With March Madness, as wild and crazy as it was this year, nearing its climax, basketball fans nationwide must turn their attention to the NBA, where playoff time begins April 14th (nba.com). For most of the season, the perennial playoff contender San Antonio Spurs have had a firm grasp on the #1 overall seed and homecourt advantage for the upcoming playoffs, but some recent losses have narrowed the gap between them, the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls, and two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
As of March 29, the Spurs hold a three-game lead on both Chicago and LA, but if San Antonio’s troubles continue, it is possible that any of these teams might hold the peace of mind that comes with playing on their own floor come playoff time. Complicating matters, the Spurs currently hold a tiebreaker over the Lakers, but will play Kobe Bryant’s team in LA on the second-to-last day of the season. Should the Lakers continue their recent momentum and score a victory on that day, they likely will be playing on friendly ground for the entirety of the playoffs (bleacherreport.com).
Does it matter who possesses home court advantage? Only once in playoffs history have both #1 seeds met in the Finals, and only in the Finals does home court really seem to have a major effect on the outcome. This is due to the way homecourt advantage is applied in the playoffs: for rounds 1-3 of the playoffs, the games are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 series, beginning with two games at the home team’s place, and so on. In the Finals, though, this format changes to 2-3-2, meaning that in a 7-game series, the home team ostensibly has more momentum, having been at home for the previous game. This is illustrated in the fact that, in the 26 years since the current format was adopted, 20 Finals have been won by the home team (espn.com).
The Lakers have been the most recent example of excellence on their home floor, winning each of the last two NBA Finals, against the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, in the friendly confines of the Staples Center in LA. They may not need to worry if they settle for seed #2 in the West, as they have already beaten the Spurs in San Antonio, delivering a dominating performance back on February 16.
Depending on the outcome of the remainder of the regular season, it is also possible that the Lakers might win the West but visit Chicago for the majority of the Finals, also not a major problem for LA, since they split their season series with Chicago. If the Miami Heat were to gain home-court advantage over the Lakers, however, Bryant, Pau Gasol and co. would be playing the Finals on the floor of the team that went undefeated against them in the regular season.