Loading ...Last Saturday, I linked to an article from Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune. Siler talked about the NBA preseason and “proposed having the NBA gather all its Western Conference teams in Las Vegas and Eastern Conference teams in Miami for a tournament.” Matt Watson is on board.
I like the idea too. It would certainly help build momentum heading into the regular season. But I don’t think preseason games would be more competitive than they are now.
I’d rather see the NBA eliminate the preseason altogether, extend the regular season by 5 games, and have every team in the league play one another 3 times. Having every team in the NBA play one another an equal number of times would allow the league to eliminate conferences and divisions and seed teams 1-16 in the playoffs.
Some critics of this proposal point to the historical significance of the 82-game regular season as a reason to keeps things as they are. They argue that win-loss, single season, and career total records would be compromised.
I get that.
NBA records are important.
But how many people know that Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics played an 82-game regular season in only 2 of their 11 NBA championship seasons? Or that the Celtics only had to defeat two playoff opponents to win 8 of their 11 championships during that period?
1956-57: 44-28
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-3) versus St. Louis Hawks
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (3-0) versus Syracuse Nationals
1958-59: 52-20
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-0) versus Minneapolis Lakers
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-3) versus Syracuse Nationals
1959-60: 59-16
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-3) versus St. Louis Hawks
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-2) versus Philadelphia Warriors
1960-61: 57-22
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-1) versus St. Louis Hawks
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-1) versus Syracuse Nationals
1961-62: 60-20
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-3) versus Los Angeles Lakers
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-3) versus Philadelphia Warriors
1962-63: 58-22
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-2) versus Los Angeles Lakers
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-3) versus Cincinnati Royals
1963-64: 59-21
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-1) versus San Francisco Warriors
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-1) versus Cincinnati Royals
1964-65: 62-18
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-1) versus Los Angeles Lakers
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-3) versus Philadelphia 76ers
1965-66: 54-26
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-3) versus Los Angeles Lakers
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-1) versus Philadelphia 76ers
Won NBA Eastern Division Semifinals (3-2) versus Cincinnati Royals
1967-68: 54-28
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-2) versus Los Angeles Lakers
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-3) versus Philadelphia 76ers
Won NBA Eastern Division Semifinals (4-2) versus Detroit Pistons
1968-69: 48-34
Playoffs:
Won NBA Finals (4-3) versus Los Angeles Lakers
Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-2) versus New York Knickerbockers
Won NBA Eastern Division Semifinals (4-1) versus Philadelphia 76ers
What’s my point?
The NBA decided to expand to 12 teams in 1967 and the season was extended to 82 games. The NBA didn’t think about the historical significance of that change. Maybe because the league was in its relative infancy, but probably because they weighed the pros and cons and decided the change was in the league’s best interests.
Giving every NBA team an equal opportunity to make the playoffs and secure a high seed is in the league’s best interests too.
Who cares about individual season and career totals? John Stockton is the all-time leader in assists. Does anyone think he was a better passer than Magic? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is all-time leader in points scored. Does anyone think he was a better scorer than Jordan? Per game averages and single game totals carry more weight. Career totals are about longevity.
Chicago’s 72-10 season would remain. But teams would still have the opportunity to better the Bulls’ 90% regular season win percentage. Topping Chicago’s record setting season would be more difficult with 5 additional games, but how often do you hear people mention how much more difficult is to win a championship today than it was in Russell’s playing days? Not very often. It’s important to look at the big picture when contemplating a change of this magnitude.
Conference rivalries would be affected. But the NBA is no longer driven by team and conference rivalries. The NBA is driven by star power. Casual fans weren’t interested in watching the Lakers and Celtics play when Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce were toiling away in mediocrity. No one wants to see the Lakers and Celtics play because they were rivals 40 years ago, fans want to see Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum go up against Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.
Fans want to see the greatest players in the game compete against one another. I’d like to see Kobe Bryant and LeBron James square up in a 7 game series. But the only way that can happen is if the Lakers and Cavs meet in the NBA Finals. The odds of that matchup — and many more intriguing matchups — increase if the playoffs are seeded 1-16 based upon win percentage.
Things like tie-breakers and scheduling would need to be tweaked in order for a change like this to be implemented. But it’s possible.
I’ve done the research. The Western Conference’s dominance of the Eastern Conference is not “cyclical.” Unless of course you consider the past ten NBA seasons cyclical. The West has dominated the East in winning percentage since Jordan’s second retirement. The Eastern Conference is narrowing the gap. But it’s far from closed. And the closing of the gap shouldn’t be used as a reason to ignore a change that is the NBA’s best interests, regardless of conference disparity.
Time willing, I hope to expand upon this idea as we get closer to the regular season with all sorts of facts and neat little charts. Consider this Part I of my rant.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Some interesting ideas. I think career totals are far less significant in basketball, as opposed to a sport like baseball. So mixing up the 82 game season shouldn’t be that big of a deal if they ever decided to go that route.
My main beef is when the NBA made the first round of the playoffs into a 7 game series. Maybe not that big of a deal, but it’s just one of my pet peeves. The playoffs were lengthy enough, which is one of the reasons why I suspect Finals ratings are sometimes down. For some fans, it can be exhausting to watch that many games and still be interested after your team is eliminated.
I know it’s about revenue. Not only the few extra games, but tilting the odds to ensure that a smaller market underdog won’t advance. But when the overall product is compromised in the interest of greed, that’s how you lose fans.
So I’m not sure what the answer is. Having pre-season games played in different venues is both good and bad. I remember being able to watch the Jazz play in El Paso…only to see the starters play less than 1 quarter in a very non-competitive game.
“John Stockton is the all-time leader in assists. Does anyone think he was a better passer than Magic?”
Yes. I know one stubborn blogger that would probably argue that one.