Daryl Morey sees ‘huge advantage’ for Rockets if no West bracket

The Rockets GM sees a big advantage for West teams like Houston if there aren’t usual conference brackets for the 2020 NBA playoffs.

Given the multi-month layoff between the 2019-20 season’s COVID-19 hiatus on March 12 and its expected resumption in July, the 2020 NBA playoffs will be an unprecedented affair, should they occur.

As of now, it has not been decided if the league will hold some regular-season games upon its return, advance directly to the playoffs with the current top eight teams from each conference, or create a hybrid format incorporating some (but not all) of teams on the outside looking in.

For example, the National Hockey League (NHL) — which, like the NBA, had completed most of its regular-season schedule — plans to bring back the top 24 of its 31 teams for a novel postseason tournament. The NHL usually has eight playoff teams per conference, just like the NBA.

If the NBA were to try something similarly atypical to compensate for the hiatus and the loss of at least some regular-season games, many proposals suggest seeding teams independent of usual conference brackets. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been a fan of the concept for years, but travel logistics have made it hard to implement.

But with all of the league’s teams expected to be under one roof in Orlando, this could be the opportunity to try it out. Should it occur, count Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey as one of the leading supporters.

Besides being innovative, there’s another clear reason: As Morey indicates, it would likely be a big advantage for the Rockets.

Per ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, six of the league’s top nine teams are currently in the Western Conference. Dividing up those teams would bring the 2020 version of the playoffs much closer to parity.

If the Rockets (40-24) went into the playoffs as the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed — which they would be, based on current records, with a traditional conference bracket format — they would likely have to defeat each of the NBA’s top three teams (Bucks, Lakers, Clippers) in consecutive series to win the 2020 championship.

By contrast, if the NBA seeded No. 1 through No. 16 independent of conference, they would only have to defeat two of those three. The same could also be the case in rumored “group stage” proposals.

This also, however, could show the difficulty the NBA faces in getting such a change passed. For example, why would Milwaukee — after dominating the East all season — vote for a system in which they might have to defeat at least two West heavyweights in playoff series to win the title, as opposed to just one under the usual format?

Milwaukee can’t unilaterally derail talks, since the change could still be approved with up to 10 of the 30 NBA teams voting against it. But if other franchises in the East, which has long had an easier path to the NBA Finals than the West, feel the same way, the “no” votes could stack up quickly.

It’s for many of the same competitive reasons, though, that the Rockets would certainly support those proposals. Time will tell as to how realistic they are, but on paper, the path to a 2020 NBA title is easier for Houston with a change — especially if the standings stay as they are today.

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