Did you know the NBA playoffs started Saturday?
This is a serious question. Maybe if you are a NBA junkie, you know. But for the causal fans like myself, there’s a good chance no one knew. I would wager 85% wouldn’t know. There hasn’t been much buzz about the playoffs on social media and sports radio to make that claim.
It’s hard to get into the NBA when there are only two great teams in the Cavaliers and Warriors. Yes, the Rockets and Spurs are intriguing to watch, but it’s hard to be realistic about them beating the Warriors in the playoffs. Plus, who wants to watch a league which features many teams tanking to get the next star?
The NBA regular season games lacked drama this season. Only regular season drama came off the court with Phil Jackson criticizing Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook letting everyone know he is happy not to be teammates with Kevin Durant anymore, teams such as the Cavs and Spurs resting players and Jeanie Buss firing her brother Jim Buss and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak for running the Lakers to the ground.
Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson’s triple-double record of 41 games by getting his 42nd triple-double of the season was the only thing interesting about this regular season.
As great as the Warriors and Cavaliers are, no one was going to care until they meet in the NBA Finals. Their regular seasons might as well be exhibition games, and for good reason with only thing that matters the most is them winning a NBA championship and nothing else.
The playoffs will not reignite any interest. Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Westbrook will provide intrigue, but what will it matter if their teams flop early? Harden or Westbrook at least will get a chance to advance since the Rockets and Thunder are facing each other in the first round, so that may be the only playoff series worth watching while everyone waits for the NBA Finals.
So far, these first round playoffs have been a bore. Most of the games have been unwatchable. There’s a good chance there are going to be many sweeps in the first round. There’s no way NBA commissioner Adam Silver can sell this to the causal fans, and he knows this.
The only thing that may get people to watch the first-round playoff series is if the Jazz and Clippers take their first-round series to seven games along with the Rockets and Thunder. Now, there could be good storylines if both series go to seven games. The Clippers will get people talking whether or not they underachieve in Game 7 if it gets to that point, and Westbrook and Harden playing for keeps in Game 7 will get everyone watching.
The second-round playoffs will do nothing, and neither is the Conference finals.
This is not good optics for the league. The league is great when every team is good and competitive. There has to be at least 10 NBA teams vying for a championship. Teams need a chance to show they belong.
There are no solutions for the league to create parity. It is what it is. Teams have to win the lottery to get the best player in the draft, and they have to hope that player pans out. The hope is this year’s guard-filled draft will improve the fortunes of many teams to the point they get better in a year or two. That’s the only way it gets better.
Plus, this has to be a cyclical phase. The league can’t be this bad forever. Teams have to eventually improve with better talent from the draft.
It does not change what’s going on now. To say this is the lowest point in the league is a stretch, but it hasn’t been encouraging when most of the games are unwatchable.
There’s nothing to talk about in the first three rounds in the playoffs. It’s just filler until the NBA Finals start. Now if the Cavaliers and Warriors are on the brink of elimination in the early rounds, it changes the whole complexion of the playoffs, but the chances of that is slim to none.
There is no team that can challenge the Cavaliers. Not when they have the best player in basketball in LeBron James. The Rockets and Spurs can win some games against the Warriors, but in a seven-game series, it’s going to be tough to match the Warriors’ Big Three in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Durant.
That’s why the NBA playoffs is nothing more than a glorified regular season, and the regular season is nothing more than exhibition games.
That’s the product the NBA has sold this year.
