(01-20-2023 10:31 PM)goofus Wrote: (01-20-2023 12:49 PM)BePcr07 Wrote: Alignment would've changed. With 24 teams, I think the Atlanta Hawks would've been placed in the Atlantic Division and the Minnesota Timberwolves would've been placed in the Central Division. With the Timberwolves in an essentially "Eastern Conference" division, I would wonder if they eventually stay with these teams and become an Eastern Conference team. Perhaps expansion follows a little differently.
Yes, you have to wonder. The NBA added 4 teams in1988 and 1989. Charlotte, Miami, Orlando and Minnesota, which is why Minnesota got forced into the Westen Conference. But in this alternate timeline, if Minn starts in 1980 and spends 8 years in the East conference, it would have been a lot harder to force them West. But if not Minn in the West, then who ? Unless they leave 15 teams in the East andhave only 12 teams in the West. Good luck getting everybody to agree to that.
Miami played in the Midwest Division in 1988-89, with the (original) Charlotte Hornets in the Atlantic Division that year. In 1989-90, Orlando played in the Central Division, Miami moved to the Atlantic Division, and Charlotte was in the Midwest Division. The Eastern Conference only had 13 teams that season, the West had 14 teams.
If Minnesota were a stable member of the East during this time frame, I suspect both Orlando and Miami would have been playing in the West.
Pacific - POR, SEA, GS, LAC, LAL, SAC, PHX
Midwest - UT, DEN, SA, HOU, DAL, ORL, MIA
Central - MN, MIL, CHI, IN, DET, CLE
Atlantic - PHI, NY, NJ, BOS, WAS, ATL, CLT
How long that would have been viable would have been anyone's guess, although expansion to Toronto and Vancouver in 1995 could have given the NBA an interesting option:
Pacific - GS, LAC, LAL, SAC, PHX
Northwest - UT, DEN, POR, SEA,
VAN
Midwest - MN, MIL, CHI, IN
South - SA, HOU, DAL, ORL, MIA
Central - DET, CLE,
TOR/b], ATL, CLT
Atlantic - PHI, NY, NJ, BOS, WAS
Basically the South and Midwest divisions could have gone in either conference. This would have given the West one team in the Eastern Time Zone (Indiana), but it would only really be an issue if they were hosting a playoff game as a member of the Western Conference. Putting Chicago in the West definitely would have changed the trajectory of the NBA in the late 1990s with Michael Jordan's return from retirement.
The alignment would come to a head again in 2002 with the relocation of Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans:
Pacific - GS, LAC, LAL, SAC, PHX
Northwest - UT, DEN, POR, SEA
Southwest - SA, HOU, DAL, [b]NO, MEM
Central - DET, MN, MIL, CHI, IN
Atlantic - ATL, ORL, MIA, PHI, WAS
Northeast - NY, NJ, BOS, TOR, CLE
Expansion to Charlotte would likely be a bridge too far for Minnesota in 2004, which likely gives us today's alignment (save for the Sonics, who would relocate four years later):
Pacific - GS, LAC, LAL, SAC, PHX
Northwest - UT, DEN, POR, SEA, MN
Southwest - SA, HOU, DAL, NO, MEM
Central - DET, CLE, MIL, CHI, IN
Southeast - ATL, ORL, MIA,
CLT, WAS
Northeast - NY, NJ, BOS, TOR, PHI
The exception might be is if the Wolves somehow manage to torpedo this by insisting on expansion to 32 teams. The league could have expanded to Oklahoma City (not sure what this does to the Sonics) and likely could have taken an early crack at Las Vegas, or even tried again with Vancouver:
Pacific - GS, LAC, LAL, SAC, PHX
Northwest - UT, DEN, POR, SEA,
VAN
Southwest - SA, HOU, DAL, NO, MEM,
OKC
Central - DET, CLE, MIL, CHI, IN, MN
Southeast - ATL, ORL, MIA,
CLT, WAS
Northeast - NY, NJ, BOS, TOR, PHI
I don't think the NBA goes to a 4x4 alignment then, as the 6-team divisions actually get 82 games from a 4-3-2 format, and the 5-team divisions get. There would be lots of easy fixes for the 5-team divisions to get that 82nd game.
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What if the Timberwolves joined the NBA as scheduled
