While the NBA should soon expand with the addition of at least two new franchises, the Great League could rethink its Playoff system by eliminating the conferences to have the 16 best teams in the postseason, and thus avoid the East-West imbalance.
The idea is not new, but it could come to fruition alongside the NBA expansion planned for the years to come.
While Las Vegas and Seattle are the favorite cities to host a team in 2027 or 2028, that would add two new franchises in the Western Conference, bringing the number of teams to 17 compared to 15 in the East. To rebalance the two conferences, a team from the West would therefore have to move to the East. And this is precisely where discussions could become tense between NBA leaders.
Given the difference in level between the two conferences, especially this season, moving from the West to the East would be a gift from heaven for the team changing sides. Geographically speaking, Minnesota makes sense, but Memphis and New Orleans (which was already in the East in the past) would also be candidate cities due to their position on the map.
To avoid being accused of favoritism, the NBA could decide to completely overhaul its system regarding the NBA Playoffs. Finished the Top 8 in the East and West, let’s start with the Top 16 in all conferences.
Western Conference executives believe the NBA could eliminate conferences and have the top 16 teams make the playoffs when the league expands to 32 teams, per @WindhorstESPN
“Instead of dealing with that thorny competition, West executives told ESPN they believe both issues can… pic.twitter.com/Oe9yVyaRXd
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 22, 2024
According to Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps d’ESPNwho cite Western Conference executives (coincidentally), it’s a real possibility once NBA expansion happens.
From a purely competitive perspective, this would be a logical fit. This season, no less than eleven teams from the West have a positive record, compared to only… four in the East. The gap between the two conferences has perhaps never been as obvious as this season, but it is not new.
However, canceling the conference system to take the 16 best teams into the Playoffs would be a fairly radical change knowing that the history of the NBA – more than 75 years anyway – was built (roughly) on the current system. The East on one side, the West on the other, and the final between the winners of each conference.
Even if commissioner Adam Silver has never been afraid when it comes to making big changes in the structure of his League, I’m not sure he’s ready to take the plunge this time. We remember that in 2020, when the NBA teams were gathered in the anti-COVID bubble in Orlando, the Top 16 system was initially considered… before being abandoned to remain with the classic format.
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Text source: ESPN
