NBA Playoffs 2011: Who Wants a Quicker, Leaner, More Efficient Playoffs? I Do!

COLUMN DISCLAIMER: I know full well that what I am about to write will never be enacted. The NBA's decision makers would lose too much TV revenue and ratings.  I don't care. Here are a couple of suggestions to make the NBA playoffs more efficient, less corrupt and  watchable 

* Cut down on the amount of playoff teams.  As of this year there are 30 teams in the league and 16 of them make the playoffs.  Does anyone else think this is a joke?  If you make the playoffs you should be considered the cream of the crop, right?  Well, under the current system 53.3 percent of the teams can be deemed top notch.  There is no way in hell more than half the league is playoff caliber.  

* I'm just free floating ideas here, but if you don't win at least 45 games you shouldn't be in the playoffs.  Personally I can't take a 38-44 playoff team seriously.  In the Eastern Conference this year three teams made the playoffs this year and their records were 42-40 41-41 and 37-45.  The Knicks, 76ers and Pacers have no business being in the playoffs.

* Since I want to separate the men from the boys, why not trim at least two playoff spots? The top six teams in each conference make it.  I'm sick and tired of seeing 35-win teams make the playoffs as a No. 8 seed only to get crushed in four games by a 60-win juggernaut.    

* Does anyone else hate the long layoff between playoff games?  I sure as hell do.  To this day I haven't heard a good reason why there needs to be a three to seven day layoff between series.  OK, I get why people think it's good to drag a series out; it's presumably for the benefit of television ratings.  I still hate them.  The league needs to borrow a page from the NHL.  No matter what there is only a one day layoff between playoff hockey games.  AMEN!    

* Playoff basketball has been neutered and needs to get its balls back.  The league is loaded with tough overly competitive men, and that's not a bad thing.  Every now and then you're going to see fights, hand checking, bumping bodies and trash talking.  Why the league thinks this is a bad thing is beyond me.  Genuine battles make the playoffs a million times more fun.  The league shouldn't be so concerned that everything is going to degenerate into an all out brawl. 

* The Ron Artest brawl in Detroit was horrific, but the league swung so far in the other direction it's pathetic.  For the love of God, Paul Pierce got tossed for an alleged "verbal taunt" at Dwayne Wade.  What horse manure!  If you slapped a fine on players after the fact I'd be OK with it, but it's dumb to toss a player just because he is caught up the in heat of the moment.

* If I were running the NBA I'd issue an executive order; the referees are not allowed to call cheap tick tack fouls all game.  This is one area where the fans and players can agree. If refs are calling cheap fouls it slows the game down and eliminates the fun stuff like fast breaks and dunks.  Games that are called tightly always seem to end up like the 82-80 rugby matches Pat Riley's Knicks used to play.  Cutting down on cheap minimal contact fouls would be smart because we wouldn't have to watch players flopping all game to try and induce the refs into calling fouls.   

* Fire every NBA referee and start over with fresh blood.  Enough shady and idiotic calls have been made that I can't help but think Tim Donaghy was 100 percent right.  Stern wants me to believe he was the only crooked ref fixing games? Sure, and I've got some snake oil I'd like to sell you.   

* My desire to start over with a fresh crop of refs applies to both the regular season and playoffs. Tim Donaghy seems like the NBA version of Jose Canseco; yes he's corrupt and not a good person, but I sure as hell don't think he's lying.  Once he made his allegations the league lined up to attack the messenger.  Why would they attack him?  Is it because they can't refute his message?  I think so.  

* The Donaghy scandal has created the perception; the league is crooked and manipulates things to get the result it wants.  It may not be fair, but it's the truth.  If I were them I'd have my PR team crush that perception.  If they don't then I think it could slowly ruin the league. Once people start to think the NBA refs aren't legit they're going to turn on the league.

I'm a realist.  I know full well that my ideas won't be enacted, but man I wish it would happen

Your thoughts?