Explaining how group play should work and benefit Orlando Magic, NBA

Group play balances all the interests

Some type of preliminary group play or round-robin play is used as the opening round in the World Cup in both soccer and basketball. It is essentially a way to give “lesser” teams a chance to compete in major tournaments with a chance to advance while still making sure the top teams advance.

Yes, sometimes there is an upset. But that is the magic of these one-off tournaments.

The NBA would want to capture that opportunity for a team to upset and advance out of group play while still giving the top teams the best opportunity to advance and have an advantage when the “knockout” phase begins.

To be sure, this is the biggest concern of any group play format.

The league does not want a situation where the Milwaukee Bucks or Los Angeles Lakers go cold and miss out on the playoffs. But, also to be sure, it feels like the NBA is trying to find a system that will make sure Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to make the ever-lucrative playoffs.

It is impossible not to realize star power holds some sway here. The NBA has to maximize its money-making stars — even if the world is hungry for sports and likely to watch anything the NBA puts out right now.

The NBA should be seeking a way to foster competition, give the teams outside of the playoff picture a chance to play their way in as motivation to play at Disney and still advantage the teams at the top so there is no situation where they get under-seeded or miss the playoffs.

And that is why group play works. And why I think my plan for it balances all these interests.