On one hand, while Boston would absolutely love to miss the Sixers in the first round, it’s not out of the question that the Mavericks, Thunder and particularly Rockets loom as potential alternatives.
Not exactly the sort of early-playoff warm-up most teams earn by securing home court advantage with one of the NBA’s eight best records – perhaps another reason why this measure isn’t likely to pass.
It’s a question worth asking.
Do we really want matchups we’d have only seen in the NBA Finals producing pitched battles early in the postseason, and old rivalries with teams like the Los Angeles Lakers both becoming rarer, and more common before the Finals?
Or do we need to change the way we look at things?