Mad Dog Rips NBA Playoff Format: ‘Too Many Teams!’

Mad Dog Slams NBA Playoff Expansion, Prefers Shorter Series

Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo is firing shots at the NBA’s postseason format, arguing that the league has let too many teams into the playoffs, which he believes devalues the regular season. On ‘First Take Exclusive,’ Russo voiced his strong opinions, contrasting the NBA’s approach with other sports that have recently updated their playoff structures.

Russo pointed to the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, which started in 2020, as a prime example of this issue. He noted that Major League Baseball expanded to three wild cards in 2022, and the NFL did the same in 2020, also moving to an 18-week regular season.

Even college basketball added a ‘First Four’ in 2011, and college football expanded its playoff field from four to twelve teams in 2024. Despite these changes, Russo feels the NBA’s move has gone too far.

Baseball’s Wild Card Gets Mad Dog’s Approval

When asked about the best recent postseason format change, Russo immediately praised baseball’s wild card system. He likes that MLB went from a one-game playoff to a best-of-three series for its wild card spots.

“The season in baseball, these are all three game series. I like the best of three,” Russo explained.

He added that this change offers a bit more breathing room for teams. “If you lose the first game, your season isn’t blown up,” he said, highlighting that it’s a quick, efficient way to start the postseason. Baseball still keeps its postseason exclusive, with only 12 out of 30 teams making the cut, which Russo sees as a positive.

NBA Play-In Tournament Under Fire

Russo’s main issue with the NBA is the sheer number of teams that can still make the playoffs. “You played 82 games and you have 20 team and you have 12 teams eliminated from the postseason if you consider playing postseason,” he stated, emphasizing that after six months of basketball, 20 teams are still in contention.

He believes this makes the regular season less meaningful. “So, you played six months of basketball and 20 teams are still alive and only 12 are knocked out.

That’s a bad percentage,” Russo argued. He cited the Golden State Warriors’ 37-45 record last season as an example of a team that could get into the Play-In without a truly dominant regular season.

Play-In Teams Rarely Make Deep Runs

While acknowledging that teams like the Miami Heat have made deep playoff runs after coming through the Play-In, Russo believes this is the exception, not the rule. “Most of the time these play these playing teams get killed once they they’re the eighth seed,” he said.

Historically, only six 8-seeds have ever beaten a 1-seed in the NBA playoffs. “So, to me, adding more teams to a scenario where the best team always advances anyway is a little risky,” Russo concluded on the matter.

Russo Advocates for Shorter Series in NBA and NHL

Beyond the Play-In, Russo also wants to shorten the playoff series themselves. He specifically dislikes the best-of-seven format for the first round in both the NBA and NHL. “I don’t like the best of sevens in the first round,” he declared.

Russo feels the NBA and NHL seasons are already incredibly long, and the playoffs drag on for two and a half months. He believes switching back to a best-of-five format would speed things up and potentially allow for more upsets. “It’s easier to beat a team three times, a good team, than four times,” he reasoned.

NCAA Tournament’s Weekend Madness as a Model

The conversation then shifted to what format changes could be made. Russo proposed borrowing from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. He loves the excitement of the first two days of March Madness, where games overlap across multiple networks.

“The first two days of the playoffs,” Russo stated, “I don’t care what sport. Pick a sport.

NBA. How fun would that be?”

He envisions a similar setup for professional sports, with games starting early and running all day for the first couple of days of the playoffs. This would create a concentrated burst of excitement, much like the start of the NCAA tournament. However, the host noted that the NBA already offers four games on both Saturday and Sunday during the first weekend of its playoffs.

NFL’s Safety Concerns with More Games

The discussion touched on the NFL as well, particularly the idea of adding more games or teams. Russo is against adding more regular-season games, especially if it comes at the expense of player safety. “You can’t scream about safety if you’re going to add another game,” he argued.

He also touched on the league’s decision to give only the top seed a bye in each conference, down from two byes previously. Russo believes this change was made to create more wild card inventory for television networks, allowing for more games to be broadcast.

Russo Rejects Expanding NFL Playoffs Further

The idea of adding another wild card team in the NFL was also met with resistance from Russo. He believes adding more teams would further devalue the regular season, a point he has already made about the NBA. “One more team will,” he stated firmly when asked if adding a team would hurt the regular season’s value.

While the host suggested it could add value by giving more teams a chance to compete, Russo remained unconvinced. He fears it would lead to more teams prioritizing a Play-In game or a low playoff seed over developing their future through the draft, citing the Chicago Bulls’ decision to trade players despite being close to Play-In contention.

Source: Mad Dog's SUGGESTION to the NBA & NHL 🗣️ 'WE DON'T NEED ALL 7 GAMES!' | First Take Exclusive (YouTube)