The playoff format and schedule caused great annoyance in the BBL last season. According to SPORT1 information, the league is now adjusting the playoff schedule.
Hardly any topic dominated the past season of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) as much as the annoyance about the schedule.
First, FC Bayern was annoyed about too short breaks between games in the EuroLeague and the domestic league, then the extended playoff schedule caused incomprehension.
Andreas Obst won the final against Ulm with Bayern
Due to the mode change to the 1-1-1-1-1 game rhythm, in which the home right changes after only one game, the playoffs lasted a full 45 days – with the consequence that the Ulm top talents Ben Saraf and Noe Essengue had to decide between the BBL final and the NBA Draft.
At least the annoyance about too long playoffs and the mode should now be over. Because according to SPORT1 information, the BBL will return to the 2-2-1 game mode in the playoffs next season.
BBL: NBA Draft will probably be considered in the future
The return to the mode, which was already played in the German playoffs in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, was decided in a vote among the BBL clubs with a clear majority.
According to SPORT1 information, 13 teams voted for the return to the 2-2-1 format, only three clubs voted against it. In addition to the mode, the basic schedule of the league should also be adjusted as a result.
It can be assumed that the playoffs will be much tighter again next year and that the NBA Draft, which traditionally always takes place on the last Thursday in June, will now be taken into account.
The Frenchman had decided to leave after game three to be on site at the NBA Draft in Brooklyn. This took place on the night of July 25 (German time). On the same day, the decisive game five of the final series, which Ulm lost, took place.
Obst was annoyed: “I don’t know what the playoff mode is supposed to be”
The extended playoffs had not only caused annoyance in Ulm. There was also great incomprehension about the mode at the final opponent from Munich.
After returning to the 1-1-1-1-1 mode before the past season, the BBL had increased the pause between the individual games because of the greater travel stress. Therefore, compared to other leagues, where games were often played every two days, the playoffs were significantly extended. In Spain (29 days) or France (36 days), they were much more compact than in Germany (45 days).
Before the final series, world champion Andi Obst vented his anger: “I don’t know what this playoff schedule and the playoff mode is supposed to be. I’m honestly not a fan of that.”
With reference to the upcoming European Championship, Obst said: “There are people who will play somewhere else after the season. I don’t understand why these playoffs are being dragged out so long.”
Especially for the national players, the break between the end of the BBL season and the preparation for the European Championship was significantly shorter. Even players who reached the NBA Finals have more rest than the national players who played in the BBL Finals.
Ratiopharm Ulm lost in the BBL final and was annoyed about the playoff mode
New format enables more compact playoffs
This should now be over in the future. In the new, old playoff format, the better-placed team in the main round will first play two home games. Then the next two games will take place in the hall of the lower-placed team. A possible decisive game 5 would then take place again at the better-placed team.
A major advantage of the 2-2-1 format is that the teams have significantly less travel stress in the playoffs. Instead of having to travel back and forth after each game, there are now a maximum of three trips on the schedule.
This will also make it possible to make the schedule much more compact. At least games one and two as well as three and four can thus take place again every two days.
In addition, the mode adjustment also has a great advantage especially for the lower-placed clubs – a secured home game on the weekend. As a rule, games one and three take place on the weekend. The lower-placed teams looked into the tube in the past season in the playoffs and had to play their home games during the week.
This is also over from now on. The return seems overdue and will probably save the league a lot of trouble in the coming season.