from Amazon
Monday, March 08, 2010
Play-ins for the playoffs
I like the idea for NBA:
How would it work? A couple of different variations are possible, but the basic idea is to guarantee the first seven playoff spots to the teams with the best records, and then leave spot No. 8 up for grabs among the remaining clubs. No. 8 would play No. 15; No. 9 would play No. 14; No. 10 would play No. 13; and No. 11 and would play No. 12. The winners would face off in the semis the next day and the losers would go home. Then the two semifinal winners would meet for a postseason slot. As for locations, a number of options are on the table.
I love the whole craziness about getting the last playoff spot. Hollinger proposes knocking #15 out so that the #8 gets a bye in the first round of the elimination mini-tournament.
The NFL already has a play-in, but because of the demands of football, it can never work beyond one-week. Baseball though could easily implement this. The four best non-division winners meet, with #4 v #7 and #5 v #6. And then the two winners play one game to be the fourth team in the playoffs. You can even make it just 5 v 6 will play against #4. And the winner moves to the playoffs. It really depletes the starting pitchers so when the division winners meet the play-in team, there’s a definite advantage for the best team in the league.
We ALL love Game #163 in MLB. Get more of them in there. That it comes at the expense of a non-division winner is a bonus.