Then there would be no point in having conferences if they were to go strictly by record.  This saves all leagues money by dividing into conferences b/c you tend to play in your conference more which mean less travel.  And I don't see anything wrong with a sub 500 team making the playoffs.  That doesn't necessarily mean they are a worse team than one who won a few more games.  The Merc lost a lot of close games.  Their record is not a true indication of them.  And I don't get why this year a lot of people are making a big deal about how strong the East was.  The West had been dominating for many years and I don't recall so many people calling for restructuring as I've heard this year.  It's like the West isn't allowed to have a bad year.  And even with all those great, hard working teams in the East, it's going to be a Western team that wins the Championship! Go figure :D