NBA Playoffs have lost Punch

First appeared on April 29th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

It seems that everything about America lately can be summed up in two words: “Too much”. We are the fattest country on the planet which I can only surmise is a result of American’s digesting “too much” fat by actually finishing every French Fry found in their McDonald’s extra value meals. The real name of Lake Webster in Massachusetts contains 45 letters which, it probably goes without saying, would take “too much” effort to type so I won’t. Some say hosting both a radio and television program is “too much” Bill O’Reilly and after watching the first week of the NBA playoffs it is obvious that having a first round of seven games is far “too much” basketball.
I used to love the first round of the NBA playoffs because it was the most cut throat basketball the league produced all year. Before 2003 the first round was played in a best of five format meaning the first team to win three games moved on. The magical thing about the five game series was that it put much more pressure on the higher seeds to perform. There was a smaller margin for error that often produced the closest thing to an “NCAA Tournament Cinderella” the NBA can possibly muster.
Perhaps the greatest glass slipper in NBA history was slipped on in 1994 when a 63 win Seattle team led by Head Coach George Karl was upset by a very young Dikembe Mutombo and the Denver Nuggets. The win marked the first time an 8 seed had ever upset a number 1 and the image of Mutombo lying on the floor after clenching the series with teammates crawling over his 7 foot frame like he was a jungle gym was the high-water mark for both Dikembe’s career and the Nuggets franchise. By the way Mutombo’s real name has 49 letters in it and the thought of remembering how to spell it is of course “too much”.
The official line from the NBA on extending their first round match-ups to seven games in 2003 was something like it gave the “best teams” a better chance at moving on. It bears mentioning however that it also gives teams a chance at hosting two more games which means cashing in on ticket sales, beer sales, hot dog sales and merchandise sales two more times. “Too much” if you ask me.
In short the NBA has gone soft; soft as the giant salted pretzels playoff teams now have two more chances at selling. The lesson here is more is sometimes less; or something like that. Whatever the lesson, since switching to the seven game first round series the NBA playoffs have lost some punch. Match ups that look great on paper can become lopsided (see Lakers vs. Jazz) thus producing a less than electric (see Amish) experience for viewers.
While David Stern has worked hard to ensure the best teams get the highest seeds for the playoffs, if he really wants to see the excitement return he needs to put the first round back on a diet. It turns out “change” isn’t always the best thing for everyone as clearly the seven game first round series misses the mark when it comes to excitement.