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FOX Sports Live analyzes Doc Rivers' critique of the
NBA's playoff format.
NBA's playoff format.
The Issue |
In the first round of the playoffs, the first seeded team plays the eighth; the second plays the seventh; the third plays the sixth; and the fourth plays the fifth. The role divisions play in playoff seeding becomes problematic when looking at playoff match-ups. For example, during the 2014 - 15 season, the Los Angeles Clippers were the third seeded team in the Western Conference with 56 wins. They ended up playing the sixth seeded San Antonio Spurs who acquired 55 wins. Although the Clippers won the playoff series against the Spurs, their head coach, Doc Rivers, was initially upset because if the division rule was not in play, the Clippers would have instead played the Trailblazers who had four less wins than the Spurs. Statistically, that would have gave the Clippers a bit of an easier time in the playoffs.
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This is Where to Start |
People like Doc Rivers believe that divisions should not play a part in playoff seeding and that teams within a conference should be positioned strictly on their record. This is the approach that the NBA should take instead of omitting conferences. The omission of conferences would be too big of a change and would completely ruin the dynamic of the playoffs. After the division situation is fixed, other steps could follow to make the playoff seeding system more fair.
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