Kawhi Leonard LeBron James
Photo: AP/Ringo H.W. Chiu

The NBA is still working on season resumption format. Reportedly, the league office is considering going straight to the playoffs with 16 teams, leaving the other 14 behind. Furthermore, playoff seeding may be changed and instead of taking 8 best teams from each conference, 16 teams with the best records in the entire league would make the playoffs.

“The talk is that they’re considering doing that. That is something that was on the survey when they’re asking the executives about,” sports analyst Chris Broussard shared inside info with Colin Cowherd about potential playoffs re-seeding. “I just talked to somebody earlier and he said ‘This is something they’re really considering.’ It doesn’t mean it’s definitely gonna happen but it is something within discussions.”

Broussard also pointed at an interesting possibility which would arise if teams with the best records make the playoffs. “Colin, what that could do is set up a potential Clippers – Laker final. Not conference final but final. If you look at the standings right now, the Clippers would be on the side with Milwaukee. So they have to go through the Bucks to go to the Lakers.”

According to him, an NBA re-start in late July would mean competition for attention with NFL and re-seeding playoffs could be a good way to generate more attention.

If the playoffs are re-seeded, some of the Eastern Conference teams would face Western Conference teams already in the first round. Here is what the re-seeded playoffs would look like, per Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors:

First side of bracket:

  • Bucks (1) vs. Magic (16)
  • Heat (8) vs. Thunder (9)
  • Clippers (4) vs. Mavericks (13)
  • Celtics (5) vs. Sixers (12)

Second side of bracket:

  • Lakers (2) vs. Nets (15)
  • Jazz (7) vs. Rockets (10)
  • Raptors (3) vs. Grizzlies (14)
  • Nuggets (6) vs. Pacers (11)