For those who are wondering, if the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers finish the regular season tied for second place in the Western Conference, the Lakers would enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed.
Why?
By NBA rules, if two teams are tied entering the playoffs, the team that won its division would grab the higher seed. In this case, the Lakers are the Pacific Division champs while the Mavs will finish the season in second place behind San Antonio in the Southwest Division.
As of now, the Lakers (53-20) lead the Mavs (52-21) by one game for the No. 2 seed. The two teams play each other Thursday in Los Angeles, one day after the Mavs play the Clippers in LA.
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If they are tied in the standings, but if Dallas wins the season series, wouldn't the Mavs have home court advantage against the Lakers, even though seeded behind them? Dallas would open against the sixth seed while LA plays the seventh -- but if they both advance, I believe home court goes to the team with the better overall record.
Am I remembering this right?
Posted by: Dave Twedell | March 29, 2011 at 12:25 PM
@ Dave Twedell
Yes, you are correct, and so is the article. The article is only talking about seeding, not home court advantage.
Posted by: Chris | March 29, 2011 at 02:29 PM