Daryl Morey Would Be Open to Shortened Season and Different Playoff Format
This year, the NBA got back to its old ways with scheduling. Two seasons ago, as the Philadelphia 76ers and the rest of the league were in the midst of an 82-game season, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the entire sports world.
As the Sixers wrapped up their 65th game of the regular season, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver paused the season. The regular season resumed in the NBA bubble five months later, but the Sixers didn't play the remaining 17 games on their schedule.
Instead, each team involved in the bubble played eight "seeding games" before a standard playoff run took place. Considering the 2020-2021 NBA season started not too long after the previous year concluded, the NBA condensed the schedules.
Rather than playing 82 games, the NBA planned for 72 last year. After getting through the 72-game season and the playoffs, the Sixers and the rest of the league returned to the usual format this year.
There aren't any indications the league might change its ways in the future, but Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey would support a shorter schedule and altered playoffs if it were proposed.
Morey's Idea
On the Colin Cowherd Podcast, Morey and Cowherd discussed possible scheduling changes the NBA could make. When Cowherd threw out the idea of changing the 82-game format to 74, Morey dropped it significantly lower.
"You're too timid, but you gotta go farther," Morey said, according to Ryan Glassspiegel of the New York Post. "I like 58. Every team plays every [other] team two times." Right now, NBA teams face other teams at least twice a season and as many as four times per season, depending on the opponent. Morey would like to see that number drop.
When it comes to the playoffs, Morey also thinks that less is more, and the NBA should adopt a win-or-go-home format throughout the playoffs. "Shorter is better," he explained. "I would have it one-and-done. There's a reason everyone tunes into every game at huge ratings in the NFL. It is literally one-and-done."
The NBA toyed with a one-and-done style last season by creating the play-in tournament for the final two seeds in each conference. Will that translate to an altered playoff format in the future? It hasn't been discussed, but Morey probably isn't the only executive to be open to the idea.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
