It looks as though the NBA Finals format will change to 2-2-1-1-1, starting this season. Wednesday, the NBA owners unanimously voted to replace the current 2-3-2 format.
The NBA team with home-court advantage will now get to play their first two games at home, then go on the road for the next two. Then the teams will alternate cities for the last three games.
At the conclusion of the league’s two-day Board of Governors meetings Wednesday, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced the change.
“There has been,” Stern said, “an abiding sense amongst our teams, and they’ve stated two things: One, in a 2-2 series, it’s sort of not fair for the team with the better record to be away. And two, it’s difficult for the team — the better team in terms of record to spend as many as eight days on the road away from home.”
“So for all those considerations and many others, the Competition Committee voted, it was explained to the owners, and they voted to make the change.”
