Mark Cuban on NBA playoffs: Why not expand to 10 teams per conference?

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban posted a message on his Cyber Dust app Thursday proposing the idea of the NBA playoffs being expanded to 10 teams.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban posted a message on his Cyber Dust app Thursday sharing the idea of the NBA playoffs being expanded to 10 teams.

Cuban said he proposed the idea to other owners recently “as food for thought.”

The NBA has used eight teams per conference in the playoffs since 1984. 

“The increased number would reduce the chances of good teams missing the playoffs in the stronger conference,” wrote Cuban. “It would make it harder to tank since the chances of making the playoffs increased.”

Cuban argued such an expansion would “keep things interesting for fans longer into the season.”

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In 2014–15, the Western Conference's Oklahoma City Thunder missed the playoffs despite having a better record than three Eastern Conference teams, leading to criticism of the current format. Ideas arose including the elimination of a conference-based bracket altogether, seeding the Top 16 teams instead.

Another criticism of the league's format is that a division-winning team can receive a higher playoff seed than a non division-winner with a better record. On Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league's Competition Committee has recommended seeding playoff teams based on record alone, giving no weight to division winners.

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You can read Cuban's full Cyber Dust message below.

- Molly Geary