Game Thread GAME# 78: BLAZERS @ JAZZ - APRIL 4, 2017 - TUESDAY, 6:00 PM (PDT), CSNNW

We don't need to win 4. We need a combination of 4, including Denver losses.

 

We need to fall under Miami to get the 15th pick.

 

Yeah I am almost sure we will lose tonight. Utah are a terrible matchup for us without Nurk right now. They almost beat us on the opening day with half their team out.

 

Dame and CJ need to score 30 each tonight. We gotta win this. If we win and Denver loses tonight, I'll breathe easier.

 

Going to miss the first 6 minutes to first quarter or so.
I expect a 20 point lead Blazer when I finally turn the game on.
Don't let me down Blazers.

 

These are literally the only games I voluntarily pass on. For some reason Blazers always struggle at Utah and I'd rather not work myself up over them.

But hey good luck guys!

 

Is it just rest or injuries?

 

Has to be injuries - they are fighting with LAC for homecourt.

 

A random, interesting thought I had.
What if the NBA playoffs went to a round robin format in the 1st and 2nd round?
Here me out:

Each team in each conference would face the other 7 teams in a 3 Game Series.
The top seed would get homecourt advantage in 5 series
2-4 would get homecourt advantage in 4 series
5-7 would get homecourt advantage in 3 series
8 would get homecourt advantage in 2 series
(Homecourt advantage meaning 2 of 3 games at home)

Winning a series counts at as a win. The top 4 teams with the best Win-Loss record in those series moves on.
Any Ties would be broken with a tiebreaker game(s). Homecourt advantage would be given to the higher seed (placing more emphasis on getting, say, a 5 seed compared to a 6 seed.

2nd Round: Same format, three 3-game series against the other 3 teams in the conference.
Top 2 Records advance to the Conference Finals (7 Game Series)

What this would do:
Create better overall games. Instead of 6, 7, and 8 getting drubbed by the top 3 seeds for 4 games in the first round, you'd have matchups such us 6 Thunder vs. 8 Blazers, which would be very close and competitive. You'd also have the Spurs and Warriors play games against each other in the first round. You'd guarantee that conference rivals would face each other early in the playoffs.

Eliminate boring playoff games: There would be no more 3-0 where the Game 4 is a formality. Even at 3-1, favorites still have a very high chance to advance. In this format, should a team be outmatched, they will lose the series in 2 quick games. Even that Game 2 would be very interesting, as if the underdog pulls of an upset, they would force a do-or-die game. No team would be playing games with a 2 game deficit in the series, which happens in almost every series in today's format.

Create more parity: Instead of an 8 seed going in and having a 5% chance of beating the Warriors (if that), they'd have a chance to prove themselves against all playoff teams. Ex. If the Blazers are playing like the 3rd best team in the Western Conference, this format would give them a chance to move on to the 2nd round. The old format still means a likely sweep.

This would also give upsets in series a bigger chance of happening. It's a lot easier to upset a top seed in 3 games compared to 7.

It would mean more playoff games: Each team would be guaranteed 14 games, instead of playing 4-7 like it is now.

With the bigger playoff system, the league should reduce the regular season to 66 games.
If not, they should create some sort of start-of-season tournament, where teams play 2 games every 3 days for a couple weeks. They're fresh, and could handle the condensed schedule. This condensed schedule would spread out the rest of the season to lessen back to backs near the end of the schedule, and to create a short enough season while playing 82 games. Some sort of reward should be given to winning or doing well in this tournament (such as home-court advantage in tiebreaker games, finals, etc.) The games could be hosted at a different local arena, so that would bring into play arena's such as Atlanta's Georgia Dome, or San Antonio's AlamoDome, or Dallas' Cowboy Stadium. The season would also start 2-3 weeks earlier with a much shorter pre-season.

This would mean more money for the owners, and thus, the players.



Would you guys like this format?

 

It would make the 1st Round twice as long than it already is. Games would be slightly more condensed. But is that a bad thing? Teams such as ours already trudge through a 6-month regular season just to get a quick dismissal in the 1st round in the span of 1 week.

 

Soooooooo....... Will Gobert break Wilt's 100 point game record tonight?

Half kidding Half serious.

Sigh.........

 

14-21 Games takes 45-50 days to play. The 2nd Round (6-9 games would take 15-20 days to play. Then 2 seven-game series takes a total of about 30 days. At most that's 100 days. If the playoffs start on March 24th (3 weeks earlier than they do now, coinciding with a season that starts 3 weeks earlier) a finals game 7 would take place around June 30th (Last year it took place on something like June 19th).

Extending the season by 10 days wouldn't be an issue, but that would be if we even kept the 82 game season. Shorten it to 66, and it's a lot easier. You could have the same length of season and playoffs with less back-to-backs.

 

I want Noah to come out and make a statement in this game..just take it at Gobert and get him in early foul trouble