NBA Season Changes Post-Expansion
After the World Cup, I’ve been getting into European football and how the leagues are set up with their titles, tournaments, and entire pyramid system.
With that in mind, I have made a little overhaul as to what the NBA could look like post-expansion with 32 teams in the league. I’ve been thinking about how the NBA could make the regular season feel more meaningful while also making every trophy feel unique. Here’s what I’d change:
1. Expand to 32 teams and relocate.
2 Conferences
4 Divisions per conference
8 divisions total with 4 teams each
Western Conference
Pacific: Lakers, Clippers, Las Vegas, Suns
Northwest: Warriors, Kings, Supersonics, Blazers
Central West: Jazz, Nuggets, Thunder, Grizzlies
Southwest: Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks, Pelicans
Eastern Conference
Atlantic: Celtics, Knicks, Nets, Sixers
Northeast: Raptors, Wizards, Cavs, Pistons
Central East: Wolves, Bucks, Bulls, Pacers
Southeast: Heat, Hornets, Hawks, Magic
Not entirely sure on the names of the divisions but these should suffice for now.
2. Reduce the regular season to 80 games.
Two fewer games wouldn’t change much financially, but it would slightly reduce wear and tear while making each game matter a bit more.
The math also just makes sense. Each team will play their division rivals 4 times (3 teams x 4), the other in-conference out-of-division teams 3 times (12 teams x 3), and those in the other conference twice (16 teams x 2).
Which should add up to 80 games.
3. NBA Cup group stage & knockout games fixes.
I’d rather the Cup knockout stage be its own competition instead of counting towards regular-season standings. The group stage games will still count towards regular season games but the knockout stage will be its own category.
Also, let’s bring back relevancy to divisions again. The group stage is now played against division rivals. Each team will play each of their division rivals 4 times in the regular season anyway - making 2 of those games (1 home & 1 away) part of the NBA Cup just makes sense.
Those who finish at the top of their division after the 6 group stage games will be the ones who qualify & represent their division in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Imagine Boston vs. Philly, the Battle of LA, or the Texas derbies having a guaranteed playoff-style games twice a year in the middle of the regular season.
4. Award an official League Title to the team with the best regular season record.
Probably my most contentious take, but just like the English Premier League, finishing as the #1 team over an 80-game season should be recognised as a championship in its own right. It rewards consistency rather than just getting hot in the playoffs.
I think this would change so many legacies and give legitimacy to some all-time teams & players who have not been given their flowers due to the obsession over ring culture.
Which would also encourage less coasting and load management from players as they now have another title to win/play for.
5. Finally, make the “Treble” (or Grand Slam) an actual achievement.
Teams could aim to win:
🏆 NBA Cup (single game elimination tournament)
🏆 NBA League Title (best regular season record)
🏆 NBA Championship (best of 7 playoffs)
Winning all three in one season would be an incredibly rare feat and give teams multiple meaningful goals.
What do you think?