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Seriously, Mr. Stern ... about those playoff seedings

by John Hollinger (yes, I know, I can't believe I'm "quoting" him either... I can't stand the man's love of math but... what'm I gonna do about it?)

David Stern basically shot down the idea of retooling the playoffs during his "State of the Union" address at the All-Star Game, but humor me for a minute. One thing I'll be watching closely the next few weeks is the disparity between the West's No. 9 team and the East's No. 8.

Presently, we're looking at a situation in which a Western team might be in the lottery with 48 wins, while an Eastern club with 34 wins makes the playoffs. Call me crazy, but if you win 14 more games than another team, they shouldn't be the ones getting to the postseason.

A less discussed side effect of this is how it plays with the draft. Our theoretical 34-win team will pick after the 48-win team; in fact, the 48-win team has a chance (albeit a tiny one) of picking first. It's odd to think that making the playoffs in the East will cost a team four spots in the draft (11th to 15th); while missing it in the West could possibly move a team down six (20th to 14th).

Of course, all this rigmarole would be unnecessary if the league would just take the top 16 teams into the postseason, or something approaching that.

My last proposal on this topic addressed the strength in the West from the perspective of improving the Finals, but didn't look at our new situation in which a couple of very bad Eastern Conference teams will make the playoffs while at least two pretty good Western Conference squads stay home.

So let's try again. I had proposed cross-matching the top seeds in each conference, preserving the 1-through-8 structure but using a 2-3-2 format and playing East vs. West in the first round.

That has to be augmented by something else, however -- selecting the correct 16 teams in the first place.

To do that, it's pretty easy -- just have the teams with the best 16 records make the playoffs. In case of a tie, the first tie-break should be the conference with the least representation (i.e., if two teams tie for the 16th spot, whichever conference had fewer of the other 15 teams would earn the berth). That gets us as close to an 8-8 mix as possible in most years, and means this system only rears its head when there is a disparity in win-loss record.

Additionally, the league can continue its fetish with rewarding division winners by giving six of the top eight seeds to division champs. This has an added bonus, for you TV execs in the audience, because it guarantees at least two first-round series in the Mountain or Pacific time zones (well, unless the Timberwolves win the Northwest Division ... but fortunately, we needn't consider that possibility).

Seeding teams 1 through 16 would produce some huge geographic imbalances, but those can be addressed partially by allowing the top eight seeds' opponent to shift one spot up or down to produce matchups from the same conference.

What you end up with, if the season ended today, looks like this:

(1) Boston vs. (16) Washington

(8) Orlando* vs. (9) Phoenix

(4) San Antonio vs. (13) Toronto

(5) New Orleans vs. (12) Golden State

(2) Detroit vs. (14) Cleveland**

(7) Utah* vs. (10) Houston

(3) L.A. Lakers vs. (15) Portland**

(6) Dallas vs. (11) Denver

* - seeding moves up as division champ ** - pairing shifted to create conference match-up

I think we can all agree this would be vastly more compelling than what's actually on offer; in addition, it would let teams like Portland and Sacramento keep pushing for a playoff spot and put some actual pressure on clubs like Washington to win a game once in a while.

There are drawbacks. Every round would have to use the 2-3-2 format or the travel will quickly get ridiculous for series like Orlando-Phoenix. Additionally, TV people won't like this because it potentially could give them some troublesome second-round pairings if several teams from the Eastern time zone make the second round -- with 13 of the league's 30 teams there, this is certainly a real possibility down the road (given the state of the East, way down the road).

In my humble opinion, what this format adds to the other rounds of the playoffs more than offsets what might be lost in the second round. Not to mention what it does for the regular season. The current system's credibility will take a huge hit if 48 wins gets one team in the lottery and 34 puts another in the playoffs.

from Bill's blog to mine

Q: You're missing the point, OK? Jason Kidd is the fake French chick from the '80s classic "Better Off Dead," and Cusack plays the Mavs. The Finals vs. Miami were Lane Meyer getting dumped by his girlfriend, losing the drag race to the Asian Howard Cosells is the equivalent of getting upset by Golden State, and trading for Jason Kidd is the French girl moving in next door. Jason is gonna help the Mavs get that bitchin' Camaro fixed. It's not so much a personnel problem an a confidence problem with the Mavs. Yes, that are REALLY shallow at Center, but I've never seen Dampier play with more enthusiasm than he has with Kidd. I'm telling you, they'll be parking that Camaro on the infield and raising that trophy yet.-- Rob B., Dallas

SG: Well, now that you put it that way, maybe I have to re-evaluate everything ...

-

I don't know who Rob B. is but I'm gonna find out because I totally like the way this guy thinks. GO MAVS

the perfect roll for richard gruyere.

sometimes I over think the names that I give my culinary creations. this is one of those times.

anyway, let's cut to the chase-

these are regular dinner rolls (Pillsbury) turned fanatastic by adding a little gruyere cheese to the middle of 'em (the rolls "roll" like a cinnamon roll, so you can cut a long sliver of cheese and roll it with the bread like a pinwheel), then place 'em in a buttered muffin tin and in fifteen minutes (in a conventional oven set to 350 degrees) you'll have the greatest roll of your life ever.

Oscar

the aaaaaaaaaaacademy awards are fake but if they were real, this is what I think-

in the year 2008 for the year 2007 these are (some of) the winners and my thoughts on the winning.

best... cinematography: There Will Be Blood. obvious choice. No Country for Old Men close second

best "adaptation": No Country for Old Men. well done. earned. up against an equal in There Will Be Blood.

best "original" ...screenplay: Diablo Cody (stage name?). just goes to show you that truly anyone can write a story and if you're lucky enough (or know the right people) you will see it on the big screen

best... "director": Ethan & Joel Coen. finally! very deserving (though always deserving whenever behind the camera) in case something terrible happens to the Coens and they can no longer hold the little gold statue, they can give it to Paul Thomas Anderson for directing There Will Be Blood

best... actor...supporting role: Javier Bardem. I don't care what Regis said, I know who you are (I remember what you did in the Sea Inside.) amazing acting. deserving. earned. memorable performance. (many great actors nominated for this award including- Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Holbrook & Tom Wilkinson)

best ...actor: Daniel Day-Lewis. deserving. untouchable. earned. unforgettable performance. the only choice any sane person could make, amazing actor, amazing acting.

best motion picture of the year: No Country for Old Men. great movie. best picture. (see also There Will Be Blood)

when so many years there seems to be a shortage of deserving nominations, this year there were almost too many. it seems that the academy has given up on its snubb of the Coen brothers, good. hopefully Paul Thomas Anderson won't have to wait so long for the same kind of fair treatment...

'stachy

SEE THIS MOVIE NOW!

A GUIDE TO

scientific expressions used in everyday conversation. by Drew Piston

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

This principle claims that one cannot know both the momentum and the position of any given thing at any given time. This, of course, is because anything with momentum has a constantly changing position. The principle derives its name from the sobering tragedy of the Heisenberg, a German zeppelin that caught fire in 1937. (The pilots of the Heisenberg knew their position* but not their momentum.) This principle affects everything from other forms of transportation to personal relationships. One might, for instance, use the H.U.P. to rebut the claim "This is headed nowhere," only to hear "Drew, our relationship is a flaming wreck."

A GUIDE TO

scientific expressions used in everyday conversation. by Drew Piston

Newton's Law

As legend would have it, Newton was sitting in his orchard, thinking about important science things (pendulums, Bunsen burners, incarcerated rodents, etc.), when an apple fell and hit him right on the noggin. This led to two important things: the invention of chairs, so that one could sit in the safety of one's home, and the replacement of the apple orchard with fig trees. Newton's preference for figs over apples eventually manifested itself in the form of a delicious cookie treat. "Newton's Law!" is an exclamation used to describe comparisons in which there is a clear preference, such as "Figs are superior to apples in every way," or "The deliciousness of this cookie treat sure would be compromised were it to be made from apples," or, sadly, "Brian isn't better in bed than I am, is he?"

A GUIDE TO

scientific expressions used in everyday conversation. by Drew Piston

Murphy's Law

This law states that "anything that can go wrong will go wrong." A hypothetical example might be when you forget your sandwich, your bicycle gets a flat on the way home at lunchtime, and when you finally get there, sweaty and hungry, your girlfriend dumps you for your best friend. "I certainly won't get arrested for breaking Murphy's Law today," you might joke. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

Shyamalan made another movie, even though you told him to stop

a new Shyamalan movie, yes, after a few of his misses there probably won't be too much hub-bub around this one but... I'm still interested. I'm a sucker for his twists and a sort of unrelated observation is that for the first half century of movie making, etc. the go-to villains were the Russians, I think the new public enemy #1 will be disease, chemical warfare, etc. kinda interesting, kinda miss the Russians.

movies, movies when will there be a bad one?

happy (Bobby) Valentine's day!

and I don't even watch this guy (Colbert) but... interesting

there is a lot to listen to, then think about in this short interview but the part that I had to hear again was when Colbert said,

"Evil exists because of the disobedience of Satan. God gave Satan, the angels and man free will. Satan used his free will and abused it by not obeying authority. Hell was created by Satan's disobedience to God and his purposeful removal from God's love, which is what hell is, removing yourself from God's love. You send yourself to hell, God does not send you there."

Dr. Z then replied, "obviously you learned well in Sunday school."

to which Colbert said, "I teach Sunday school mother-ucker"

I think I wanna be able to teach Sunday school.

another annoying ellen page movie to love

like renting underwear

Be With You by Rich Mullins

Everybody each and all

We're gonna die eventually

It's no more or less our faults

Than it is our destiny

So now Lord I come to you

Asking only for Your grace

You know what I've put myself through

All those empty dreams I chased

And when my body lies in the ruins

Of the lies that nearly ruined me

Will You pick up the pieces

That were pure and true

And breathe Your life into them

And set them free?

And when You start this world over

Again from scratch

Will You make me anew

Out of the stuff that lasts?

Stuff that's purer than gold is

And clearer than glass could ever be

Can I be with You?

Can I be with You?

And everybody all and each

From the day that we are born

We have to learn to walk beneath

Those mercies by which we're drawn

And now we wrestle in the dark

With these angels that we can't see

We will move on although with scars

Oh Lord, move inside of me

And when my body lies in the ruins

Of the lies that nearly runied me

Will You pick up the pieces

That were pure and true

And breathe Your life into them

And set them free?

And when You blast this cosmos

To kingdom come

When those jagged-edged mountains

I love are gone

When the sky is crossed with the tears

Of a thousand falling suns

As they crash into the sea

Can I be with you?

Can I be with you?

must see

I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS ALL SEASON