NBA Offseason News: Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Wants 20 Team Playoff Field
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants a 20 team playoff field. Ten teams from the Eastern Conference and 10 teams in the Western Conference makes the playoffs. Cuban also stated that with this proposal, it would make the playoffs more "interesting."
According to NBC Sports, during an owners meeting via CyberDust, Cuban proposed a 20 team field playoff field with 10 of the best teams in each conference making the playoffs. Brad Townshed, a Dallas Morning News sports writer, tweeted the following:
On CyberDust, @mcuban reveals that he proposed 10-team playoffs to fellow owners. pic.twitter.com/ZF6T1EoyPe
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) July 16, 2015
Based on this tweet, Cuban's playoff format looks a little confusing. ESPN is reporting that Cuban suggested giving the top seeds in each conference a playoff bye and let the bottom two seeds battle it out in a best-of-five series.
If this happens, then there will be a scheduling conflict. If the bottom two teams, the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds, played in an initial best-of-five series that would leave nine teams left, which doesn't fit the typical 16-8-4 team playoff tournament style.
Also, the Eastern Conference had teams that had losing records and is considered to be the weakest conference. If this proposed playoff format was enforced this year, the last two teams would be the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat. In terms of the fairness of competition, it wouldn't be fair for a team with a losing record to go against the team with a winning record.
This would benefit the Western Conference since the first eight teams got into the playoffs with a winning record. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns (with a losing record) would make the playoffs under the proposed playoff format.
A ten team playoff format should be like this:
First Round:
- 7 Seed vs 10 Seed
- 8 Seed vs 9 Seed
Second Seed
- 1 Seed vs winner of the 8 vs 9 series
- 2 Seed vs winner of the 7 vs 10 series
- 3 Seed vs 6 Seed
- 4 Seed vs 5 seed
Although this idea might not be passed, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that changes will be coming to the NBA playoffs. Silver wants to seed the playoffs without division winners. The Trail Blazers (51-31) got the No. 4 seed in last year's Western Conference playoffs over the No. 5 seed Grizzlies (55-27) and No. 6 seed Spurs (55-27), because Portland won its division.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com