re: NBA realignment

Also, the NBA doesn't really let "fluke" teams get in a la 11-5 Patriots sent home while 8-8 Chargers go to the playoffs and host a home game. It is virtually impossible for a team to win its division without having one of the top eight records in its conference.

It is clear to me--and I see no viable solution--that the biggest problem in the NBA is that there are too many playoff slots, meaning that the elite teams (namely the Lakers, who have admitted this) can coast through the regular season and then flip the switch in the playoffs. When you have so many playoff spots that you can have teams half-arse the entire regular season, that is a huge problem. Why does Joe Blow want to pay money for a ticket to a game when he knows that one of the teams isn't trying its best to win? It makes no sense.

At least in my idea above, you get more of those marquee matchups. Three Lakers/Heat games instead of two; three Celtics/Spurs games instead of two; three Timberwolves/Nets games instead of two. See? Marquee matchups.

The perfect solution imho--and it won't happen because the NBA risks losing money (maybe)--is to have four playoff spots in each conference. One for each division, and one wild card. That prevents the elite teams from coasting (at least until the final five games or so if they've built a huge lead). If you make it harder to make the playoffs, your money-making teams play harder. Sure, the Blazers get mathematically eliminated a bit more quickly, but how many Blazers games have you watched in the past seven years?