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:
“As a result, league sources told ESPN that calls from teams pushing for 1-through-16 seeding in the playoffs (or a similar change) are expected to get louder even if nothing changes. Such a revision would require half of the East to vote in favor, with many middling teams voting against their best interests. No one we spoke with expects that to change.”
While it’s exciting to hear this, it’s still unlikely this would actually happen. Half of the teams in the East would need to vote in favor of this, Bontempts notes, which isn’t happening without something else to sweeten the pot.
And, even once you get there, teams will have to consider the new burden both conferences may face as far as travel and playoff scheduling. It’s possible to make it happen, but it could be difficult to manage.
In the end, the league may be better off just leaving things as they are now — especially if the NBA seriously considers expansion in the next few years. It might just be a bit too soon for that now.
But the fact that this is a conversation at all is a good thing. Let’s hope the league keeps discussing it and figures this out soon.
It looks like Kawhi Leonard will be making his long-awaited return to the basketball court soon.
The Clippers forward dropped a cryptic tweet and a (pretty awesome!) New Balance video that seemed to be pointing at his return in the near future.
The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of understanding #kawhileonard #KL2 pic.twitter.com/CSGl4HqY9T
— Kawhi Leonard (@Way2Whi) December 27, 2024
Bryan Kalbrosky has a more solid timeline here:
“Leonard, who missed all of the 2024 postseason and the Olympics, remains out at least four more games.
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.
— 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
