Where’s the offense? Ball Played
May 9, 2017Will DeShone Kizer be a starting caliber NFL quarterback?
May 9, 2017Happy Tuesday, WFNY!
What an interesting playoff experience we have had as fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers these last few seasons. Six sweeps in the last three seasons, two each year. What that means for us as fans is a lot of one-week-on, one-week-off of watching the Cavs play. It can be a somewhat disorienting experience, exerting our energy rooting for the team in the playoffs one week, and then not seeing or hearing from them for the next week.
But if we think itβs disorienting for us as fans, itβs nothing compared to what the experience must be like for these opposing teams. Remember the 2015 Atlanta Hawks? They were the surprise team in the NBA, winning 60 games and taking the top seed in the Eastern Conference by seven games over the Cavaliers. The Hawks had to feel pretty good having home court advantage and the Cavaliers being without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving being bothered by a sore knee.
Instead, it was the Cavaliers who ended up feeling pretty good as they swept the Hawks en route to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2007. For the Hawks, it was a devastating loss. Atlanta felt like a team on the rise, perhaps looking to sustain a place in the top tier of the Eastern Conference. But they never really recovered from that series and they are now a shell of that 2015 team, forced to watch from home as one of the key members of that team, Kyle Korver, is now helping the Cavaliers continue their reign of terror on the East in the playoffs.
The Toronto Raptors are now forced to make some hard decisions of their own. Itβs entirely possible that LeBron James and the Cavaliers just destroyed another team with a once promising future. LeBron James is become death, destroyer of franchises.
Sweeps arenβt supposed to be easy. Theyβre not supposed to happen with regularity. When the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers swept their way to the Finals before dropping their only loss of the entire postseason to the 76ers before ultimately finishing off an incredible 15-1 run, it was jaw-dropping. It was staggering to see a team run through the postseason like that. Now, there are two teams with a chance to do it this season.
It has never been more clear that we are seemingly destined for our own Thrilla in Manila, the Last Stand in Oakland with a Helping Hand from Cleveland. For a while in the regular season, it didnβt always seem so clear that the Cavaliers would be in this position, but here they sit, waiting for Boston and Washington to finish up their series. On the other side of the aisle, the Warriors are doing the same, waiting for the inevitable.
Sure, the Cavaliers could lose in the next round. Itβs not impossible. Injuries can always happen, fluke plays can happen, overconfidence could set in, bad habits could return. Same with Golden State in their series. They could lose as well. Itβs possible. Itβs just not all that likely. It feels pretty certain at this point in time that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will face each other in the NBA Finals for the third season in a row.
But is this good for basketball? Itβs a question that has been going around the media airwaves lately, but I feel like itβs a question that is impossible for us, as Cleveland fans, to answer. I mean, itβs great for us. Sure, Iβd love to see the Cavaliers not have to play the Warriors again. Iβd much prefer a shot at the San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets. But I donβt really care who the opponent is. In the NBA Finals, youβre going to have to play a good team no matter what.
But if I wasnβt a fan of one of the teams involved, would I still be enjoying this so much? If Iβm being honest with myself, the answer is probably no. Iβve watched far fewer non-Cavs playoff games this season than usual. Why? They kind of feel anti-climactic. Like, whatβs the point? The Warriors are going to win the West. The Cavaliers are going to win the East. Does anything else before then even matter?
To a certain degree, I can see why this might be problematic for the Association. Sure, the NBA Finals will almost certainly bring in massive ratings. A rubber match between these two giant teams loaded with superstars is going to generate a massive amount of interest, publicity, and talking points. But is that a means to an end? Does the NBA care that people are saying the rest of the playoffs are boring, pointless, and inevitable?
Iβm not sure. The NBA has always sort of been this way. The team with the best players tend to win. Itβs far easier to predict the outcome of NBA playoff series than MLB or NHL series. Maybe the degree of certainty wasnβt always quite as strong as this year, but itβs been there. Whether it was Bill Russellβs Celtics teams in the 60s, Magicβs Lakers teams of the 90s, or MJβs Bulls teams in the 90s, thereβs always been some feeling of inevitability to the NBA playoffs. Fans would hope different teams could win, and sometimes it would happen, but most of the time it went to script.
Hereβs a little secret, though. This is precisely why the NBA markets itself as a superstar league. No professional sports league in the US does a better job of marketing its stars and getting people to want to tune in for one player as opposed to watching for certain teams. Itβs not that the NBA doesnβt market its franchises at all. Itβs just that they are careful to make sure people want to tune in to watch certain players because the team outcome isnβt always all that up in the air.
The NBA made some incremental changes in the last collective bargaining agreement to try to further allow teams to keep their own stars and to ideally prevent mega-teams from forming in the same way. Weβll see how effective it is, but the NBA is trying something, which indicates it might feel that these playoffs are less than ideal for them.
I just donβt know how I would feel if I was a neutral fan. I watched every single NBA Finals that Jordan and the Bulls were in. I watched most of their playoff games. They were fun to root against. And when they inevitably won, I felt satisfied knowing I was watching greatness, even if I desperately rooted against Jordan every chance I got. Would I be watching the Cavs and Warriors the same way? Rooting against one or both, hoping for a different outcome?
Iβd like to think I would, but I just donβt know. There just might not be quite enough intrigue to keep these playoffs interesting to casual and neutral fans. But hereβs the rubβ¦.this might not be the finale. Both the Warriors and the Cavaliers are positioned to be able to compete for several more years. Itβs possible we could have four or even five straight NBA Finals with these teams. If that happens, is that even more of a problem for the NBA?
I donβt have the answers to any of these questions. Iβm fortunate enough to be a Cavs fan and Iβve been loving these playoffs. Itβs impossible for me to objectively look at this any other way. But the question is out there, is this a problem for the NBA in the bigger picture?
39 Comments
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I’m so happy that Kyle Korver is finally looking like the guy we thought we were getting in that trade. Ignore him at your own peril.
After the Bulls you had the Lakers and Spurs own the West for years. The East was wide open, but now it’s a two team league. It’s great for Cavs and Warriors fans but at times even I ask if it’s the Finals yet.
I see your point, Andrew, about maybe this might not be good for the playoffs overall. But that’s the trade-off for having an outstanding final.
The inevitability of a Cavs-Warriors final is great for the NBA because this is what the fans what to see — two powerhouse teams that have compelling stars, a little history, and some drama.
If one of these teams were to not make it to the Finals, that would be bad. If both flopped, we’re looking at the Astros-White Sox World Series in ’05. Who cares?
If the regular season wasn’t so unnecessarily and interminably long, this wouldn’t be as much of a problem. It took us 8 months just to get to this (seemingly inevitable) point. Fewer games –> more drama in each game –>more excitement for more fan bases. If we are all destined to see the same two teams battle for the title year after year, at least give us the potential for more excitement leading up to that point. Oh, and drop the first round back to 5 games so underdogs have a bit more of a chance.
I find myself tuning in for games 1-2 and then when they go up 2-0, since the games have been earlier, life has happened and I either miss it or catch it late. Not much urgency to watch when it is 3-0. I will be watching ECF more though regardless. 8 more
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Everyone’s favorite acquitted murderer ratbird LB’s son is joining our beloved B1G.
He’ll be eligible to play at Maryland in 2018.
I still want to see what happens when the Warriors play the Spurs or Rockets. Both of those teams are a tier above the Jazz and I’m not so sure the Warriors are just going to walk into the Finals as many expect.
This is where I would put in a GIF of his dirty bird dance, except that I hate that dance.
I always thought that dance was modeled after how a man staggers once he’s been stabbed
Spurs w/o Parker
Rockets w/o Nene
Neither player an alpha on the team, but they need every bullet available to even have a shot, right?
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I’m not going to put the sins of the father on the son. The same reason I’m not rooting against the Ball kids.
Really? You are a Browns fan, right?
“I watched every single NBA Finals that Jordan and the Bulls were in. I
watched most of their playoff games. They were fun to root against.”
Could this also be an age thing? I know even though I was growing up in Northeast Ohio I watched every single playoff game. Cavs, Bulls, Knicks, Trailblazers, Rockets, Pacers etc. it didn’t matter.
Now with spare time not on my side I’m forced to pick and choose my viewings. Are “those darn kids” saying the same thing as all of us older dudes on here?
Not really.
And this entire write up from Andrew is on the NBA and playoff ratings.
I’m sure there will be like 3 other articles today on “CAN DESHONE KIZER COMPETE” or whatever but if you’re that geared for the NFL Preseason then my best to you.
If the Cavs pull this championship off this year… oh lord just wait until next regular season. Those dudes will literally clown for 82 games.
Put LeBron in a freezer until mid-March, thaw him out for a few weeks run with whatever vets have signed on by then, rinse, wash, repeat.
He could extend his career an additional 3 years.
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Sees today’s write-up from Kizer w/ Craig & myself.
Looks at tomorrow’s write-up on Kizer & Kessler I’ve been working on.
Wonders why chris.com hates me so.
(j/k, j/k — however, WFNY though has long been running-meme friendly. RGB’s is for WWW each day regardless of topic & we would not want him to lose his running-meme)
“we would not want him to lose his
running-meme”
Neither do I. RGB is free to post a countdown to anything he’d like, as I am allowed to retort.
POST AWAY PEOPLE, POST AWAY.
I coooould have waited until June 3rd…99 days until REGULAR season…but the draft got me pumped up, and I just couldn’t wait for football. ANY football. lol
This is literally where we are headed if he pulls this off.
G_O requested a little creativity and levity. Hence the Elvis Franks post.
For today, I could have used the new Browns fat Jerry Ball instead.
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wow, perfect π
lol. Who would have known that in these troubled times the most insidious of all Russian bots is the one writing and posting 1,500 iterations of “IS DESHONE KIZER A FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK?”
And when they limp their way through the season and squeak in the playoffs, people will yet forget everything again about this team and freak out (like people lost their heads this year). And then they’ll turn it up to Cavs playoff mode.
They win in 5 instead of 4?
What? Were you expecting Stalin Colinet?
Hurts Spurs for sure. I’m not sure how much it hurts the Rockets, I don’t know if they can play Nene against the Warriors at all.
haha, what a blast from the past.
The Browns are an (oranger orange) fly in the ointment during NBA playoff season
“He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty eight years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the wine headband. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two Dortmunder Gold-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved LBJ.”
That’s a solid point. I definitely did not consider that, but you really might be right. There are just real life things I have to prioritize over a random NBA playoff game sometimes.
If you need a warm fuzzy, imagine the new NBA narrative should the Cavs beat a Warriors team with all its pieces parts. That would be 2 in a row without home court, 2 in a row against a juggernaut regularly acclaimed as one of history’s great teams. And the Warriors’ 2015 win would retroactively be explained simply as the absence of two Cav all stars.
LeBron would be synonymous with Michael, and Curry unfairly reduced to … what? A generation’s shooting specialist a full tick below? This could happen, friends.
LeBron James; destroyer of franchises.
Killer of coaches…
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Fake News.
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