We are now midway through the 2017 NBA Playoffs. Even though I'm a Basketball fan, I think it is time that we acknowledge that the NBA Playoffs take way too much time.
NBA Playoffs are among the longest in sports
Running about two months, from April until June, the NBA Playoffs clock in at among the longest playoffs in pro sports. This is due to several factors. The first being the fact that teams only play every other day. This is in large part because basketball is a high-intensity sport. Granted, teams do back-to-back games fairly often during the regular season but many players will tell you that playoff basketball is a whole different animal from the regular season.
The other big reason the NBA Playoffs are such a slog is that there are so many teams in the playoffs. Roughly half the league gets in it. That means a lot of people have to be eliminated. In a series of seven games, If a team sweeps their first round opponent, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors have done, the teams are off for two weeks. The huge number of teams, the absurd amount of time off and the fact that a large number of teams shouldn't be there, can easily cause playoff fatigue. This can be rectified with one simple change.
Reduce the number of teams in NBA Playoffs
Everyone likes the idea of a Cinderella Story where the lowest ranked team that got in the Playoffs by sheer determination and a little bit of dumb luck, surprises everybody by winning it all.
Trouble is, that's not really a thing that happens in the NBA. Ever since the Eighth Seed was added in 2003, the last place team has only beaten the first place team a total of three times. All three were subsequently defeated in the second round. Far from creating Cinderella Stories, it's just created an additional pointless first round that a lot of casual basketball fans pay no attention to unless, by some miracle, a seventh game happens between the best and worst team.
To draw a contrast, look at the MLB Playoffs, even among casual watchers. Why? The MLB is pitting the best against the best. The Top 4 teams and a wild card in each league compete for a chance to win it all. Anything can (and does) happen, even in the first round, because these are the best teams in the League. In the NBA, there's not the same level of excitement.
After all, does anyone really believe that a team who could barely break a .500 record can beat the best team in the Conference in a full series?
For the record, both 8th seed teams in the 2017 NBA Playoffs are 41-41. Other 7th-8th seed teams have had records that are below .500 including the 2015 Boston Celtics. In what other professional sports league would teams who can't win half their regular season games be considered for a title shot? If half the teams make the playoffs, what's the point of a regular season?
