NBA likely to change playoff seeding
The NBA will likely move to straight 1-8 playoff seeding.
Currently, the three division winners in each conference are guaranteed a top four seed, along with the non-division winner with the best record. The logic of this rule was thrown into question this season, as the Northwest Division winning 51-31 Trail Blazers were seeded ahead of the 55-27 Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs.
Silver said that the competition committee recommended moving to straight 1-8 seeding regardless of whether a team wins their division. The Board of Governors didn’t vote on the proposal, but Silver said he expects it to pass before the start of the season.
This is a smart, overdue move. The Blazers shouldn’t be rewarded for playing in a garbage division, and the Spurs and Grizzlies shouldn’t be punished for playing in a difficult one. At a minimum, the Trail Blazers and Spurs/Grizzlies play 74 of the same 82 games; there just isn’t a big enough difference in scheduling to justify giving division winners a privileged position.
http://deadspin.com/nba-likely-to-adjust-playoff-seeding-wont-prevent-hack-1717891531