Report: NBA 'Seriously Reconsidering' Idea of Reseeding Conference Finalists

The NBA is reportedly considering pulling back on its idea to reseed the conference finalists based on record, as the league looks into reshaping its calendar. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe reported the proposal could be tabled before the Board of Governors meeting in April.

As of now, reseeding is part of a larger proposed overhaul that includes an in-season tournament and shortening of the regular season to 78 games. The proposal also includes a play-in game to determine the seventh and eighth playoff seeds in each conference.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported in December there is "strong concern" among NBA owners regarding the reseeding of playoff teams.

Teams on the coasts have expressed concern about the additional travel required by reseeding the playoffs, per Wojnarowski. Research has shown there could be up to a 60 percent increase in travel for certain teams in the proposed reseeded semifinals, which could give one team an advantage over the other in the Finals.

The NBA is looking to overhaul its regular season ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, largely to create more urgency from teams and counteract sinking ratings. A reseeded semifinal would create urgency from teams that want to ensure they have the best overall regular-season record to set up the most favorable semifinal matchup.

While travel is somewhat of a concern, perhaps the best argument against reseeding is the structure of the NBA's regular season. The NBA plays an unbalanced schedule, meaning teams play opponents in their conference more often than out of their conference. In seasons where one conference is weaker than the other, that could create a massive chasm in strength of schedule—thus giving some teams an advantage for reseeding.

There is no mathematical way to have a balanced NBA schedule, barring the regular season being shortened to 58 games (two head-to-head matchups per team) or lengthened to 87 games (three head-to-head matchups). Neither is a realistic scenario.

The Western Conference has also had a longstanding superiority to the East, and it's likely some Eastern Conference owners are wary of being shut out from the Finals due to a consolidation of power out West.