Orlando and Dallas is 963 miles, between Houston and Oakland (Golden State) is 1638 miles. Miami to New York is 1088 miles.

Increases in technology and the fact that the teams all own their own planes is evidenced by how half the teams fly back home after road playoff games instead of staying in town. The Cavaliers could probably fly to play the Lakers in four hours.

Really, as I noted, travel is the only logical reason I can think of to keep the conferences. But I guess wanting to see the sixteen best teams (eight total might be even better...Celtics-Spurs, Pistons-Mavericks, etc. first round, hott stuff) in the playoffs irregardless of geographical location is too much change we can believe in.

[Andrew]

The conference system doesn't necessarily prevent the top sixteen teams from being in the Playoffs though. That wasn't the case last season when only the Clippers in the West had a record that could have made the Playoffs in the East (40-42, the same as the Magic) and even then they were only a few games shy of qualifying in the West anyway. Of course, when there's a lopsided disparity as there is this season, it's not very accommodating.

[SpaceFlare]

Well a lot of Eastern teams disappointed this season. Which led to the lopsidedness of the East and West.

Washington would be doing much better if they weren't banged up. The Bulls are underachieving, and so are the Nets (although I did like what I saw in their recent game against the Jazz). The Cavs have been somewhat disappointing although I think that was due more to them being hyped to do much better than they actually can. The Bobcats remain poor despite their having "improved" in the offseason (which I doubted as I don't think J-Rich is the scorer they needed to spark them to be a playoff team).

[benji]

The conference system doesn't necessarily prevent the top sixteen teams from being in the Playoffs though.

Correct, but it has a very strong possibility to do this. But that isn't making an argument in favor of the conference system, it's simply saying, that the last two seasons it has not denied a team a playoff spot. I can select a period, say the four years prior, where six Western teams were denied spots.

Still, what reason is there for continuing the conference and division system?

[Lamrock]

And for the record, here are the teams in the past ten years who missed the playoffs due to the conference system.

1999*: Charlotte (26-24, East)
2000: N/A
2001: Houston (45-37), Seattle (44-38)
2002: N/A
2003: Houston 43-39
2004: Utah (42-40), Portland (41-41)
2005: Minnesota (44-38)
2006: Utah (41-41)
2007: N/A
2008: Denver, Portland, possibly Sacramento

That is 7/10, and five of the last six years... You can say that it is insignificant, but honestly, when there is no purpose of conferences, isn't this just a better way?

[benji]

If you go back farther the East misses five times in five years during the late 90s.

[ThaLiveKing]

The East sucks, cause the West has so many Powerhouses coming East and killing em. Philly is the sleeper in the east, no one expected them to be this good. and that denver game was crazy, wished I had watched it

[Sauru]

if you change it to the top 16 teams in the league then why even bother having a east and west? who cares about divisions then also? if you wanna change the system then change it all and do away with all conference and divisions and let the top 16 teams enter the playoffs in the order or thier record. personally i see no problem with how it is handled now

[Andrew]

And for the record, here are the teams in the past ten years who missed the playoffs due to the conference system.

1999*: Charlotte (26-24, East)
2000: N/A
2001: Houston (45-37), Seattle (44-38)
2002: N/A
2003: Houston 43-39
2004: Utah (42-40), Portland (41-41)
2005: Minnesota (44-38)
2006: Utah (41-41)
2007: N/A
2008: Denver, Portland, possibly Sacramento

That is 7/10, and five of the last six years... You can say that it is insignificant, but honestly, when there is no purpose of conferences, isn't this just a better way?

The conferences do have a purpose; they add a structure for scheduling (though admittedly that's based on travel arrangements that aren't as relevant as they once were), playoff brackets and the All-Star game. Certainly that structure can be questioned but it's purpose for having conferences nevertheless. I'm not saying it's perfect but I for one enjoy the competitiveness of having only eight seeds up for grabs as opposed to sixteen that are open to the entire league.

Also, I have to bring up the Kobe/LeBron matchup again. I'm not sure how it's a great idea for such a matchup to potentially happen in the first round when people were so upset about a marquee matchup like Spurs/Mavs-Duncan/Nowitzki taking place in the second round.

[benji]

The Spurs and Mavericks were the two best teams in the league, Kobe vs. LeBron is a boring sideshow distraction. I'd rather get the media orgams out of the way early, than have them dominate a lopsided Finals sweep.

I'm not saying it's perfect but I for one enjoy the competitiveness of having only eight seeds up for grabs as opposed to sixteen that are open to the entire league.

Let's make it only eight seeds open to the entire league. Having over half the league make the playoffs is stupid anyway.

[Andrew]

The media does love to hype those matchups but I'm sure not everyone find them boring and not just because the media bills it as a marquee attraction. A matter of personal taste, I suppose.

Let's make it only eight seeds open to the entire league. Having over half the league make the playoffs is stupid anyway.

Interesting idea, but then there'd be complaints that there's too few playoff spots and it's screwing over teams that missed out by a couple of games (or on tiebreakers). No matter what system is in place, there'll be claims that it's unfair and it won't be universally liked.

[benji]

Yes, that's obvious.

The choice is not between creating a universally liked perfect system or not changing anything.

The playoffs should not be for everyone, no matter how many teams there are in them, teams will be left out. That's a reality. The question is, why, other than the obvious finanical reasons, do we have over half the league making the playoffs every year? Why do we have that not even being assured as the the top half of the league?

The questions come up only because of so much obsession over "tanking" and the "All-Star Game", while nobody cares about true structual flaws in the only part that matters, the playoffs.

[Lamrock]

How about a 12-team playoff with the top 4 getting byes, and seeds 5-12 fighting for a spot?

[Andrew]

I don't think that would be particularly popular either. The top four teams already get homecourt advantage in the first round, allowing them to take the championship in twelve games when everyone else must win sixteen doesn't seem all that fair.

[Sauru]

so far every solution to the current system that i am seeing here has new flaws of its own. my question is why change something with flaws (minor for me maybe major for others) to another system with flaws? there should only be change if its clearly better. i guess its pointless really as there is no way stern will shorten the playoffs even if thats the best idea( which if you do away with conference seeding then i think 8 team max is the best bet), too much money in playoff basketball. most people i know skip most of the nba games during the season but watch the playoffs really closely

[BIG GREEN]

Interesting how this thread is more popular than the western race...go figure.


Anyway...you all know who I obviously want to come out of the East...but i predict boston. Not because of their record..but because of their balance in positions on the team. It's gonna be cavs and them in the eastern finals and they will edge them out.

[Lamrock]

You think they will make up the 5.5 games to pass Orlando for the 3rd seed? The Semis will hold Cavs/Celtics.

[Andrew]

Orlando would have to finish no better than 6-6, which would still require Cleveland to go 13-0 the rest of the way. Should the Magic struggle to the finish with a 4-8 or 3-9 record in their final twelve games, that would give the Cavs an opportunity to overtake them with a 11-2 or 10-3 finish. I can see the Cavs finishing the season strong but it's probably not going to matter when the Magic only need to win just over half of their remaining games to stay ahead.