The one tweak leagues should make to playoff formats that have no easier answers

Maybe this is something that just fascinates me. I hope not, because I’m just 15 words into 700 or so that will talk about one of my favorite obscure subjects in sports.

Playoff formats.

Let’s state this at the top: The ideal format for a best-of-seven playoff series is the way they did it in the NBA for years before (regrettably) switching and then (smartly) reverting to the way NHL best-of-sevens have almost always been contested:

First two games to the team with the higher seed/record. (To use these NBA/NHL playoffs as an example, the Oilers and the Thunder.)