Raptors Force Zach Lowe to Write An Article On Abolishing Divisions

[psrs1]

that's just silly... typical people with money not understanding the motivations of the people spending their money..

The Windsor area has always been a funny divide of Toronto fans and Detroit fans... that's the kind of rivalry that needs to be cultivated

Agreed.

[JimiCliff]

It's a good article, but at the same time it's like: why should he even have to write it? How can it be that the league has it's head so far up it's a** that this can still exist? (And don't even get me started on the 2-3-2 finals format.)

I do have hope, though, that when Adam Silver takes over the league's going to change for the better in a number of ways.

[ezz_bee]

Zach Lowe is the nuts. It's not about the Raptors, it's about the fact that divisions=meaningless.

Plus for all the people arguing that homecourt advantage by snagging the fourth seed from winning the division gives us a good shot at getting out of the first round there's this section of the article

The situation isn’t even all that dire if two non–divisional winners finish with better records than a divisional champ. In that case, one of those non-winners gets the no. 3 spot, and the other one, with the lesser record, gets the no. 5 spot — and home-court advantage over the divisional winner in the (undeserved) no. 4 seed. This is what happened in 2011-12, for instance, when the Celtics won the Atlantic Division with a 39-27 record, earning the no. 4 seed over the 40-26 Hawks, but had to go on the road for the first two games of that Atlanta-Boston series. Boston was the no. 4 seed in name only, and the post-2006 rules punished them with home-court disadvantage and the no. 4 spot that comes with a near-guarantee of meeting the top seed in the second round. No harm, no foul.

So EVEN if we win the division we DON'T get home court advantage, if the 5th seed has a better record. I guess that puts a little damper on the "I like our odds against the Hawks with homecourt advantage" argument doesn't it?

[ezz_bee]

It's a good article, but at the same time it's like: why should he even have to write it? How can it be that the league has it's head so far up it's a** that this can still exist? (And don't even get me started on the 2-3-2 finals format.)

I do have hope, though, that when Adam Silver takes over the league's going to change for the better in a number of ways.

Agreed with what you're saying, but the reality is that big organisations take a long time to change not very much at all.

[Superjudge]

eff Zach Lowe, he and I are in a twitter fight. :P

[S.R.]

BTW re: a few above comments - Zach Lowe isn't your typical ESPN analyst. Not only does he pay attention to details, his girlfriend is from Toronto and he's spent plenty of time in the city and has been to Raptors games. There's a reason he tends to bring the Raps up in his analytics with unusual frequency.

[Shrub]

I guess that puts a little damper on the "I like our odds against the Hawks with homecourt advantage" argument doesn't it?

I love how this has become a thing around here
4th seed vs 5th seed (Atlanta has jumped to 3rd as a write this, actually).
They are only two numbers apart!

Atlanta is a really good team guys, and I say that after just watching them lose to the Celtics at home.
It happens, I'm not drunk on their best
But they're good.
They have good players - they are quite a bit better than us.

This is not a thing folks.

[Superjudge]

BTW re: a few above comments - Zach Lowe isn't your typical ESPN analyst. Not only does he pay attention to details, his girlfriend is from Toronto and he's spent plenty of time in the city and has been to Raptors games. There's a reason he tends to bring the Raps up in his analytics with unusual frequency.

His article still gave the cold shoulder to the Raps, so a didn't like it. When guys start simply disregarding a team, as if they shouldnt even be in the NBA its offensive.

He's a writer, if he writes BS for controversy (and trust me, they all do) then he will get a response.

[psrs1]

It's a good article, but at the same time it's like: why should he even have to write it? How can it be that the league has it's head so far up it's a** that this can still exist? (And don't even get me started on the 2-3-2 finals format.)

I do have hope, though, that when Adam Silver takes over the league's going to change for the better in a number of ways.

Didn't they change that finals format this year?

[white men can't jump]

Didn't they change that finals format this year?

Yes....now 2-2-1-1-1

[Employee]

I didn't find this to be a Raptors bashing article at all. He would of wrote it if the Nets and (Division Leading) Raptors records' were reversed.

And yeah, from what I remember it doesn't give you home court advantage if your record is worse. It does change the seeding. Right now they would be playing Charlotte (!!!!) rather than Atlanta if there was no divisions. This is crazy man.

[slaw]

Lol at people bashing Lowe. He's one of the best NBA writers/analysts out there; one of the few who pays attention to the Raps at all; and one of the only ones who takes them seriously.

[Axel]

Too many Raps fans with an inferiority complex when it comes to US media.

[Superjudge]

complex? oh get bent, recognizing it is not a complex, its just a simple recognition of fact.

[Axel]

complex? oh get bent, recognizing it is not a complex, its just a simple recognition of fact.

Get bent? lol is that even an insult?

It is 100% a complex. Zach Lowe does great stuff and does a fair job covering the Raptors. Ripping on him for where he works from is just stupid. By that same measure Doug Smith must be good because he works in Toronto.