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Why a 1-16 Playoff Format Could Transform the NBA

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We explore why the NBA should change its playoff format from the current conference-based system to a true 1-16 seeding regardless of East or West. This change would create better matchups, make the regular season more meaningful, and ensure the best teams make the playoffs.

• Current format separates Eastern and Western conferences with 8 teams from each making playoffs, plus play-in teams
• NBA has changed playoff formats multiple times since the inaugural 1947-48 season
• A 1-16 format would create exciting potential matchups like OKC vs Hawks (Shai vs Trae Young or teams like the Clippers vs Pacers)
• Conference-based playoffs limit cross-country travel but more entertaining matchups outweigh this concern
• Regular season would become more important with teams competing for top 16 spots overall
• Play-in tournament should be eliminated as it rewards teams that weren't good enough in regular season
• Better matchups would lead to higher viewership and a superior basketball product

Please make sure to like, subscribe, comment to anyone who's anyone about the show. Drop your comments below, and I want to hear your thoughts.


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Speaker 1:

What's up everybody. It's your favorite show's favorite show. Get a Bucket. I'm your host, trey, and, as usual, I hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day Now.

Speaker 1:

Today we got to talk about my 2025 NBA playoff format wishlist. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment to anyone who's anyone about the show, trying to get the ratings up a little bit. You know, just a little bit. But, like I said, ladies and gentlemen, today we're going to talk about my wishlist for the NBA playoff format, because I do wish that it changed. And, keep in mind, I've been saying this since, oh my God, like I was probably in middle school, saying I wish we had a different playoff format, and currently it's one through eight east versus west. Now we do have the play in right, which allows two more teams the ninth and tenth seed to advance and get a chance at playing in the playoffs. That happened recently. That's the playoff that we currently have and that's the playoff format I have a gripe with.

Speaker 1:

Keep in mind. Keep in mind. I will say this year right, using this year as an example. It's been decent. We've seen some good games. I can't hold you, however. What if we change the playoff format, ladies and gentlemen, from East and West and being the top eight seeds or top ten to just being the top one through 16 seeds. What's wrong with that, like? What's wrong with doing it that way, like, let's actually look at the standings from this year. Right, I actually like this, like this listing, a little bit better, personally, and again, this year has been entertaining, but we got it. We got to bring out the best competition. Ok, keep in mind, ladies and gentlemen, I do want to say this before we start talking about this Right, the first playoff format, it did have East and West teams intertwined like combined, meaning an East and West team played against each other in a round that was not named the NBA final, named the NBA finals.

Speaker 1:

So, if we can allow that to occur, ladies and gentlemen, there's no real history. Yes, we have had East versus West ever since then, like that first inaugural season. Yes, we've been doing East versus West since then, but we've also shown that we can change the playoff format. Hell, we've changed the playoff format since 1948. Keep in mind, the inaugural season was 1947 for the playoffs. We've also changed the format to make it so that conference champions people who win their conferences or their divisions don't get a higher seating. So we've even showcased we care more about the regular season record, the overall record, than the division. Why not a conference? We want to see the best players play and I do understand there are some gripes, ladies and gentlemen, with having a change format being 1 through 16.

Speaker 1:

Currently, I've heard some things like this current format limits cross-country travel. Right, there might be unbalanced schedule across conferences. I hear that Stronger teams can miss out due to conference strength. You got to think about that as well. Now, this part, I will give it some credit. Right, like the local rivalries, those do drive viewership at times. I will say that, like the Rockets and the Warriors I'm not going to call that a rivalry, but they did have some battles here and there. Right, like Ant and Shea. If you get to see that in the West, that's cool, but also I think we would appreciate seeing that in the playoffs. Right and again, ladies and gentlemen, if we look at this one through 16, because these are all the 16 top teams, okay, and if we're looking at this, I see OKC versus the Hawks, which actually might have been a little bit better than OKC versus the Grizzlies Remember the Grizzlies got swept. Hawks might have won a game, but you also get to see Shea versus Trey. I think that would have been a good matchup too, but then again, though you know, the Hawks were injured, so you know it has. There's some pros and cons to this, but we get to see a matchup in the playoff that we probably won't see unless one of these two players crossover right to the other conference.

Speaker 1:

How about the Cavs versus the Magic? Now, this is the Eastern versus Eastern team, but the Cavs versus the Magic y'all saw how they battled the Celtics. I think we would have loved to see them battle the Cavs that way instead of the Heat. Now, that might be hindsight, I'll give you that, but again, might have had better entertainment. The Celtics versus the Pistons Again, another East versus East, but Might have had better entertainment. The Celtics versus the Pistons Again, another East versus East. But a lot of people wanted to see this matchup. The Pistons ended up being scrappy, so let's see how the Celtics handled that matchup. I think that would have been. I think that would have been good hindsight. Let's scroll it down a little bit. How about? How about y'all see, right here, the Lakers, right, I think they would have battled my Warriors. I'm sorry my Lakers would have battled my Warriors. Oh, I'm sorry my Lakers would have battled the Warriors. So if that's the case, is that not entertaining? And keep in mind too, we could have said that the Lakers and Warriors were contenders, but hell, point in time, my Lakers aren't contenders.

Speaker 1:

Let's look at the Nuggets versus the Wolves Again. Ladies and gentlemen, I love seeing this matchup, and these are two Western teams, by the way. So when we're talking about teams traveling across the country, we ain't really seen too much of that. We've seen OKC versus the Hawks, like that one Cool. Not too too much, though. So me personally, like the Clippers versus the Pacers. All right, we're going to be crossing conferences right there. I'm okay with that, though, because again, that's a good matchup. Also, the Pacers got to battle an injury riddled Bucs team. They also battled injury teams last year, injured teams last year. Wouldn't we want to validate these Pacers a little bit before the second round? And then the Clippers they had some question marks too. Now, if they're healthy, they're a scrappy team. But again, ladies and gentlemen, both those things put together, that would have been a good battle.

Speaker 1:

So me personally, looking at all this. Again, what we got I'm cool with it's cool, it works. But I will say what I do want and what I've wanted for the longest time might have been a little bit better. And again, I've talked about how, yeah, the cross country traveling can be an issue. I don't think it's going to be that big of an issue. And keep in mind too, it makes the regular season more important, because now this regular season here, people are actually caring about making it to that top 16 seed.

Speaker 1:

Get rid of the play-in too. Let's not forget that, because that was piss poor. I think that just highlighted the fact that you weren't good enough in the regular season or you slacked off during the regular season. I know, I know, I know the Heat wouldn't have got to the finals. Maybe I'm okay with that, because, again, I want to see the best teams play and that shows during the regular season. Who put it in the word? We got to make the regular season worth something and again, ladies and gentlemen, it hasn't been worth something for a while. The All-Star game hasn't been worth something for a while. And I do think making the NBA playoff format change to one through 16, make the cutoff one through 16 for the playoffs.

Speaker 1:

You do a lot better. You get a lot more viewership. And the reason why? Because you get a better product. So if I have a better product, why would I not watch it? Like as a sports fan, as a sports enthusiast, someone who has a show, I won't watch an NBA season that much.

Speaker 1:

Playoffs, just between you and myself. I've skipped some of those too, especially live. They're not that entertaining. They're cool. They're cool. I got to watch them, to analyze them and you know give my takes and whatnot. So they're not that entertaining. They're cool. They're cool. I got to watch them, analyze them and you know give my takes and whatnot. So they're cool. Playoffs is the most entertaining time, but changing it from 1-16, 2-1 to 16, much more important for me, much better result. But again, that's my take. I'm curious what you all think about this as well, because I have my gripes with the NBA and I'm trying to make a statement now. So again, that's all the time we have, ladies and gentlemen, for this episode, so please make sure to like, subscribe, comment to anyone who's anyone about the show. Drop your comments below, like I said, and I want to hear your thoughts. No-transcript.