NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently confirmed that the league is considering some changes to its postseason format, and at least one of them would reportedly be a way of essentially expanding the playoff field.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, one proposal that has gained some momentum would involve a play-in tournament that determines that final two playoff teams in each conference. The format would consist of two four-team tournaments featuring the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th seeds in each conference, with the two victors claiming the seventh and eighth seeds and a spot in the actual postseason.
Lowe notes that the play-in tournament would not be implemented next season even if it is approved, and it could go hand-in-hand with the proposal Silver recently floated about re-seeding all 16 playoff teams in order regardless of their conference. If that happened, there would just be one play-in tournament to determine the final four postseason teams.
Obviously, the overall goal is to make it less appealing for teams to tank. However, any play-in tournament would require collective bargaining with the players’ union, and it might be a long-shot that they would improve it unless the NBA eliminated some games from the current 82-game regular season schedule.
As Lowe notes, the proposal would aim to reward the seventh and eighth seeds so regular season success is not devalued. If the play-in tournament was implemented, the seventh and eighth seeds would have two chances to win one playoff game to clinch a postseason spot, whereas the ninth and 10th seed would have to win two straight road games.
Some questions about the draft lottery would also need to be addressed, as it would be unclear if the team that finishes outside the top eight seeds in each conference would remain in the lottery even if they won the play-in tournament and claimed the No. 7 or No. 8 seed for the postseason.
On Wednesday, LeBron James said he disagrees with the idea of re-seeding all 16 playoff teams because it “changes the landscape of the history of the game.” While the proposal isn’t quite as insane as what we heard the MLB is considering doing with the ninth inning, you can bet others would share the same thoughts as LeBron.
