Why No One Cares About the NBA Playoffs
I would love to meet someone who has any interest in the NBA Playoffs. To be blunt, the NBA playoffs are unexciting and last for 6 months too long. It’s hard to exactly pinpoint why no one seems to care about the playoffs but I think I know a few reasons.
1. Length
Both in terms of the playoff series length and the overall length of the playoffs as a whole. Back in 2002, the playoff format was best of 5 for the first round and then best of 7 for the 2nd round and on. The NBA made a terrible decision and changed the first round to a 7 game series starting in 2003. The length of the playoffs was extended even more and the first round series are simply too long.
As for the overall length, the NBA playoffs last the longest out of all professional sports postseasons. Action in the playoffs take place over the course of 3 months, which is simply unnecessary. The NHL was the same amount of playoff competitors and the same playoff format yet they last about 10-13 days less than the NBA on average. The NBA must address this issue if they want to increase viewership.
2006 NBA Playoffs - From April 23 to June 23 = 62 Days
2004 NHL Playoffs - From April 9 to May 27 = 49 Days
2007 NFL Playoffs - From Jan. 6 to Feb. 10 = 36 Days
2005 MLB Playoffs - From Oct 4 to Oct. 26 = 23 Days
2. Underdogs never seem to come out on top in the NBA Playoffs
The current format in the playoffs are 7 game series which puts the better team at an advantage. Unfortunately, America loves underdogs and it’s very hard for them to win 4 out of 7 games versus a better opponent. The problem especially lies in the first round where the top 4 seeds almost always advance into the 2nd round. In 2003, only 2 lower seeds advanced (5 seed Lakers and 6 seed Celtics) while 0 advanced in 2004, and 2 in 2005.
3. The over-hyped media coverage of players such as LeBron, Kobe, and Shaq
I don’t know about anyone else, but I can only listen to Stephen A. Smith talk about the credentials of King James and Kobe so much. Actually, I can only listen to Stephen A. talk about any topic for 30 seconds Quite Frankly. All the media coverage for the NBA Playoffs seem too redundant and uninteresting after a while. You consistently hear about the same games having 30 points and 8 rebounds and so on, instead of some unheard of players who make big contributions to their team.
4. The 76ers stink and can’t make it past the 1st round
The final reason why no one (especially people in Philadelphia) cares about the NBA Playoffs is that the Sixers are an extremely mediocre team that can’t win a 7 game series. And that’s if they even make the playoffs at all which is a stretch this year. If the 76ers do make the postseason, they will have to face Detroit who will annihilate them in any 7 game series. Unfortunately, as Sixers fans we still have an image of a good Sixers team that once advanced to the NBA Finals behind Iverson but they simply aren’t the same team anymore. They can’t win enough games during the season to get a good seed such as 4 or 5 where they would have a good chance of getting to the 2nd round.
- Kyle Garis
Why do you not have any interest in the NBA Playoffs?
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Posted on April 12, 2006 by Kyle Garis | Filed Under Philadelphia, Sixers
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Pretty spot on Kyle. I’m a season ticket holder and I see no reason to buy tickets to watch them get destroyed by Detroit. The whole thing elicits a big yawn.
Because I hate the NBA.
Nice article, by the way.
[...] 2006 by Kyle Garis
Even though I already wrote an article about Why No One Cares About the NBA Playoffs, I still feel compe [...]