LAS VEGAS – It’s so secret that the talent level between the NBA Eastern and Western Conferences is unbalanced. It became more tilted in the West’s favor when LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Because of the imbalance, the NBA Board of Governors on Tuesday continued a discussion about changing the playoff format. Under the new idea, the playoffs would include the top 16 teams regardless of conference.
Right now, the top eight teams in each conference compete in separate brackets and the conference champions meet in the NBA Finals.
“I’ve said before that the most significant obstacle to seeding 1 through 16, as appealing as that would be to me and a lot of fans, is the dramatic increase in travel that would follow,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said after the board meeting.