This season, each of the 30 NBA teams has played 82 regular season games. However, the NBA playoffs remain. The Nets and Timberwolves have locked in Division 7 and will face Division 2 in the first round of the playoffs. There are still 2 final playoff spots left, with the Clippers vying for 8th place in the West, the Hawks vying for 8th place in the East, and the winner in the first round of the playoffs against Division 1st.
This season's play-offs have caused great controversy. Previously, the number of NBA regular season games shrank, in order to ensure fairness, the NBA created a play-off link, so that the 9th and 10th in the division were given the opportunity to advance to the playoffs. Today, the NBA has played 82 games in the regular season, but the team in the 7th-10th place in the division still needs to play playoffs. One thing to say is that the format of the play-offs is really cruel.
The 7th-10th-place teams in the West this year have a large difference in record wins, and the play-offs are very unfair to the 7th and 8th places in the West. However, the play-offs are set before the start of the season, and if you want to lock up a playoff spot in advance, try to compete for the top 6 in the division. If they unfortunately finish 7-10 in the division, then these teams should follow the rules and compete for playoff spots in the playoffs.
It's just that this season is a special situation, each team has played 82 regular season games, is there still a need for play-offs? Regarding the controversy over the playoffs, NBA President Xiao Hua also said that before the start of this season's playoffs, Xiao Hua had already given a clear answer. Xiao Hua said: "The NBA is very satisfied with the playoffs and is currently exploring the possibility of continuing to hold playoffs in the future. Maybe some adjustments will be made in some areas, but the playoffs could become a fixture in the NBA in the future. ”
This time, the biggest controversy is that the NBA has played 82 games in the regular season, and if the play-off system is continued, it will not only test the physical strength of the players, but also be unfair to the 7th and 8th places in the division. Xiao Hua also has a solution to this problem, Xiao Hua said: "We will study this, if necessary, the NBA will reduce the number of regular season games to avoid affecting the player's body." ”
Xiao Hua's attitude is very clear, now is not the playoff there is no need to exist, but the playoff is likely to become a fixed project of the NBA. As long as the playoffs can be retained, it is not impossible for the NBA to shorten the 82 games of the regular season. Xiao Hua's reply made everyone see the determination of the NBA to retain the playoffs. Perhaps, most people think that the playoffs are just a channel for the NBA to increase revenue, but after in-depth analysis, the NBA playoffs are saving the NBA.
Putting aside the two factors of ticket revenue and ratings, the NBA playoffs also have a benefit: prevent teams at the bottom of the division from breaking the can and start the swing mode in the middle of the season. Before there were no play-offs, teams that were outside the top ten of the division in the middle of the season could easily give up competing for playoff spots and instead start playing for high draft picks. In the long run, the polarization of the NBA has become more and more serious, which is not conducive to the healthy development of the NBA.
Today, the NBA has created a play-off, and the 7th-10th place in the division can participate in the playoffs. Although the quota is only relaxed to the 10th place in the division, this format can rekindle the hope of the 11th, 12th and even 13th places in the division. As long as it can hit the 10th place in the division, then it can retain the hope of advancing to the playoffs, and the NBA will be more watchable. For example, the four teams in the Western Play-offs this season have a very large win gap. The Timberwolves, who are no. 7 in the West, are 12 wins ahead of the 10th-place Spurs in the West, but both sides need to play play-offs.
The playoffs are still controversial, but in the long run, the playoffs can indeed be a fixture in the NBA. Perkins was even more vocal in the playoffs, saying: "The playoffs are probably the best thing Shaw has done for the NBA!" "Perkins was a former NBA pro, and he was more aware of the brutality and uniqueness of the play-offs. Perhaps, looking back on this time many years later, everyone will find that the play-offs are not so bad!