Stop me if you've heard this before. The Cavs and Warriors are playing each other in the NBA Finals...for the fourth straight year! Yet the NBA and ESPN (which is basically to the NBA what Fox News is to the Trump Administration) want people to believe this is a good thing. The reality is that this once again proves that the idea of parity in the NBA is an absolute joke...a joke that stopped being funny a while ago.
I always say, but more in a joking manner, that it's an NBA rule LeBron James must be in the Finals. But I'm becoming less and less convinced that it isn't actually a rule. Especially with the way everything seems preordained for the Cavs-Warriors Finals. They were both on the road for Game 7 of the conference finals. Didn't matter. They still got every call. Yet you have people acting all surprised that they both won and saying that this is "another example of their greatness."
(Disclaimer: I haven't voluntarily watched an NBA game in years, and on Monday night, I was watching the hockey game. My take is based on the opinions expressed by others, so take it for what you will.)
Since this Cavs-Warriors monopoly started, seven different teams have played in the Stanley Cup Final, seven have played in the World Series, and six have made the Super Bowl. The NFL and Major League Baseball have both had four different champions, and the NHL will have its third this season.
So, even though it seems like the Patriots are in the Super Bowl every year, their NFC opponent at least changes. That's not remotely close to the case in the NBA. Ever since they let LeBron make his own team in Miami, the Eastern Conference has been his exclusive domain. Can anyone even remember the last time another East team was allowed to be in the Finals, and what team it was? I actually had to look it up to find out it was the Celtics in 2010.
It's not a good thing that 14 of the 15 teams in one conference know going into the season that the absolute best they can hope for is losing to Cleveland in the Conference Finals. It's even worse when 14 of the 15 teams in the other conference feel the same way. I don't care how you try to spin it. You shouldn't go into the season with 93 percent of the league thinking they have absolutely no chance (even if they're a "good" team)!
They might as well not even bother with the charade of 82 games and six weeks of playoffs just to inevitably get right back to the same place. And, for all the whining these guys do about travel and "needing rest," I'm sure the Cavs and Warriors wouldn't mind skipping right to the Finals.
LeBron James is the greatest player of his generation, and I'm not trying to start or get into a LeBron vs. Jordan debate. (It doesn't matter, and you're never going to convince somebody on the other side of the argument.) Likewise, Steph Curry is a future Hall of Famer. But the NBA and its PR people at ESPN aren't doing themselves any favors by forcing that same matchup down our throats over and over and over again. And the fact that they refuse to see that only exacerbates the problem.
This is a problem, it should be pointed out, of the NBA's own making. Ever since that ridiculous "Decision" TV special when LeBron announced that he was "taking his talents to Miami," we've known that the players run the league. They let LeBron make his own team in Miami and were unable to prevent the already-loaded Warriors from adding Kevin Durant. This in a league with a salary cap, mind you!
Instead of taking measures to make sure the league remains competitive, the exact opposite has happened. And this is the result. The rich get richer and, even the "good" teams are unable to keep up. As much as I despise the tactic, can you really blame the 76ers for tanking a couple years ago? If you aren't gonna have a chance even if you do try, why bother?
NBA fans are going to watch the NBA no matter what. But they've done a terrible job of trying to draw in others. The "casual fan" tuned out long ago. Why? Because it's become boring and predictable. Ho-hum. Another Cavs-Warriors Finals. Big deal.
Of course, plenty of people have no issue with the NBA or their annual Cavs-Warriors Finals. And I'm sure the league and ABC will be happy with the TV ratings, especially in Cleveland and the Bay Area. To those of you who'll be watching, I hope you enjoy. And, who knows? Maybe the games will actually be competitive. After all, the professional wrestling portion of the season is over. Now they can throw out the script.
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