NBA Playoffs, More Advantages for the No. 1 Seed?
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe propose two ideas to make finishing first in the NBA more meaningful – from rewarding discipline to letting top seeds choose their playoff opponent.
With the end of the NBA Regular Season, it is time to draw some conclusions ahead of the start of the postseason, with the Play-In Tournament beginning tonight.
In the Western Conference, there was rarely any doubt about who would finish first: the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated from the very beginning. In the East, the script was similar, with the Detroit Pistons finishing with the best record.
The Michigan franchise closed its final ten games with an 8-2 record and got Cade Cunningham back for the last three contests. Reflecting on Detroit’s season, Bill Simmons floated a proposal to reward exemplary teams like the Pistons.
I wonder if, at the end of the season, a team could receive a trophy – something like the Adam Silver Trophy – for being the most exemplary team of the year and becoming a model to follow for the work they put in week after week
Bill Simmons
Zach Lowe, meanwhile, proposed an idea that could have an even greater impact.
The teams that finish first in each conference should be allowed to choose their first-round opponent instead of automatically facing whoever comes out of the Play-In. In the NBA there’s too much focus on resting stars – finishing first should come with more advantages
Zach Lowe
Both proposals share the same goal: increasing the value of finishing first in the regular season. The question now is whether Commissioner Adam Silver will consider these ideas – or whether they will remain just talking points.