Should NBA seed playoff teams one through 16?

The question keeps popping up whether the NBA should start seeding all teams one through 16 in the playoffs, regardless of what conference they play in.

Under the current format, the top eight teams in the Western Conference and the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference advance to the playoffs.

If teams are seeded one through 16, then the top 16 teams in the league would qualify for the postseason, regardless of the conference.

Coach Rick Carlisle, who is part of the NBA’s competition committee, isn’t aware of whether new commissioner Adam Silver is considering changing the format.

“I have no knowledge of anything that may happen,” Carlisle said. “But I know we have a very open-minded commissioner that is looking at things very closely, and he’s very vigilant about competitive balance, so we’ll see.”

Under a system where the top 16 teams advance to the playoffs, ninth-seeded New Orleans and 10th-seeded Phoenix would be postseason participants if the playoffs started today.

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets, currently seeded seventh and eighth, respectively, in the East, would miss the playoffs because their records are worse than those of New Orleans and Phoenix.

That fan and TV interest could end up slanted to one region of the country if that region has more playoff teams is an issue the league would have to consider before switching to a 1-through-16 format.

Carlisle said no one knows “how much of this [current Western Conference domination] is an aberration and how much of it is just the way it’s going to be with the East and the West. Nobody knows how the two conferences are going to look next year.”

He added: “If you have one guy shift conferences it could change a lot of things. Again, you’re getting into major speculation.”

Tough tasks

The Mavericks had to deal with Most Valuable Player candidate Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. And Thursday they had to contend with MVP candidate James Harden of the Houston Rockets.

When designing a defense to contain Westbrook and Harden, Carlisle recognizes one common thread between the two high-caliber players.

“They’re just great attackers, and they’re both underrated passers, playmakers,” Carlisle said. “Westbrook has made a great adjustment in his game now that he is really the single biggest focal point of the offense.

“He’s passing the ball much better, delivering the ball on time and on target. Harden has been good for years and doesn’t get the respect that he should as a playmaker, even though people know he’s good.”

After playing Westbrook and Harden on back-to-back nights, the Mavericks will face the NBA’s other top MVP candidate Saturday when they host Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 10:13 PM with the headline "Should NBA seed playoff teams one through 16?."