Why is it that in the NBA, teams such as the lowly Celtics or Nets make the playoffs while good teams barely miss the cusp of the postseason? Normally I am all for conferencing for a playoff system, but when one conference, the West in this case, is so much stronger than the other, something needs to be done about it.

The Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets all made the playoffs in the Eastern Conference with a record at .500 or below .500. This has been a constant trend in the NBA where teams with losing records reach the postseason and get swept out of the playoffs. To be fair, during these playoffs only the Celtics out of that group were swept out as both the Bucks and Nets are giving their opponents much as they can handle.

They are included in postseason play while in the Western Conference; the Thunder finished the season eight games over .500, yet they are on the outside looking in. Something isn’t right about this. Isn’t the point of a playoff system meant to showcase the best teams possible? Then my question is why leave some teams that deserve to make the playoffs out in the cold harsh reality that is mediocrity in the NBA?

I love the NBA,” said Allison Mendez, a fan who has supported the NBA for over 20 years. “But nothing is worse than being mediocre in the league.”

These East teams that stumble into the playoffs with losing records continue to get lower draft picks while the Western teams who miss the playoffs and are above .500 get the higher draft picks. The Western teams improve themselves through the draft picks and the cycle continues. So, what exactly can be done about it?

First we remove conferencing for the playoff system as a whole, but we keep divisions within. Sixteen teams will still make the playoffs in order to keep a sense of familiarity with the players and fans. Currently there are six divisions within the NBA, but in order for this to happen, the six divisions will shrink to four, combining teams and making it more competitive. Each of the four division winners automatically clinch a playoff spot and will receive home court advantage in their first round series to reward them for winning their division.

The division winners will be seeded one through four based off overall record. The other twelve teams will be seeded based solely off record alone. Division record will determine the first wave of tiebreakers and if needed then conference record will play a role.

“Something needs to be done,” said David Frasco, an 18-year-old Moorpark student. “The Clippers and Spurs matchup this year shouldn’t be played in the first round.”

The number one seed will play the 16 seed, the two seed will play the 15 seed, the three seed plays the 14 seed, the four seed plays the 13 seed, the five seed plays the 12 seed, the six seed plays the 11 seed, the seven seed plays the 10 seed and the eight seed plays the nine seed. This system very much resembles that of a college basketball March Madness bracket structure.

This system would make it so the best 16 teams in the NBA make the cut for the postseason as it makes for a better watching experience and competitive atmosphere. No more easily coasting to the Conference Finals for the top East teams. The NBA needs to do something about the conferencing problem. The current system — the one that rewards bad teams in the East with playoff spots, is getting to be kind of ridiculous.

Here is how the current playoffs would look if this restructure happened:

1. Golden State Warriors vs 16. Boston Celtics

2. Atlanta Hawks vs 15. Milwaukee Bucks

3. Houston Rockets vs 14. Oklahoma City Thunder

4. Los Angeles Clippers vs 13. New Orleans Pelicans

5. Memphis Grizzlies vs 12. Washington Wizards

6. San Antonio Spurs vs 11. Toronto Raptors

7. Cleveland Cavaliers vs 10. Dallas Mavericks

8. Portland Trailblazers vs 9. Chicago Bulls