In case you missed it, on Sunday NBA commissioner Adam Silver offered up the possibility of changing the league’s playoff format. The new idea would keep the top eight teams from each conference. But those eight teams would be reseeded 1-16, rather than having the two separate conference playoffs. James was asked today about his thoughts on the potential changes. And unsurprisingly, he wasn’t keen on the idea. He claims doing so would “change the landscape of the history of the game” and “let’s not get too crazy” when it comes to the playoffs.
I’m sure there’s truth behind those statements, but I would also wager there’s more to it. James doesn’t want to give up his free pass into the NBA Finals. He has made seven straight Finals and he obviously wants that streak to continue. Obviously that’s an incredibly impressive feat, but reseeding the playoffs would make it that much harder for him to make it. If the season ended today and the NBA adopted the new playoff format, the Cavs would enter as the #5 seed, up against the #12 Nuggets. Up next would likely be a series against #4 Boston, followed by the #1 Rockets. If the Cavs were to advance to the Finals, a match up with the #2 seeded Warriors would likely await them. That would be two tough, hard fought, draining series just to get to the Finals, where they would then have to take on one of the league’s best teams. Under the current format, the Cavs likely only need to go through one tough team before getting to the Finals, whereas the Western Conference teams are left to beat up on each other before their meeting with the Cavs.
Now don’t get me wrong, I completely understand his stance, it makes sense. But you have to admit it’s a bit of a soft move, though that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering it is LeBron we’re talking about. But of course, this could all be for naught, as this is all still pure speculation and there are no plans for a vote on the matter. But nevertheless, the story, and other player responses, will be interesting to follow if this idea gains any traction.
