Yahoo Sports The NBA's playoff format might be up for some drastic changes soon
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win's basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here's Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you've had a fantastic Holiday week and have an even better weekend lined up for yourself.
The NBA's playoff format has been a hot topic among fans for years now.
Folks have been begging for the league to dump conferences when it comes to playoffs and just adopt a 1-16 seed format, similar to what the WNBA has done with its playoffs. There are no conferences — it's just an eight-team playoff bracket seeded No. 1 through No. 8.
With how dominant the Western Conference has been through the years in the NBA, the league's fans have wanted something similar for a while. Now, there may soon be a day when that happens.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps reports that there are several teams "pushing" for that format change. Especially as the NBA's conferences are faced with a stark imbalance today
There are 10 teams above .500 in the West currently. There are only six in the East. That's what's prompting this discussion, Bontempts writes:
He could potentially return on January 4 against the Hawks at the earliest. While there is still no timeline for his return, he is practicing again and is participating in five-on-five scrimmages."
The Clippers could use him. The team has been hovering around the bottom of the Western Conference's playoff teams for most of the season. A healthy Leonard could make the Clippers a potentially dangerous squad moving forward.
That's not necessarily something I'd put money on. But it's certainly exciting to think about.
Shootaround
— The NBA took back its Christmas Day crown this year, ratings aside. What a slate we were treated to, folks.
— Let's agree to never let the NBA do another alt-cast again, shall we?
— Steph Curry talking about the potential end of his career felt so morbid. Hopefully, we get a few more great moments with him this season.
— Here's Bryan with more on this hilarious prank LeBron James played on Steph Curry. Their friendship is so awesome.
That's a wrap, folks. Have a Happy New Year! Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The NBA's playoff format might be up for some drastic changes soon
