I don't know who came up with this idea first, John R. at work or former Bee columnist John Canzano ... the idea's on point though -- which is to say, one worth considering.
The Western Conference has won six of the last eight NBA titles Canzano writes , and the power isn't going to tilt anytime soon.
Especially not this season as the San Antonio Spurs opened a 3-0 series lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night.
The college game's top two players (Kevin Durant and Greg Oden) will, barring trades, be drafted to the Western Conference (Portland and Seattle).
So what should the NBA do?
How about take a look at a 16-team, NCAA-esque bracket without recognizing conferences. That way, the teams with the best records (potentially the best teams) will have the best chance of meeting in the finals and the nation can avoid having to sit through a tragic finals series like it is now.
This season, the 16 teams would have been ordered like this:
Dallas, .817 winning percentage
Phoenix, .744
San Antonio, .707
Detroit, .646
Houston, .634
Utah, .622
Cleveland, .610
Chicago, .598
Denver, .549
Toronto, .573
Golden State, .512
LA Lakers, .512
Washington, .500
New Jersey, .500
Orlando, .488
LA Clippers, .488
No system is perfect, and this one has holes and can fail, especially since I've taken all of five minutes to look at it -- but that's not the point. The point is that tradition in the NBA has dictated that the East and West champs will meet in the NBA Finals, and maybe it shouldn't be so. The league should strive to get the best two teams playing one another, not the best two teams from each conference. This way the league can avoid anti-climactic finishes like the 2007 ending is shaping to be.
Hey Dan, long-time fan, first-time caller (writer). I've been following your work since you were covering middle school girls arm wrestling for the Tuscaloosa Times-Sun. Just wanted to send you this link, since you're such a big fan of G.A.
http://www.cafepress.com/yaysports/2339935
Also, your tournament idea is good, but another problem would be cutting down the number of teams that make it. Over half the teams make the NBA playoffs! You don't even have to be above average to make them! Also, if you're mixing conferences for the playoffs, you'd have to have a balanced schedule for the regular season so teams like Detroit can't pad their record to 53 wins against weaker competition. This would drive travel costs up for the NBA, which is probably the only common-sense reason why they don't do it.
BTW, how did Miami miss the playoffs in your list? They should be in and Clippers/Orlando out.
I have thought this for years. I am tired of these long, drawn out 7 game series in NBA, NHL, etc.... Isn't the playoffs about do or die? Isn't it about the best teams playing each other. Look at the NCAA bracket and tournament. How fun is that for everyone. You have one chance to do it, not 7 chances and you only have to win 4 of those 7. It would be a blast to see this type of format.
o yeah, forgot Miami. What can I say? It was early in the morning.
P.S. the Sports Guy stole your idea for his column today. Better take ESPN to the cleaners - their jacking the Bee's ideas!
It's a clear case of swagger jackin'. People around me have been prone to it since I was little -- when I was rockin' silks. ("I'ma always be this young don.")
They covet the flyness and keen wit, and really, I can't blame them -- like Gilbert Arenas, my swag is phenomenal.
Question: What is up with the style of sports writers to begin a story with the end of a game, then work somewhat backwards, but not necessarily in order? It always ends with some mildly important from the first third of the game. For instance, from today's Washington Post:
After being retired in order in the top of the first inning, the Nationals scored in the second. Young led off with a single and moved to third on Kearns's double to the gap in left-center. The runners scored on successive groundouts by Church and catcher Brian Schneider.
Zimmerman started off the bottom of the first inning with a throwing error on Roberts's roller. Roberts stole second and scored on a two-out single by Tejada.
Every time I read a whole story, I feel like I'm reading the script of Memento.
Tell me, o' great wordsmith.
Just wanted to ask the great DLyght if he happened to know who won the NBA championships this year?
Better yet... where is San Antonio? And other what famous people have come from San Antonio? You know, role models who have come from San Antonio and went to any elite private school universities in Texas before making their presence know elsewhere?
Does the great DLyght know of such people?
And on another subject, please name me a hotter celebrity who regularly attends NBA games than the SMOKIN' Eva Longoria, a loyal Spurs fans?
On the form of sportswriting ... we start with what's most important in the lead and then work down.
im not a wordsmith (would love to be tho .. im working on it) and im certainly not great, so I have no other reasoning for that. Readers want to know how the game developed in the early innings too, but if it's not super important, we leave it to the end. Editors feel free to comment ...
as for the san antonio rant ... ummm, no comment on eva longoria other than she's possibly overrated, depending on the qualities you look for in a woman.
The argument about the Spurs seems to miss the point that the Spurs haven't won a string of consecutive championships like the great Celtics team did. Not even a three-peat.