Too many meaningless games during the playoffs

[RodyTur10]

Ok, lets start this new poll by simply showing the results of this year's playoffs. The conclusion is self explanatory.

NBA Playoffs 2017 (best-of-seven)

Boston Celtics– Chicago Bulls 4-2
Washington Wizards – Atlanta Hawks 4-2
Cleveland Cavaliers – Indiana Pacers 4-0
Toronto Raptors – Milwaukee Bucks 4-2

Golden State Warriors – Portland Trailblazers 4-0
Los Angeles Clippers – Utah Jazz 3-4
San Antonio Spurs – Memphis Grizzlies 4-2
Houston Rockets – Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1

Boston Celtics – Washington Wizards 4-3
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 4-0

Golden State Warriors – Utah Jazz 4-0
San Antonio Spurs – Houston Rockets 4-2

Boston Celtics – Cleveland Cavaliers 1-4
Golden State Warriors – San Antonio Spurs 4-0

Cleveland Cavaliers – Golden State Warriors 1-4


NBA Playoffs 2017 (best-of-five outcome)

Boston Celtics – Chicago Bulls 3-2
Washington Wizards – Atlanta Hawks 3-2
Cleveland Cavaliers – Indiana Pacers 3-0
Toronto Raptors – Milwaukee Bucks 3-2

Golden State Warriors – Portland Trailblazers 3-0
Los Angeles Clippers – Utah Jazz 2-3
San Antonio Spurs – Memphis Grizzlies 3-2
Houston Rockets – Oklahoma City Thunder 3-1

Boston Celtics– Washington Wizards 3-2
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 3-0

Golden State Warriors – Utah Jazz 3-0
San Antonio Spurs – Houston Rockets 3-2

Boston Celtics – Cleveland Cavaliers 1-3
Golden State Warriors – San Antonio Spurs 3-0

Cleveland Cavaliers – Golden State Warriors 0-3


In the last 3 years only 5 out of 45 times the outcome of the series changed by playing the games after one team had won 3 games. Historically winning your 3rd game almost guarantees you the victory. Let's look at the stats to give you a perspective.

When a team goes up 3-0, the chance of the other team coming back is....0%....
When a team goes up 3-1, the chance of the other team coming back is still an incrediby low 5%.

Safely to say that only when a series is tied at 2-2 the next games really matter. So why play them? These are meaningless games that are uninteresting, only decrease the amount of rest for players, cause increase of injuries and therefore lower the level of play further on.

We have had a lot of decisive injuries the last three playoffs. Think of Irving and Love in 2015. Curry couldn't play at 100% in 2016. The injuries to Paul and Griffin that left the Clippers fall behind numberous of times. This year's conference finals were not even slightly interesting after Thomas and Leonard dropping out.

Players need more rest and therefore be more ready to play at a high level and thus increase the level, intensity and excitement. Reducing all playoff series to a best-of-five gives players that opportunity and is far more attractive than the best-of-seven series we have now. What do you think?

[wdleehi]

Depends on what you like.


If you like to see the best team wins most the time, best of 7.


If you like to see more upsets, best of 3.

[Donoghus]

More games = more money.  NBA isn't going back to best of five or best of three.

Personally, I wish they left the first round at best of five but now that the cat has been out of the bag for over a decade, there's no going back.

[wdleehi]

More games = more money.  NBA isn't going back to best of five or best of three.

Personally, I wish they left the first round at best of five but now that the cat has been out of the bag for over a decade, there's no going back.

There is a way they can do it.  Expand the playoffs.   Add two teams to each side of the playoff tree.   Make them best of three.  At least 8 games added there.

Reduce the "1st round to" best of 5.   At most, lose 8 games. 



Not that I think they should do it. 

[hodgy03038]

I like the current format, however they need to tighten up the schedule. I mean there were many days between some of these games. Some days even before finals where there were NO games. Plus games on Monday instead of Sunday is stupid.

[Donoghus]

More games = more money.  NBA isn't going back to best of five or best of three.

Personally, I wish they left the first round at best of five but now that the cat has been out of the bag for over a decade, there's no going back.

There is a way they can do it.  Expand the playoffs.   Add two teams to each side of the playoff tree.   Make them best of three.  At least 8 games added there.

Reduce the "1st round to" best of 5.   At most, lose 8 games. 



Not that I think they should do it.

The playoff calendar is already long enough.  The way they do things with the national television schedule for the playoffs now is insane.   You'd either have to start the playoffs earlier and push up the regular season start (or you could just eliminate regular season games) or you're going to end up with the Finals ending near the Fourth of July.

[action781]

I love an idea I saw a while back:

Round 1 - best of 3
Round 2 - best of 5
Conf finals and NBA Finals - best of 7

It gets the most unbalanced rounds over quicker, while making the most competitive rounds seem relatively longer.  It also creates an element of excitement for the most unbalanced rounds that have more boring/predictable outcomes.  If any of the 7 or 8 seeds pull off a game 1 win on the road, then wow they could really advance to the next round and that series just became really exciting.

It'll sadly never happen though.

[wdleehi]

More games = more money.  NBA isn't going back to best of five or best of three.

Personally, I wish they left the first round at best of five but now that the cat has been out of the bag for over a decade, there's no going back.

There is a way they can do it.  Expand the playoffs.   Add two teams to each side of the playoff tree.   Make them best of three.  At least 8 games added there.

Reduce the "1st round to" best of 5.   At most, lose 8 games. 



Not that I think they should do it.

The playoff calendar is already long enough.  The way they do things with the national television schedule for the playoffs now is insane.   You'd either have to start the playoffs earlier and push up the regular season start (or you could just eliminate regular season games) or you're going to end up with the Finals ending near the Fourth of July.

Or they could just compress the playoff calendar closer to a game every other day.



Again, I don't think they would do this, but it is the only scenario that I could see the NBA reducing the games in a single round. 

[GreenCoffeeBean]

I love an idea I saw a while back:

Round 1 - best of 3
Round 2 - best of 5
Conf finals and NBA Finals - best of 7

It gets the most unbalanced rounds over quicker, while making the most competitive rounds seem relatively longer.  It also creates an element of excitement for the most unbalanced rounds that have more boring/predictable outcomes.  If any of the 7 or 8 seeds pull off a game 1 win on the road, then wow they could really advance to the next round and that series just became really exciting.

It'll sadly never happen though.

TP. I love it. I suspect most fans would love that, which means the NBA hates it.

[Donoghus]

More games = more money.  NBA isn't going back to best of five or best of three.

Personally, I wish they left the first round at best of five but now that the cat has been out of the bag for over a decade, there's no going back.

There is a way they can do it.  Expand the playoffs.   Add two teams to each side of the playoff tree.   Make them best of three.  At least 8 games added there.

Reduce the "1st round to" best of 5.   At most, lose 8 games. 



Not that I think they should do it.

The playoff calendar is already long enough.  The way they do things with the national television schedule for the playoffs now is insane.   You'd either have to start the playoffs earlier and push up the regular season start (or you could just eliminate regular season games) or you're going to end up with the Finals ending near the Fourth of July.

Or they could just compress the playoff calendar closer to a game every other day.



Again, I don't think they would do this, but it is the only scenario that I could see the NBA reducing the games in a single round.

That's what they should do.  It's insane that the playoffs are two months now to play 4 rounds.

[Moranis]

no playoff game is meaningless

[wdleehi]

More games = more money.  NBA isn't going back to best of five or best of three.

Personally, I wish they left the first round at best of five but now that the cat has been out of the bag for over a decade, there's no going back.

There is a way they can do it.  Expand the playoffs.   Add two teams to each side of the playoff tree.   Make them best of three.  At least 8 games added there.

Reduce the "1st round to" best of 5.   At most, lose 8 games. 



Not that I think they should do it.

The playoff calendar is already long enough.  The way they do things with the national television schedule for the playoffs now is insane.   You'd either have to start the playoffs earlier and push up the regular season start (or you could just eliminate regular season games) or you're going to end up with the Finals ending near the Fourth of July.

Or they could just compress the playoff calendar closer to a game every other day.



Again, I don't think they would do this, but it is the only scenario that I could see the NBA reducing the games in a single round.

That's what they should do.  It's insane that the playoffs are two months now to play 4 rounds.

agreed.

[mef730]

More games = more money.  NBA isn't going back to best of five or best of three.

Personally, I wish they left the first round at best of five but now that the cat has been out of the bag for over a decade, there's no going back.

There is a way they can do it.  Expand the playoffs.   Add two teams to each side of the playoff tree.   Make them best of three.  At least 8 games added there.

Reduce the "1st round to" best of 5.   At most, lose 8 games. 



Not that I think they should do it.

The playoff calendar is already long enough.  The way they do things with the national television schedule for the playoffs now is insane.   You'd either have to start the playoffs earlier and push up the regular season start (or you could just eliminate regular season games) or you're going to end up with the Finals ending near the Fourth of July.

Or they could just compress the playoff calendar closer to a game every other day.



Again, I don't think they would do this, but it is the only scenario that I could see the NBA reducing the games in a single round.

That's what they should do.  It's insane that the playoffs are two months now to play 4 rounds.

Series 1 and 2 (or just series 1): best of 5
Series 3 and 4 (or 2-4): best of 7

All playoff games every other day.

Oh, and one more thing: Reduce the regular season to 72 games.

Mike

[Who]

Best of 3 = more urgency / importance / excitement needed for playoff games.

[Surferdad]

More games = more money.  NBA isn't going back to best of five or best of three.

Personally, I wish they left the first round at best of five but now that the cat has been out of the bag for over a decade, there's no going back.

Bingo.  It's a silly discussion.