After almost 30 years of using the 2-3-2 schedule in the Finals — giving the team with the worse record three straight home games — the NBA voted today to return to a schedule that would alternate venues for the final four games of a seven-game Finals. The 2-2-1-1-1 format is more "fair," according to the fair commissioner David Stern. Handing the team with the worse record the home game in Game 5 was considered a particularly silly feature of 2-3-2, which was adopted after Lakers-Celtics showdowns in the '80s forced news organizations (that is, purveyors of brand NBA) to buy their employees a lot of cross-country flights in succession.
So now, in a seven-game series, the home team gets two at home, two on the road, then another game at home, then another game on the road, and finally a game at home, where teams find winning somewhat easier. Fairness! Owners approved the return to 2-2-1-1-1 by unanimous vote. In so doing, those old fusspots missed out on more innovative formats that, alas, were not considered, much less adopted, including:
1-3-3
4-3
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
1-2-3-1
2-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-1
3-1-1-2
3.5-3.5
867-5309
7
1
Vote is unanimous to change Finals [ESPN.com]
Image of 1984 Finals: AP