NBA 2012: Why Making the Playoffs Always Starts at Home

At the start of every season, there's always a blueprint to making the NBA playoffs.

Give the ball to Derrick Rose; don't get monstered on by Blake Griffin.

Obviously some plans are a little more complicated than others, but every team, despite the realistic chances, has a blueprint to making the playoffs.

And yet despite sometimes simple and sometimes complicated blueprints, underlying each plan is the basic notion that winning home games makes you a playoff team.

Winning home games makes you a playoff team.

It sounds so simple and so basic, yet the numbers all point to it proving to be true. In the past few seasons, the sides that have dominated at home have been playoff contenders—even when they're probably not the greatest sides in the league.

2009-10 Regular Season

In the 2009-10 regular season, the Atlanta Hawks finished with the number three seed heading in to the playoffs, despite having a 19-22 record on the road. Milwaukee finished with the number six seed after going 18-23 on the road; Charlotte the seventh seed after going 13-28 on the road.

All that was possible because because of their impressive home records. The Hawks were 34-7 at home, the Bucks 28-13 and the Bobcats 31-10.

A similar story happened in the Western Conference. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns finished with the first and third rankings respectively, despite having average road records. The Lakers were 23-18 on the road, and the Suns were 22-19.

You guessed it though, as the Lakers went 34-7 at home, and the Suns notched a 32-9 record.

2010-11 Regular Season

Again, home court prevailed in the 2010-11 season, as the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics secured the first and third seeds in the East while only going 26-15 and 23-18 respectively on the road. Both sides lost less than ten games at home all year though.

Adding to that mix, seeds five through eight all progressed through to the playoffs, despite putting up losing road records. The Philadelphia 76ers recorded a 15-26 record on the road and the Indiana Pacers went 13-28, showing the significance that a home record plays.

The West for 2010-11 also showcased the necessity to win home games to make the playoffs.

Denver Nuggets, fifth seed, 17-24 on the road, 33-8 at home.

Portland Trailblazers, sixth seed, 18-23 on the road, 30-11 at home.

The Hornets, seventh seed, 18-23 on the road, 28-13 at home.

Memphis Grizzlies, eighth seed, 16-25 on the road, 30-11 at home.

All sides that wouldn't have made the playoffs if not for their outstanding home records.

2011-12 Regular Season

And despite the season only being a month old and the contenders only just beginning to separate themselves out from the pretenders, we can see again the importance that a dominant home court has towards making a playoff appearance.

Currently, no divisional leader has dropped more than two games at home, and three of them have only dropped a single game at home, despite the fact that three of them have poor road records.

The 12-6 Philadelphia are 4-4 on the road, but 8-2 at home. The same goes for the LA Clippers who are 1-4 on the road, but are 8-2 at home and lead this division as a result. Look also at the San Antonio Spurs, who are 2-6 away from home but 10-1 at home.

All teams with playoff aspirations and all teams that will most likely be there come playoff time, yet have losing records.

It's not magic, it's not anything spectacular; it's simply the truth that winning home games gets you in to the playoffs. And if the sides that are solid on the road, and have solid records could start to win a few more tight home games, they too will be making a genuine playoff threat.

It's not the most complicated blueprint, but it is one that's working.

And when it comes to playoffs, that's all teams ever want it do.