Random Mavs News & Articles

[j0Shi]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ference-system

Shouldn't the playoffs be as competitive as possible? The NBA is operating as though this isn’t the plan.

The Dallas Mavericks are currently out of the playoffs with a 43-30 record. The Atlanta Hawks are on track to make the playoffs with a 31-40 record. The offensively thrilling Mavs are second in attendance. The mediocre Hawks are 28th. This can’t really be what the league intended, can it?

2nd in attendance! Good job locals

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ference-system



2nd in attendance! Good job locals

Great little tidbit. Does suck to feel like failures if we don't make the playoffs with such a winning record.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ference-system

I wonder how much the East-West disparity affects free agency these days? I mean, superstars gotta see that the East is the quicker, easier path to the Finals... You've got a two-horse race between Indy and Miami this season, with a bunch of lottery-quality teams lining up to get slaughtered in the first round (remember, their W-L records are even more inflated since they mostly get to play crappy EC teams.)

In the West, you're going to have teams MISS the playoffs who could likely give the Pacers or Heat a run for their money in the ECF... It's a mess.

[j0Shi]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I wonder how much the East-West disparity affects free agency these days? I mean, superstars gotta see that the East is the quicker, easier path to the Finals... You've got a two-horse race between Indy and Miami this season, with a bunch of lottery-quality teams lining up to get slaughtered in the first round (remember, their W-L records are even more inflated since they mostly get to play crappy EC teams.)

In the West, you're going to have teams MISS the playoffs who could likely give the Pacers or Heat a run for their money in the ECF... It's a mess.

Time will tell. In theory, Brooklyn and the Knicks should be able to be competitive. Chicago is a major market. And there's Boston with its rich and proud history, so I would assume this year is just a very bad outlier. But I wouldn't rule out a general trend as well. As ESS noted correctly, teams that should get and would need a lottery pick don't receive one in the current system.

The superstar thing it sure intriguing, right now it looks super-easy to form the third best team or so.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

Time will tell. In theory, Brooklyn and the Knicks should be able to be competitive. Chicago is a major market. And there's Boston with its rich and proud history, so I would assume this year is just a very bad outlier. But I wouldn't rule out a general trend as well. As ESS noted correctly, teams that should get and would need a lottery pick don't receive one in the current system.

This paragraph from Strauss's article touches on that:

But this is a particularly bad season in the Eastern Conference, you might say. True, but at least one East team has made the playoffs at or below .500 in seven of the past eight postseasons; no West team can claim that since the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. The NBA can say it all eventually balances out, that these things are cyclical, but it’s quite possible that Eastern Conference misery will continue indefinitely if unchecked.