The perfect marriage of the innovation of the NBA Play-In Tournament and the drama of the All-Star Game Draft is so simple that it hurts. Instead of sticking to an archaic resume-style bracket for the playoffs, why not let the best teams in each conference select their first-round opponents?
The NBA Playoffs draft
Look around the modern workplace. SAT scores and GPAs are out, and work experience and connections are in. Standardization is a thing of the past, and lane-creating is the future.
The NBA’s recent commitment to evolution makes this idea far more realistic than it would be in other sports. Reimagining the entire postseason might seem daunting, but it’s actually quite simple.
Here’s how an NBA Draft for the playoffs would work.
NBA Playoffs: Draft rules
- The first seed in each conference gets to select their first-round opponent.
- The lowest remaining unpicked seed selects their next opponent.
- Repeat Step 2.
- The two remaining teams are paired together.
- If a team drafts an opponent with one of the four best records in the conference, the drafted team gets the home-court advantage in the series.
- The playoff bracket is ordered by the seeds of drafting teams. The first and second teams to draft will be on opposite sides, and the third and fourth teams will be in the middle.
Six steps to overhaul and totally improve the NBA playoffs from top to bottom.Â
The teams with the best regular-season records are rewarded by being put in a position to pick their opponents instead of having to purposely throw late-season games to get matched up with their desired matchup (we all know it happens).Â
As an insurance policy on the value of the regular season, any team with a top-four record will receive the series home-court advantage if they are drafted as an opponent.
This new system would create headlines, theatre, and energy, all of which are desperately needed in an era in which the most famous analysts are caught in personal vendettas with players or busy tarnishing the game that changed their lives.
In a world in which the NBA adopted this revolutionary style for the playoffs, how would teams draft their playoff opponents?
Here are my thoughts on what might play out.
*Note: The draft is based on standings as of Friday morning, April 11.*
NBA playoffs draft: Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers draft the Atlanta Hawks
The Cavs are only 1-2 against the Hawks, but both of those losses were in a two-day window in November. They beat them by 22 points in their last meeting on Jan. 30 and took one of their best players, De’Andre Hunter, via trade.
The Hawks are only 19th in net rating (-1.4), the lowest of any top-eight seed in the league. They’re undisciplined, albeit talented defensively, and have had problems getting Trae Young going in the postseason due to his size and the physical nature of the playoffs.
2. Boston Celtics draft the Orlando Magic
The Celtics would likely draft the Magic if they picked before the Cavaliers. Although they are also 1-2 against them, one loss was without Jayson Tatum, and the other, on Wednesday, was without their five best players.
The Magic are dreadful from beyond the three-point line and don’t have anywhere near enough scoring to keep up. Their stellar defense is also somewhat nullified by the strong defense of the Celtics, not to mention they’re a young team and have not won a playoff series as a core group.
3. New York Knicks draft the Milwaukee Bucks
The Knicks are 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 21.7 points against the fifth-ranked Bucks. Meanwhile, they’re 1-3 and just lost to the Detroit Pistons, with whom they would be matched up under the current playoff system.
No Damian Lillard means the Bucks are a one-man show with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Knicks have long, defensive-minded wings like OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges who they could throw at Giannis, and they spent the last month allowing the fifth-fewest points per game.
4. Indiana Pacers draft the Detroit Pistons
The Indiana Pacers and Pistons would be the two remaining teams in this scenario.
Eastern Conference playoff bracket
- #1 Cavaliers vs. #8 Hawks
- #2 Celtics vs. #7 Magic
- #3 Knicks vs. #5 Bucks
- #4 Pacers vs. #6 Pistons
NBA playoffs draft: Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder draft the Memphis Grizzlies
Between firing their head coach and going 11-15 since the All-Star break, the once-feared Grizzlies look more like cubs. The Thunder also went 4-0 in the season series with an average margin of victory of 18.8 points.
The Grizzlies’ lack of wing size from legitimate scoring threats plays into OKC’s defensive strengths. The Grizz also gave up the second-most free-throw attempts per game and were only 20th in effective field goal percentage, which spells trouble against the league’s best defense.
2. Houston Rockets draft the Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are 17-9 since the All-Star break. They also beat them by 17 points on April 9, although the Rockets rested their starters and lead the season series 3-1.
Houston’s strengths are on defense and on the glass, and they would likely prefer to play a slow-tempo team that doesn’t have prolific high-volume scorers (despite the number they pulled on Steph Curry recently). The Clippers have more talent but are willing to play a slow, scrappy game, which gives Houston a fighting chance.
3. Los Angeles Lakers draft the Golden State Warriors
LeBron James already beat Steph Curry and the Warriors in the Play-In Tournament and the playoffs since he moved to Los Angeles. The arrival of Jimmy Butler can be countered by the acquisition of Luka Doncic, and the teams have been at nearly identical levels on defense since the New Year.
The Timberwolves proved their championship resolve by rallying from a 20-point deficit in Game Seven of the Western Conference semifinals to win and advance to the conference finals. They have better player-for-player defensive matchups than the Warriors do and went 2-2 against the Lakers, while the Warriors were 1-3.
4. Denver Nuggets draft the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves would be the two teams remaining in this scenario.
Western Conference Playoff Bracket
- #1 Thunder vs. #7 Grizzlies
- #2 Rockets vs. #5 Clippers
- #3 Lakers vs. #6 Warriors
- #4 Nuggets vs. #8 Timberwolves
