Many people say that it is. The Portland Trailblazers last year would've been the team most affected by this change. By winning the Northwest division, the Blazers were awarded the No. 4 seed, despite having the sixth best record in the Western Conference. Had they received the sixth seed, the playoff field would've looked dramatically different. The San Antonio Spurs would've faced the Memphis Grizzlies, rather than the Los Angeles Clippers. That means, the Golden State Warriors would've likely seen the Spurs in the second round, instead of Memphis.
So what does this mean for this year? For Jazz fans, it actually could affect the Northwest Division.