Let me count the ways the NBA needs to improve. I’ll not only count them, I’ll name them. Adam Silver?
The Southeast Division in the NBA has zero teams above .500. So, why will we have to see three of them try and play their way into the playoff bracket?
I’ve always been against playoff expansion. I’ve never really got why, other than money, ten teams should have a chance at each conference title.
At least each team has a reasonable chance of making it to a 41-41 record. Charlotte and Washington have already clinched losing seasons and are planning which bus to take to Salina Cruz, OA, from Benito Juarez Airport. (I think Cancún is way too touristy, personally) … or at least they would be if the 10th seed, the Chicago Bulls, were not so horrendous, even compared to their division rivals. At a record of 23-36, they have no business even sniffing the postseason, but currently, they would be two wins away from getting swept against the Cavs.
However, eliminating the Play-In won’t gain much traction, as the 10th seed in the Western Conference, the Sacramento Kings, are better than every Southeast Division team at a record of 32-30, with a more demanding schedule, as they have to play the Lakers and the Nuggets four times each, as well as the Thunder, Rockets, and Grizzlies three times each. Compare that to the Magic, with only ten games total against the Celtics, Cavs, and Knicks, the three teams in the East with as many wins as the five-team group from the West.
Courtesy: Washington Post
So, what effect does it have on me, and what should Adam Silver do about it?
It makes it more difficult for a fan to get to games. I know it doesn’t help that my favorite team isn’t the local one because I am a Nuggets fan, but it can be challenging for me to travel to see the NBA. It is a two-hour ride on a Greyhound bus, where you must band together with other passengers to find out when your bus leaves and some of the outlets don’t work, to get to the nearest city with an NBA team. (It’s still much better than driving, but I wish companies like ADO would enter the market.)
When that team, the Thunder, was rebuilding, it was very easy to get a ticket late in the season for a couple of bucks (and about 20 bucks in fees, thanks Ticketmaster) to see some of the best basketball has to offer, like Trae Young’s 41-point performance back in March of 2022 that I got to attend. Now, however, in these trying economic times, where I hear complaints about the price of ground beef about once an hour, it is even more important to give fans a quality experience that doesn’t break the bank.
Tomorrow, Washington at Charlotte is the kind of experience in which the NBA can show its value proposition, especially for people like me who love watching bad teams play each other. But at six bucks, plus whatever amount in fees VividSeats wants to charge, and food that is allegedly so expensive the Charlotte Hornets subreddit is telling fans to eat beforehand, it isn’t tenable for someone to go there when there are more pressing matters like rent and work.
NBA, please eliminate the play-in and stop separating teams by conference in the standings and playoffs. Also, I think concession prices should be frozen or reduced, and all fees should be eliminated.
I would argue that the first round should also be reduced to a best-of-five. The 16 best teams should be the 16 teams in the postseason. Full stop. No one wants to see four blowouts in the time when people watch the NBA. It’s the same reason no one cares about the All-Star game: there is no point in caring about a game where your best players do not have to try.
I realize we do not live in a time with real money, with threepence of sterling, half-farthings of copper, and a month’s rent of Scrooge’s three-bedroom home £1 13s 4d (according to an article by Nationwide Building Society). Still, I feel that we have a responsibility to the fans to ensure that they have a quality experience for a price that will make fans not regret going to the game and getting a beer or some chicken tenders.
