With most of the NBA Playoffs’ first round series shaping up to be predictable blowouts, it’s time to consider a change to the format.
The NBA Playoffs are supposed to be a competition between the best of the best, and the most exciting time of the year to be a basketball fan. But with most series through two games so far, it has been anything but that. For series such as Warriors vs. Rockets and Grizzlies vs. Spurs, it’s been the anticlimactic blowout that we’ve come to expect.
If there’s one thing that the NBA suffers from, it is a lack of parity. People can practically guarantee a Finals appearance for the Cavaliers while the Western Conference runs through Golden State and San Antonio.
Teams that get matched up with the Warriors or Spurs in the first round shouldn’t be subject to the torture of a seven-game series. If they want to speed things up, the first round should be changed to a best of five. That way, even if the lower seed makes things interesting – like the Mavericks or Pacers just did – it raises the stakes.
One of the NBA’s most outspoken personalities, Bill Simmons, was the one who suggested the NBA adopt the MLB’s format and make the first round a best of five:
I love basketball. It's my favorite sport. But Round 1 needs to go back to "Best of 5." Make it so all top-2 seeds have 4 of 5 home games.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 20, 2016
If Round 1 went back to Best of 5, they could start the reg. season 2nd week of November which they should do anyway.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 20, 2016
Also: think how much fun OKC-Dallas would be if Dallas could close out the series at home. That's real pressure on OKC. Right now - none.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 20, 2016
2015 Round One - the 8 losing teams won 9 games total. And they might win less than that in 2016. Speed this shit up.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 20, 2016
Of course, there are always outliers where the first round produces great moments, like Clippers vs. Spurs from last year, but on the whole, it gets so embarrassing for the lower seeded team that it’s hard to watch. Simmons did have some other radical ideas in there, too, that may have stemmed from him partaking in some 4/20 festivities:
I'd do Best of 5 Round One and I'd only guarantee 7 seeds in each conference... Single elim. tournament w/ other 16 teams for last 2 seeds.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 20, 2016
If they did a play-in tournament for 8-seeds they could make up the Round 1 money... And we could have, say, Minnesota in Round 1 right now.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 20, 2016
Minnesota might be a fun team to watch, but they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. We already get 82 chances to see them. It wouldn’t make sense to propose a first round that’s a best-of-five then see a team like Minnesota get curb stomped. But more than anything, this is the biggest reason that the NBA needs to consider a change to their first round format:
It's been a weird spring with Round One of the NBA Playoffs having tragically passed away, but it's made me love playoff hockey even more.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 20, 2016
The last thing we as fans need is Bill Simmons tweeting about hockey. Get it done, Adam Silver!
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