NBA Will Have New Finals Series Format

With golf online betting having it's downtime as the year ends, let us talk about one of the most popular sports league from online sports betting Australia. Here's the article from NBA.com detailing the changes made to the NBA Finals series format for next year and beyond. I've grabbed the important tidbits from the report and posted it here. 

Beginning with the 2014 finals, the higher-seeded team will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. The lower seed gets Games 3, 4 and 6, following the same format the NBA uses in all other rounds.

The NBA for the previous 29 years has used what's referred to as the 2-3-2 format, in which the higher seed hosts the first two games, then goes on the road for three straight.

The 2-3-2 format was instituted in 1985 in part to ease the amount of cross-country travel with the Celtics and Lakers frequently meeting for the championship. But some felt it also worked against the team that should have the advantage.

The unanimous vote to approve the 2-2-1-1-1 format came Wednesday during Stern's final preseason meeting with his board of governors. Owners also voted to add an extra day between Games 6 and 7.

The league's competition committee had recommended the change last month back to 2-2-1-1-1, which was used in all but one finals from 1957 to 1984.

Stern has often said he was acting on advice about the travel from former Celtics boss Red Auerbach when the finals format was switched. But with commercial flights long since replaced by charters, teams didn't have the same difficulties now with the number of trips.

Stern has often said he was acting on advice - or complaints - about the travel from former Celtics boss Red Auerbach when the finals format was switched. But with commercial flights long since replaced by charters, teams didn't have the same difficulties now with the number of trips.

Silver, who will become commissioner after Stern retires Feb. 1, is a proponent of the 2-2-1-1-1 format, though he said Stern and other league executives all thought it was time for the change.