Multiple reports have confirmed what had long been rumored, namely that the NBA Board of Governors has unanimously approved a change in the playoff seeding. The changes are effective immediately and will impact the upcoming 2015-16 NBA season.
Basically, the changes mean that playoff teams are based solely by their record and that divisional winners are no longer guaranteed a postseason berth. Here’s a further explanation, as per ESPN.com:
Previously, division winners were guaranteed no worse than the No. 4 seed, a rule that became heavily criticized last season when Portland ended up No.