Can The NBA Do Anything To End The Predictable?

If you look at the major professional sports, we hear the word dynasties thrown out a lot. Or at the very least we see teams that are always in the front and center of things. We see the Patriots, Red Sox, Yankees, Giants (both NY and SF), Blackhawks, Penguins, Packers, etc. that are always playing late post-season games.

And we get it, those teams are run by great ownership and great sports minds. And every year they are predicted to go deep for a championship run. But the thing is, they don't always win. We see teams that come out of nowhere (somewhat) like the Royals, Seahawks, Kings (LA), Predators, Indians, etc. that make a splash. So the leagues of MLB, NFL, and the NHL aren't incredibly predictable.

But when it comes to the NBA? I could have bet my house, my arms, legs, and my children to say who was going to be the NBA Finals.

Back in July.

I admit, I hoped San Antonio would have fought with Golden State for the Conference and for a brief moment I believed they could after Durant went to the Warriors, but the minute Kawhi Leonard's injury happened, that did in the Spurs.

But seeing these playoff "games" that are happening, not only the Cavs and Warriors are winning, they are DOMINATING in the process. I had a debate early on about how Cleveland "sneaked" by Indiana in the first round and people were going "well, they aren't the same Cavs squad as last year," but they pulled the same stunt with Detroit last year before obliterating Atlanta and while it took a couple of extra games to dispose of Toronto, it was still in convincing fashion. And to laugh and think back in January/February that people were wondering about how the Cavs would get back with all the "turmoil" on the team of LeBron wanting other players than his teammates (I honestly think they needed to entertain themselves in some manner, as Cleveland just looked "bored" this year).

Golden State, the same way. They easily put down Portland in the first round and then again with Utah. Of course, the only news they made was whining about how there weren't any clubs in Utah. But again, it was probably more or less to entertain themselves.

Now we are on the cusp of the NBA Finals with two teams going 12-0 heading in there (assuming the Warriors and Cavs finish off San Antonio and Boston respectively). And is anybody surprised? Nope.

But the issue is that this is how the NBA has been for a LONG time now. Probably ever since Michael Jordan returned to the Bulls after his baseball experiment over 20 years ago. We knew most years who were teams that would be in the thick of it, the teams who were good enough for a playoff, but not good enough to be a threat, and teams who were lottery bound almost every year. We knew when Jordan returned, it was the Bulls title to lose. Then after that you saw really either the Spurs or Lakers dominate the NBA landscape from 1999 through about 2007 (San Antonio and Los Angeles won 7 of 9 titles in that run). The Lakers did it with Shaq/Kobe/Phil while the Spurs had Popp/Duncan/Parker/Manu and had a team mentality.

Then we see Boston get the Big Three 2.0 of Allen, Garnett, and Pierce as they ruled the roost in the East from 08-10 while Los Angeles got back Phil after a year off and the Lakers dominated the scene. Then LeBron joined his Super-Friend Wade in Miami and had the Heat dominate the East for the next 4 years and won 2 titles relatively easy. Then LeBron came back to Cleveland while Golden State became their own superpower as we see today.

But the thing was, nobody really expected anything else. These teams, these "dynasties" were projected to win. People didn't bet on Boston with Garnett/Allen/Pierce as they won 2 of 3 Conference titles and an NBA title. People knew better not to bet against LeBron. When Kobe was in his heyday with Phil and had Pau Gasol there, same thing. You don't bet against LA. You could bet against San Antonio, but that is when you need to bet on them because they liked relishing that role of a "sleeper."

So why is the NBA so boring and predictable now?

There is no major competition outside of the Cavs and Warriors (though San Antonio with a healthy Leonard could have made things a bit interesting). The Cavs play in the East, where the teams have massive holes all around, even the likes of the Celtics and Wizards. And to add on, the teams are not deep at all. A same case argument can be had for the Warriors too. San Antonio lost their best player so that really hurts them, but not even the Jazz, Clippers, or Rockets have the same kind of firepower as what Golden State had.

When we saw with the Jordan Bulls there were teams that were able to stand toe-to-toe with Chicago such as the Knicks and the Pacers. Yes, Chicago won, but these teams also had depth to go against the Bulls and in some cases had advantages on the Bulls. You knew Chicago would win those series against them, but there was enough competition to keep fans tuned in for a 6 or 7 game series.

The same thing for the Lakers. Yes, San Antonio was there too, but you also had some battles between LA and Portland, Sacramento, etc. that kept you from changing the channel and go "maybe they can shock the Lakers."

But now we are seeing teams that are just getting blown to smithereens by the Cavs and Warriors. No intrigue. No interest. Nothing. And can you blame the Cavs and Warriors for this? Obviously not. They're doing what they are set out to doing: win.

The salary cap is probably a key factor of this. Teams can get around with "exceptions" to singing players and such. If you're a former all-star who can still play a lick, well, a team like the Cavs or the Warriors can use that exception to sign you. It is what is working and players who are on their last legs want that championship and will go to the contender.

Adding on, you have the bit of teams just not managing well enough to compete. They either draft poorly, make poor trades, have free agents flop, etc. and unless you have a superstar like Curry, LeBron, Durant, Westbrook, etc. you can forget any run for the NBA.

So really can the NBA fix itself? Yes, but they need to tweak the salary cap rules that the players will not go for unless they make other concessions.

So really, what we are seeing between the Cavs and Warriors may continue as there really isn't any competition in the NBA for either team.

And we can discuss this again next season when the Cavs and Warriors meet for the 4th straight time in the NBA Finals.

-Fan in the Obstructed Seat

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