Are We There Yet?

We're now in the thick of what has so far been the most maddening NBA playoffs in my lifetime. Of the eight first round series, exactly one went past five games. And that one series happens to be the worst matchup of the playoffs, Hornets-Heat (that Jamaal Magloire-Brian Grant showdown just isn't doing it for me). Clearly, last year's decision to go to a seven-game format for the first round was a mistake. First of all, in the NBA, the better team wins a seven-game series 99% of the time. That's why it's always easier to predict the champion in the NBA than it is in any other sport. So when you bring that dynamic into the first round, you get an epic mismatch. The Celtics and Knicks had no business being in the playoffs (hell, those teams couldn't even win the ACC tournament) so the Pacers and Nets didn't break a sweat in those series. The league's desire to drag out the first round over three weekends has backfired, as was blatantly evident this weekend. I'm sure David Stern was just thrilled to have zero games yesterday, a Saturday, and just two games today. Go back to the 5-game, playing-every-other-day format for the first round.