NBA commissioner Adam Silver likes the idea of 1-16 playoff seeding.
Could it finally happen this season?
There have two major impediments to this plan in normal years:
- Travel
- Eastern Conference owners
It seems likely the season will resume at only Disney World. A single site eliminates the travel concerns.
At least five Eastern Conference owners would have to vote for this format change. They typically want to protect their playoff slots and easier path to the NBA Finals rather than mixing with often-better Western Conference teams.
But if only some teams resume, owners of the finished teams would would be incentivized to support whatever draws the most revenue. If only playoff teams return, that would increase the pool of owners who wouldn’t be voting by self interest.
It helps that the top eight teams in each conference have the league’s 16 best records. So no teams would gain or lose a playoff berth unless more regular-season games are played (or a play-in tournament is held).
This might be the year for a 1-16 format. Just don’t expect it to continue into normal years.
If it happens without any more regular-season games, here’s how the bracket would look:
