HoopsHype.com Columns

Can reformatting stop the Lakers?
by Bill Paterson / June 21, 2002

Is the Eastern Conference really lagging so far behind that the NBA needs a drastic reconfiguration? There’s talk of creating new divisions. And of going to a league-wide 16-team tournament format for the playoffs. Now, let’s suppose for a moment that the Lakers truly are invincible. That it would take the second coming of Jordan, Chamberlain and Russell to pry those championship rings off their battle-scarred hands. Even then, it would seem a bit knee-jerk to refashion the entire league.

Here’s the fundamental issue: The very essence of sports is based upon the notion of establishing a body of rules, creating a level playing field, and allowing athletes to compete. Let the chips fall where they may. Changing the rules in mid-stream is fair only when the proposed alterations will have a positive effect on everyone equally. Implementing a shot clock and extending the three-point line are modern examples of innovations that made the game better, without aiding or hindering a particular team.

But to implement a change because one team happens to be excelling within the rules, reeks of fascism. Okay, at the very least it’s questionable. This is especially true when the “dynasty” in question really hinges on one player: Shaquille O’Neal. Say what you will about Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant, this team is ordinary without Shaq. It’s not like the original Showtime Lakers team that was so stacked it could win a deciding game without Kareem Abdul Jabbar. So, in essence, all of this gnashing of teeth is about one man.

If Shaquille O’Neal is so dominating that he can’t be beaten in a seven game series, so be it. It may become tiresome for fans outside of southern California, but that’s the way the round ball bounces. And wouldn’t everyone feel a little silly if the NBA as we know it were completely redesigned around Shaq, only to see his knees or back give out (see the medical records of Magic and Bird) forcing him to retire early?

Now, all of this aside, it’s important to point out the fact that the Lakers are, in fact, beatable. Sacramento just proved that. Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Toronto and others are perhaps a player away from challenging the throne. And, by the way, there’s a certain league MVP hitting the free agent market next year. Duncan and Iverson? Duncan and McGrady? Duncan and Kidd? Kinda puts Shaq and Kobe into perspective.

So, it’s a bit premature to assume that the only way to make the finals competitive is to reformat. Los Angeles is a Shaq back spasm away from being a first-round casualty. If Robert Horry’s last second shot had clanged off the rim, in all likelihood we’d have been treated to a compelling six or seven game series between Sacramento and New Jersey.

Sure, a sixteen-team tournament format this year would probably have resulted in a Sacramento-Los Angeles championship series. And yes, that series would have been even more thrilling on the ultimate stage. But just because the West happens to have the four best teams right now, doesn’t mean it’s time to scrap everything and begin manufacturing matchups.

The NBA would be setting a dangerous precedent, indicating that it is easily malleable based on momentary trends. For a professional sports league to thrive long-term, it must evolve and re-invent itself with the times. But making wholesale changes in the heat of the moment will lead to instability and lack of credibility. In sports, you just can’t tinker with things every time the outcome isn’t the best case scenario. The Lakers may come from Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean every ending has to be scripted.

Bill Paterson is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

Tell us what you think about this column. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com