The finals format of the future?

The NBA's Development League, known as the D-League to us younger types, is used as a stepping stone for players, coaches, officials and executives to get to the NBA.

It is also used as a breeding ground for ideas.

One of these ideas, set to be put on trial later this season, could revolutionize the way playoff teams are seeded. Not just in the D-League, not just in the NBA. Many leagues in many sports could use a bit of innovation like this for their post-season showpieces.

The D-League announced this month that it will implement a new seeding system – one where the top seeds get to choose which bottom seed they want to play.

Sounds interesting, right?

In the case of the D-League, there are eight teams. This means that the first-placed side, instead of automatically being drawn against the eight-placed side, will get to choose any side that finished between fifth and eighth.

Then, the second-placed side chooses from the three remaining sides, then the third-placed gets a go and the fourth-placed gets the leftover.

The move makes sense. After all, isn't the whole point of seeding to give the higher finishing teams an advantage?

Why not give them the best possible advantage?

Just because a team finishes lower than another, that does not mean they are necessarily better or easier to beat. Letting them pick and choose ensures they do actually hold the upper hand, not only over the team they are playing, but their fellow seeded teams as well.

Another benefit is the added bit of show-biz to the playoff process.

Rivalries can grow off the back of teams being "called out" by other teams – or by being sent to by a higher seed to an opponent with a strong record against that team.

It gives the whole finals series a strong reality TV feel.

Finally, there is also a renewed emphasis on the regular season.

Under the D-League model, every seeded position genuinely counts for something, which keeps interest rolling as the season goes by. Of course there's no guarantees for the lower seeds, but a lot of these sides are staving off falling below the eight, so interest keeps going there, too.

The current system in the NBA (where first plays eighth) seems on the face of it a fair system. But given how the D-League shifts the power completely into the hands of the higher seeds, the new kid on the block might just upstage the older brother on this issue.

Who knows? Maybe this concept will even filter to Australian shores before too long?

The AFL system has to change once new teams are brought in, and the current set-up is complicated enough already.

(And anyway, I know for a fact Geelong would not have wanted to play Collingwood up front in the finals last year.)

The NRL endures complaints about its first-versus-eighth system every year. Perhaps it may be time to shake things up.

Even if Nathan Jawai is recalled to the Toronto Raptors some time soon, here's one blogger who'll still be keeping an eye on the D-League, if only for their playoff format.

Photo credit to Nick Belardes.