NBA Rumors: NBA considering major conference shakeup amid expansion talk

With the NBA season getting off to a sluggish start, the league could use a dramatic change to grab the sports world's attention. That could soon happen with the league considering ending the two conferences and changing the playoff format.

Instead of having eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, it would change to being one to 16, regardless of conferences. That would potentially include two new teams when NBA expansion finally happens in the next few years, with 32 teams vying for 16 playoff seeds.

The abolishing of the conferences in terms of playoff seeding would be a much-needed shakeup for the NBA, especially with sagging NBA ratings. There has been a conference disparity that has lasted for decades, dating back to the end of the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls era in the 1990s.

The Western Conference has had several dynasties during that span, with the Los Angeles Lakers having won six titles, the San Antonio Spurs winning five titles, and the Golden State Warriors having won four championships since. Those are all Western Conference teams, while the East has been underrepresented as champions over the last 35 years.

NBA Rumors: Will changing the playoff format help or hurt parity in the NBA?

On one hand, shaking up the playoff bracket could actually help Eastern Conference teams, with a team being able to avoid another that matches up well against them. 

On the other hand, they may have to face a tougher, lower-seeded West team, which could potentially lead to more upsets. For instance, the Lakers were the seventh seed in the West last season but won 47 games and featured two top-10 players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

That would have given them the Minnesota Timberwolves, but what if it had resulted in the New York Knicks and Lakers playing one another? Having two teams that are less familiar with one another could lead to more uncertainty in the playoffs.

That may not make for the best basketball but it could be a ratings boon with teams that rarely play each other in the playoffs, such as the Lakers and Knicks or the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers playing one another.

The novelty alone should make the NBA strongly consider making the move to a 1-16 playoff format. Things like travel could be an issue, which could lead to a possible change in the series format, maybe even going back to a two-three-two format. Or, the league could increase the time in between games when the series changes cities.

Overall, the NBA could use a rating boost, and changing the format would help. Whether it happens is still up in the air, but the league should absolutely change the format.