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Should The NBA Finals Format Be Changed?
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  1. DHawes22
    DHawes22
    Posts: 6475

    Posted 06/07/2010 3:21 PM

    Should The NBA Finals Format Be Changed?
    Yes (17)
     89%
    No (2)
     11%
    The time of year has come and now the NBA Finals are upon us. The underdog Celtics have stolen home-court advantage from the Lakers with their Game 2 win, tying the series at 1-1 apiece. Unlike the rest of the playoffs, the NBA Finals has a different format for home and away games. The team with the better record gets Games 1,2,6,7 while the other receives three games in a row, 3,4,5, creating a 2-3-2 format which was adopted back in 1985. But with this format, do the Celtics really own home-court advantage? Sure they have more home games left than LA, but seeing as they are all in a row, they are almost guaranteed to lose at least one of them, throwing HCA back into the Laker's court. In fact, since 1985, only otwo lower seeded teams have won all three of their home games, the 2004 Pistons and the 2006 Heat.  In fact, only 6 times has the team with the lower record won the NBA Championship since 1985, a .240 winning percentage. Now, I realize most of you think, "Well, the team with the better record should win the majority of the team!" and while I agree with that sentiment, the difference in talent between teams when they meet at the Finals is rather slim most of the time. But in the 15 year span (1969-70/1983-84) before the NBA went with the 2-3-3 format, 7 times the lower seeded team won, a remarkable .467 winning percentage.

    I guess this all rings true to home, because I can't help but think about the two Finals appearances the Blazers made in 90 and 92 as the lower seed. Where they the better team in either year? Probably not, but it's hard not to think about the series in 92 at least turning out a little different. Portland stole Game 2 on the road from the Bulls (much like they did in 90 against the Pistons) and headed back to PDX to close it out. Instead of heading back to Chicago for Game 5, tied at 2 games a piece, Game 5 was held in Portland and the Blazers lost, putting them in an impossible position of winning two games on the road, down 2-3, something which to date has still never been accomplished in the playoffs. What happens if they lost Game 5 in Chicago but rallied together to win Game 6 at home, sending the series back to Chicago for a Game 7 where anything can happen? Instead, morale was crushed after the Bulls beat the Blazers in Game 5 and everyone knew the series was over with 2 straight back in Chicago.




    I've made my argument for the changing of the Finals, but what's yours?

    Note- All Finals information found at Basketball-Reference
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  1. EthanMoney
    EthanMoney
    Posts: 301

    Posted 06/08/2010 9:25 AM

    I think it should be 2" - 2 - 1" - 1 - 1". Quotes represent the the team with the better record.
    I am a fan of
  1. ClydeFrog
    ClydeFrog
    Posts: 975

    Posted 06/08/2010 10:48 AM

    Agreed on both accounts. Why change the format only for the Finals? It just doesn't make any sense. I know they want to cut down on the travel, but don't the 2 days off in between more than make up for it? Hockey is the only other sport with 7 game series' and they stick to the 2-2-1-1-1 format all the way throughout the Stanley Cup. The higher seeded team just gets way to much of an advantage and its shown by the percentage of winners since it was implemented back in 1985.
    I am a fan of Watching Elliot Williams Take Flight!
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