Adande's opinion seems to be that the NBA isn't competitive enough from top to bottom, due in large part to the state of the economy. Coming from the perspective of a die-hard Memphis Grizzlies fan, I would have to agree with this statement... but for a casual fan, when was the last time the NBA was as competitive as it was last year? For a fan of the 16 teams in the playoffs, when was the last time we really had no idea who was going to win the championship?
The 7th seed in the East, the Chicago Bulls, had an opportunity to reach the second round and face an Orlando Magic team they had a very good chance of beating (see regular season matchups). Dallas, the 6th seed in the West, dismantled the Spurs in the first round. Denver, a team that never rea
lly looked like a championship contender until the playoffs, appeared to have as good a chance as any to win it all. Cleveland looked like it was going to run to the trophy unbeaten, until they met the team they haven't been able to beat in years: the Orlando Magic. Houston, a team without McGrady and Yao for a good part of the series, brought the Lakers to a 7th game!Now let's look at the regular season. In the West, there certainly were some bottom feeders, but at the same time hope was revived for some franchises. The Thunder look like they are a year or two away from being a legit team. The Clippers look like they could make a run this upcoming season. Golden State, with the addition of Curry and the improvement of Anthony Randolph, will always be an exciting team to watch under Don Nelson. Portland appears to be a possible title contender for years to come. For God's sake, the 2nd seed and the 8th seed finished just 5 games apart. What more can you ask for?
In the East, three teams fought all season for the 1 seed (Cavs, Magic, Celtics). The thought of the Kobe/LeBron matchup in the finals made tons of money for Nike, and for the NBA I'm sure. There was really only one team that never had a shot at making the playoffs (the Wizards). Every other team, at one point or another, looked like they could sneak into the 8th spot. I could go on and on, but I think my point has already been made: the NBA hasn't been this competitive, or this interesting in quite some time.
Let's look at the years leading up to this year. Last season, it was obvious from the start of the playoffs that it was going to be Boston against LA (Cavs almost spoiled that, but it wasn't
to be). The year before that, sure, Cleveland surprisingly reached the Finals, but all they had to do was beat a depleted Washington team, a mediocre New Jersey team, and then watch LeBron beat the Pistons by himself. In the West, we watched the 1 seed lose in the first round, but after that it was San Antonio all the way. Then we watched a sweep in the finals.I'm going to stop there because I don't want to waste anyone's time. My point is, the NBA is back, and just because the bad teams aren't going to narrow the gap anytime soon doesn't mean that it isn't here to stay. Who cares if the Grizzlies don't make the playoffs; with LeBron vs. Kobe vs. the League, the NBA couldn't ask for a better situation especially with this economy.
I remember talking to my brother about 6 years back when I started doing fantasy basketball at school, and he said to me, "No one gives a sh*t about the NBA." He was right, his language was inappropriate, but he had a point. Kobe had been accused of rape, LeBron wasn't making the playoffs yet, and no one really cared. Now... times have changed. The economy may be in the place where I release my bowels, but the NBA is on the rise, at least in the public's eye.
I enjoyed the article, but I think you are simplifying the matter a bit too much. The matter at hand is not, as you write, "that the NBA isn't competitive enough," but the issues that stem from such a circumstance. Adande's point as I interpret it seems to be that the lack of parity in the league is dangerous solely because of the implications, both financial and competitive that are sure to follow.
ReplyDeleteIt will become increasingly difficult for the league to function, especially in these troubling financial times, if about a third of its teams are unwatchable. Although your point of the importance of having entertaining stars and unpredictable playoffs is well taken and fair, but what about the teams whose owners cannot afford to improve the team, or whose fans no longer care? Either the fans will continue to be miserable about their pathetic teams' futures, or those fans will jump ship and root for different teams. It seems clear that there is no positive in this scenario for the league.
Another issue which you do not discuss is the financial problems that the league is facing. The reality is that the NFL is king in the U.S., and that many NBA franchises lose money. Now, this was all well and good when the teams' owners were all billionaires, but in the current clime many owners are simply out of money. If the economy does not turn around soon, expect to see many teams change hands and contracts drop. For clarification on any of my points, I refer you to this fantastic article by ESPN.com's Bill Simmons:http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090227 which I believe may scare you. I really enjoy your blog, and I hope you keep it up.
i did not focus my article as much on the economic issues at hand in the NBA as I am hardly qualified to comment on teams financial situations... I simply tried to point out that the NBA could hardly ask for a more promising future with the make up of the league now... economically, the league as a whole couldn't really ask for a better situation, in terms of each team's situation there is obviously a whole different story
ReplyDeleteExcellent points by Anonymous (and thanks for the link to the Simmons article which I agree is fantastic). I think the NBA is at a crossroads, and the next two years are going to be critical ones for the league's future. Zeus is right that the more competitive playoffs may have brought in, or brought back, some fans. But any analysis does have to take into consideration the financial situation of individual teams - although it is a heck of a lot more fun/interesting to focus on the players!
ReplyDelete"but the NBA is on the rise, at least in the public's eye." was the main point of my article, I appreciate your input and agree with everything you've said but that wasn't the direction I intended on going with this particular piece
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your quick response to my query. It was not my intention to attack what I thought was an interesting and well-informed post. I had already read the Adande article when you posted your story, so I guess I was expecting a more economically themed analysis. Thanks for the clarification!
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