The National Basketball Association is in trouble, despite what commissioner Adam Silver says. While the prospect of a third consecutive Finals clash between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers certainly has a Thrilla in Manilla (the third and final clash between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier) feel to it and would mark the first time in NBA history that any two teams had faced each other in the final in three consecutive seasons this postseason has been the most predictable I have ever watched. I said last week that the San Antonio Spurs ability to compete with the Warriors hinged on Kawhi Leonard’s health, Leonard has been injured since the third quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, courtesy of a goon play by Zaza Pachulia and courtesy of that dirty play the Warriors were able to come back from a deficit over 20 points and win Game 1 and thrash the Spurs 136-100 in the following game. This may be “dominance” as Commissioner Silver says but it is also boring. If I wanted to watch teams lose by nearly forty points I would play NBA 2K simulations with the game sliders as easy as can be. Seeing as I want the most important games of the basketball year up to this point to be competitive. as a viewer when I see a score like that I am inclined to change the channel to hockey, soccer, or even a documentary on the selective breeding of Rock Pigeons because nothing is less compelling than a blowout.
In the Eastern Conference, it has been if anything, less competitive than the West. The Cavaliers are also up 2-0 on their opponent, the haplessly over-matched Boston Celtics, although unlike the Spurs which took a cheap shot to their best player to destabilize their efforts it was a forgone conclusion Cleveland would beat Boston. Nobody thought that the Cavaliers would open up the largest halftime lead in the history of the NBA Playoffs on Boston in Game 2 (they were up 72-31 at the half and won by an unseemly 130-86). It is one thing if a team gets swept like this year’s Indiana Pacers who lost four close games, it is another for a buzzsaw like this to be run. Unless you’re a Cavs fan, those Rock Pigeon documentaries are looking stellar right about now. The worst part is there is no obvious solution to the “Super-Team” conundrum in the NBA which allowed an already stellar Warriors squad to add former MVP Kevin Durant, or LeBron to recruit his choice of Robins to his Batman through trades and free agency. You cannot require free agents to sign with lesser teams because the league has become so unbalanced, but I am not Adam Silver who is required to enjoy his product so until the Finals, and the regular season next year, when the illusion of parity is more easily sustained, I will have to content myself with those pigeon documentaries and wonder what else is on TV.
