A change in the NBA’s playoff landscape is long overdue and after a lot of frustration from coaches, players and fans alike, the NBA has finally taken up a position on seeding division winners in the playoffs. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that starting next season playoff seeding will no longer be impacted by divisional standing. Seeding will be sorted one-through-eight by conference, regardless of division winners, once the 15-16 season begins.
NBA moving forward w/plan to seed conference playoff teams 1-8 regardless of division winner starting in 15-16, per high-ranking NBA exec.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) June 25, 2015
NBA commissioner Adam Silver also addressed the issue just before Game 1 of the Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers;
“We are very focused on the divisional seeding process, and I think we are going to take a very close look at whether we should seed at least 1 through 8 by conference as opposed to giving the division winner that higher seed,”
Silver said.
“So that is something we are taking a close look at that, and we may change that fairly quickly. As I’ve said earlier, that is a vestige of a division system that may not make sense anymore.”
Well, it looks like Silver did not only talk the walk but he walked it as well. With these new changes no longer will regular-season division winners be guaranteed a top-four seed in the postseason. This change may have been long overdue, however the good news from all of this is that with Adam Silver at the helm the NBA has consistently been heading in the right direction. Let’s hope he can keep it up.
