Doc Rivers Proposes a Unique Playoff Format

Doc Rivers has an idea for how the NBA should handle their unique playoff situation this season, but it's a little out of the box.

Rivers was a guest on Cedric Maxwell's Podcast where he discussed what resuming play after an NBA hiatus would be like. Doc wasn't a fan of making the last place teams return to play, just to go back home. "We gotta come back, train for 30 days, get in shape, play 5 games, and then go back home?", Rivers said.

While there are a plethora of ways to handle a potential return of the NBA season, Rivers seems keen on one particular avenue - one that requires a mini-tournament for the lower-seeded teams.

"7,8,9, and 10 [seeds] have a playoffs to get in the playoffs," Rivers said. "While they're playing, 1-6 can train. So we get to do all the practices, 7,8,9,10 get to play."

In all honesty, this may be an efficient route in handling how to resume the NBA season. The lower seeded teams shouldn't have to train for 30 days just to immediately return back home. In fact, coaches like Steve Kerr are already considering the season over. So what this does, is essentially cancel the regular season for certain teams; there are advantages and disadvantages to this.

"Now the advantage they have, is in the first round," Rivers said. "You've got to play teams that have been playing games, where you haven't played, but they haven't had as much practice, and we have. I think it would be really cool that way."

The other aspect that was most curious to Rivers, was playing in an empty arena. "I don't even know how that will work," Rivers said. Like many fans, he did find the idea of Patrick Beverley playing in an empty arena hilarious.

"You better put earmuffs on the refs...," Rivers said. "Everybody's getting thrown out! It's going to be nuts! Pat Beverley would not make a game!"