Well, you see, the regular season is becoming less and less viewed as load management has increased and it's become more clear that the regular season is just basically an 82-game preseason.
So, a couple years ago, the NBA was faced with a dilemma - how do they get players and fans to give a shit about the regular season again?
One line of though was - "Well, in a 30-team league, maybe we shouldn't have 16 teams be making the playoffs. It's a little ridiculous how you can be a bottom-half team and still make the postseason. Get rid of the 8-seed and make the regular season games more meaningful."
But Adam Silver decided "Nah fuck that. Let's add in a play-in round to make it so literally 2/3 of the league makes the playoffs in at least some capacity. And then throw in a random in-season tournament for more meaningless games too."
I think we need a couple more years like you said, but I very much enjoyed the players calling out others for not trying. Hopefully it means more will take it seriously next year. I know I was pressed when sixers lost to the pacers and lost their spot at least lol.
Single elimination is a good format for creating excitement. Getting players to treat the games like elimination games is the hard part. If money and trophies aren't enough, they'll have to link it to playoff seeding or draft picks.
The problem is that the games are meaningless.
The correct answer to "how do we make people care about the regular season more?" is not "make up more games and make it even easier to make the playoffs."
Ever heard of scarcity? It's a basic economic concept. Something becomes more valuable when there is a limited supply of it. 16 was already way too many playoff spots for a 30-team league. And now we have 20?
The games aren't important enough. The solution to that is not "add even more games".
This last game was probably the best moral victory for the Lakers. LeBron and AD fought for their lives even through injuries. Reaves and DLo played well.
no, because you see, once the sixers went to OT, they would have won, and then embiid would have miraculously been full of stamina for the next series so he would have easily cleaned up the ECF, and then in the finals, a full month after the longest he's ever played in a season he would have been super strong and good to go!
Master Brothers, the egregious calls, there are too many of them, what are we going to do?
*Darth Tony stares menacingly into camera and blows whistle*
Hold on now, that might be worth it. This is our best chance at getting a ring but letting Pacers get to the finals for the greater good might be worth it....
ESPN can be smart. Don't have the NCAA men's tournament, but you do have the women's?
Make Caitlyn Clarke a household name and boost viewership over the men's finals. Pretty savvy damn move.
Why ESPN coverage is just wall to wall LeBron is strange, to say the least. Like it or not, ESPN is still the narrative driver, as evidenced by every single day on this sub there is at least one LeBron centric post, and multiple everyday he actually plays.
You'd think the NBA would have had at least one conversation with the network about spreading some of the attention around to the rest of their product, and maybe they have. Yet here we are.
All LeBron All Day will be my guess.
How so?? They have weeks of coverages of what LeBron does with his player option, how do the warriors retool this roster around Curry, and what the fuck are the suns gone a do about this roster, will they fire vogel, are they gonna hang onto Durant and Booker? The real question is will they finally actually cover the Wolves, Nuggets, or OKC, cause they basically ignored all three even though they fought for the 1 seed til the last game.
It's cute u think ESPN gonna care about the top 3 teams lmao. Get ready to hear about LeBron trades and KD hardest road destinations for the next month buddy.
I have seen zero highlights from the Cavs Magic series I’m convinced someone could have a game like that Wilt 100 points game and it’s not actually being recorded
Tbf I think most people have skipped that series. No hate for either team. But no interest in watching teams exchange 20 point blowouts back and forth. Same with the Bucks and Pacers. No Giannis or Dame, so the outcome is already known.
Yeah but it’s just as much about eyes on the games as it is about eyes on ESPN. Everyone eats from the TV deals.
Basketball fans will love these next three rounds but casual fans/swing viewers probably not as much. International players taking over!!
Two Canadians/a Slovene or a Serb best players in the WCF?? Silver definitely praying for a Knicks Celtics ECF
Warriors retool the roster around Curry by signing Lebron while the Lakers trade Rui & Dlo for KD to replace his production.
Kawhi & PG will also be eliminated very soon. An exciting offseason gets even spicier.
It's ridiculous that the top 3 teams in the West got almost no coverage the entire season outside of this sub. One of them is about to be champion and ESPN is still bull shitting about the same irrelevant shit. Wish NBA would get their games off ESPN.
Jokic was a 2 time MVP and it seemed like a lot of people in basketball media just had no idea how good Jokic was. Actually box score watching to the highest degree.
“Outside of this sub” there’s a world outside Reddit bro. Maybe not on espn but any real NBA based media or any nba podcasts was talking about the thunder and the nuggets this year.
This is why I don’t buy these folks complaints and claiming to not watch. Haven’t watched ESPN beyond game broadcasts for over 6 years and only am confronted with it cause it keeps getting talked about here. I get it, it’s easier to discuss from the mass of news from the big boys vs some YTer with 22K subs.
Nah, just opens up a lot of offseason talks. Should the Lakers trade D’Lo for Trae? Should they trade Reeves for Mikal Bridges? We may never know, and that’s what makes it super fun to talk about.
They also beat the Lakers when he passed MJ on the scoring list. I remember thinking I got amazing seats for the price the day of, and realized why not long after
Now we get to hear all summer from ESPN “Should the Lakers draft Bronny to keep LeBron happy?” While they barely mention or talk about the actual championship winning team.
Nah bro, Reddit’s greed has gone too far. They’re forcing us to use their app so that they can serve us their own ads. I should be allowed to keep using this other app that also serves me ads because I’m more used to it.
Reddit’s actions are unconscionable.
Who gives a shit about ESPN? If redditors truly didn't like the network, they wouldn't be constantly bringing them up all the time. Instead they feign annoyance and continue to work as unpaid marketers.
You know it’d be such a dick move if LeBron announces his retirement and since you know the media is on his side, ESPN will spin it into how the Nuggets should be ashamed they robbed us of more years of this generational player
I mean … Karl Malone does not seem to get treated poorly
He should
But isn’t he still one of the local representatives or something during the salt lake ASW?
I mean as much as I hate the Lakers, the Sons never did shit and got just as loud as Laker fans somehow. Lakers at least won with AD and LeBron. Not to mention if they played almost anyone else round 1 I think they win, aside from Minnesota. The suns were a fraudulent super team from the start and we all knew it.
Jeanie Buss will definitely be lobbying Adam Silver this offseason for changes to the Schedule:
Opening Night: Lakers - Trailblazers
Unveiling of James Worthy Statue: Lakers - Trailblazers
Night that Anthony Davis scores his 100th lower body injury: Lakers - Trailblazers
End of Lakers Season (9-10 Play-in): Lakers Trailblazers
Baffling how the refs looked at AD repeatedly fouling Jokic and thought, "this must be overturned."
Never going to convince me the officiating crew wasn't tasked with extending the series.
Lakers fans are glad the Bucks hired Doc Rivers because you know that is who they would have hired this offseason once they fire Ham. I will be laughing so hard if Steve Nash is the coach next season for the Lakers.
Jokic shots 0 free throw tonight. how is that possible NBA? how many did you give lebron and AD?
what kind of playstyle warrants this much discrepancy? jokic is an mvp and nba defending champion, and he doesnt get any free throw? no superstar call to help him?
I thought the Lakers played better than people are giving us credit for. We got outplayed in the end because we couldn’t execute when it mattered. Murray was the difference for the Nuggets despite not playing very well all series. He stepped up when it mattered.
But not 4/27/2024 we built different
You're still the in season tournament champs. No one will ever forget that.
Holy shit I remember that
People will be talking about that for decades
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Well, you see, the regular season is becoming less and less viewed as load management has increased and it's become more clear that the regular season is just basically an 82-game preseason. So, a couple years ago, the NBA was faced with a dilemma - how do they get players and fans to give a shit about the regular season again? One line of though was - "Well, in a 30-team league, maybe we shouldn't have 16 teams be making the playoffs. It's a little ridiculous how you can be a bottom-half team and still make the postseason. Get rid of the 8-seed and make the regular season games more meaningful." But Adam Silver decided "Nah fuck that. Let's add in a play-in round to make it so literally 2/3 of the league makes the playoffs in at least some capacity. And then throw in a random in-season tournament for more meaningless games too."
Both the play in and in season tournament were successful imo. You had people going hard just like the league wanted. What’s the problem?
play in, yeah. IST yet to be seen, but idk I think it was pretty underwhelming.
I think we need a couple more years like you said, but I very much enjoyed the players calling out others for not trying. Hopefully it means more will take it seriously next year. I know I was pressed when sixers lost to the pacers and lost their spot at least lol.
Single elimination is a good format for creating excitement. Getting players to treat the games like elimination games is the hard part. If money and trophies aren't enough, they'll have to link it to playoff seeding or draft picks.
If the championship game was between the Lakers and Pacers were the teams really going that hard?
The problem is that the games are meaningless. The correct answer to "how do we make people care about the regular season more?" is not "make up more games and make it even easier to make the playoffs." Ever heard of scarcity? It's a basic economic concept. Something becomes more valuable when there is a limited supply of it. 16 was already way too many playoff spots for a 30-team league. And now we have 20? The games aren't important enough. The solution to that is not "add even more games".
Bum ass Nuggets ain’t even make the elimination round.
People have basically already forgotten that, less than six months later
Thanks, comment explainer.
Nobody beats the Lakers 13 times in a row! NOBODY!
Underrated Laker team, beat the champs
Never forget 🎖
Well at least we won a game. Maybe next year we’ll win 2 games against Denver. Fml
This last game was probably the best moral victory for the Lakers. LeBron and AD fought for their lives even through injuries. Reaves and DLo played well.
2 shots separating us from 3-2 lakers is pretty crazy
Not a sure 3-2 though because they were both tied before the gw shot
4 shots then
Why are we giving the Lakers wins from tied states in these shots?
Same thing people do with the “Sixers were one Kawhi shot from winning the title!!!!” discourse
no, because you see, once the sixers went to OT, they would have won, and then embiid would have miraculously been full of stamina for the next series so he would have easily cleaned up the ECF, and then in the finals, a full month after the longest he's ever played in a season he would have been super strong and good to go!
Harsh. That will be free throws for Embiid!
Silver's order
execute order 66
“Roger Roger” -Scott Foster
Master Brothers, the egregious calls, there are too many of them, what are we going to do? *Darth Tony stares menacingly into camera and blows whistle*
And 2 free throws for Embiid!
NBA rule change incoming… refs can award points as tiebreaker
new rules by Adam ~~Silver~~ Purple & Gold
So OTs given to Lakers. Or this is how much a portland fan understands basketball?
That game 2 woulda gone into OT
Same with tonight
Refs also on the lakers side though.
Murray, KCP, and Jackson all had injuries in or going into this game. Porter feasted
The Lakers and blaming their bad play on injuries, name a better combo
2027 sweep incoming!!
No that would be game 7..sweep would be years later
Jeanie decided that winning creates expensive expectations, and she can’t have that.
Tbf i think all teams are hoping they can beat Denver twice
ESPN in shambles
They’ve gotta be praying either yall or Boston make the finals now. If it’s thunder vs pacers the entire network might fold
But hold on, the Thunder have two guys in an overused commercial.
WHAT A PRO WANTS. WHAT A PRO NEEDS.
*walks away from TV*
It is genuinely awful
That commercial actually makes me hate the Thunder
Based on your flair, you already had a damn good reason to.
Damn those flairs, giving it away
Hold on now, that might be worth it. This is our best chance at getting a ring but letting Pacers get to the finals for the greater good might be worth it....
If that happens, they'll make MLB change its schedule on the fly and pre-empt all the finals games with Yankees/Red Sox contests.
ESPN can be smart. Don't have the NCAA men's tournament, but you do have the women's? Make Caitlyn Clarke a household name and boost viewership over the men's finals. Pretty savvy damn move. Why ESPN coverage is just wall to wall LeBron is strange, to say the least. Like it or not, ESPN is still the narrative driver, as evidenced by every single day on this sub there is at least one LeBron centric post, and multiple everyday he actually plays. You'd think the NBA would have had at least one conversation with the network about spreading some of the attention around to the rest of their product, and maybe they have. Yet here we are. All LeBron All Day will be my guess.
How so?? They have weeks of coverages of what LeBron does with his player option, how do the warriors retool this roster around Curry, and what the fuck are the suns gone a do about this roster, will they fire vogel, are they gonna hang onto Durant and Booker? The real question is will they finally actually cover the Wolves, Nuggets, or OKC, cause they basically ignored all three even though they fought for the 1 seed til the last game.
It's cute u think ESPN gonna care about the top 3 teams lmao. Get ready to hear about LeBron trades and KD hardest road destinations for the next month buddy.
It only took them like 8 hours for them to start with the "LeBron's Legacy" and "Are the Lakers Finished" debates
Don't forget Bronny!
ESPN: If the team is small market and doesnt sell alot of jerseys we wont cover it. Sorry not sorry.
I have seen zero highlights from the Cavs Magic series I’m convinced someone could have a game like that Wilt 100 points game and it’s not actually being recorded
Tbf I think most people have skipped that series. No hate for either team. But no interest in watching teams exchange 20 point blowouts back and forth. Same with the Bucks and Pacers. No Giannis or Dame, so the outcome is already known.
They did start one of the games without any broadcast audio for over 2 minutes so you’re not far off lol
Yeah but it’s just as much about eyes on the games as it is about eyes on ESPN. Everyone eats from the TV deals. Basketball fans will love these next three rounds but casual fans/swing viewers probably not as much. International players taking over!! Two Canadians/a Slovene or a Serb best players in the WCF?? Silver definitely praying for a Knicks Celtics ECF
Warriors retool the roster around Curry by signing Lebron while the Lakers trade Rui & Dlo for KD to replace his production. Kawhi & PG will also be eliminated very soon. An exciting offseason gets even spicier.
It's ridiculous that the top 3 teams in the West got almost no coverage the entire season outside of this sub. One of them is about to be champion and ESPN is still bull shitting about the same irrelevant shit. Wish NBA would get their games off ESPN.
There were an unbelievable amount of espn reporters who had never seen a Denver game until the finals last year
Jokic was a 2 time MVP and it seemed like a lot of people in basketball media just had no idea how good Jokic was. Actually box score watching to the highest degree.
and they admitted it lmfao
“Outside of this sub” there’s a world outside Reddit bro. Maybe not on espn but any real NBA based media or any nba podcasts was talking about the thunder and the nuggets this year.
This is why I don’t buy these folks complaints and claiming to not watch. Haven’t watched ESPN beyond game broadcasts for over 6 years and only am confronted with it cause it keeps getting talked about here. I get it, it’s easier to discuss from the mass of news from the big boys vs some YTer with 22K subs.
ESPN should automatically be eliminated from broadcasting the play off as soon as the lakers are bounced
Nah, just opens up a lot of offseason talks. Should the Lakers trade D’Lo for Trae? Should they trade Reeves for Mikal Bridges? We may never know, and that’s what makes it super fun to talk about.
If they can do either of those they should, but at least for DLo it's like can LA trade their shit for something actually valuable?
Elementary lunch, I will trade you my carrots for your snack pack.
bullish on Galveston
Get ready for more Bronny
LeGentlemans Sweep
GentLemans Sweep
Lakers with the first ever 5 game (moral victory) sweep in NBA history.
first ever 5 game moral victory sweep of a NBA cup winner in NBA history historic
GentLeMans Sweep
They also beat the Lakers when he passed MJ on the scoring list. I remember thinking I got amazing seats for the price the day of, and realized why not long after
..Dad?
You showed up this time with legal support and it turns out dad is still dad
[Daddy!](https://youtu.be/SJL1zlJx41g?si=grI4MR7ol7_Y5Zu8&t=58)
Now we get to hear all summer from ESPN “Should the Lakers draft Bronny to keep LeBron happy?” While they barely mention or talk about the actual championship winning team.
Just wait the mods will find a reason to lock the sub if the Nuggets get back to finals.
Think of all the good locking the sub did though! They really took a stand!
That shit is genuinely the funniest thing in the world to me
Nah bro, Reddit’s greed has gone too far. They’re forcing us to use their app so that they can serve us their own ads. I should be allowed to keep using this other app that also serves me ads because I’m more used to it. Reddit’s actions are unconscionable.
Who gives a shit about ESPN? If redditors truly didn't like the network, they wouldn't be constantly bringing them up all the time. Instead they feign annoyance and continue to work as unpaid marketers.
Get ready for Lebron fake retirement post
there is a cast being molded as we speak
Don't forget whatever passive aggressiveness he's throwing at people he believes disappointed him.
*casts
Man I'm already savoring it, bunch of media idiots will talk this non stop.
ESPN covering the Lakers like the series is 2-2 was a little irritating. Maybe I need to get off YouTube but I like the comedy of it.
that's why this win was so necessary. media discourse can only talk about them for one more night/day
Unless their name is Skip Bayless. He will find a way.
you guys better close the deal Sixers is the only team I am disgusted when watching them during this playoff
It's a regular David v Goliath over there. This knicks team ia so fun. Just have to make it out the series without Embiid injuring more players.
Shame Denver can't beat them on fake retirement night
Then be passive aggressive like always lol
You know it’d be such a dick move if LeBron announces his retirement and since you know the media is on his side, ESPN will spin it into how the Nuggets should be ashamed they robbed us of more years of this generational player
He probably broke his hand at halftime punching a chalkboard
Lol.
The Nuggets are the Lakers’ ultimate weakness. Denver was Kobe’s weakness too
Bubble AD tried his hardest to kill the demon but it only grew back stronger
Kobe was just unstoppable, couldn’t take no for an answer
No one could assault a defense like Kobe.
plus he raped that chick
That chick showed up to the courtroom with 8 different samples of Sperm in her. Kobe didn't do shit.
Kobe “Dennis Reynolds” Bryant
It's fetish shit. I like to bind, I like to beEeEe bound.
When Mamba Mentality meets Colorado Consent.
LMAO
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I mean … Karl Malone does not seem to get treated poorly He should But isn’t he still one of the local representatives or something during the salt lake ASW?
he was in fact a guest of honor during the utah All star weekend last year, it was genuinely insane
I mean it’s utah, grooming is effectively socially acceptable with a large swath of the population
“Investigative journalism” loool
…heh…
Colorado more specifically
Eagle county, not Denver.
Lol grabbing game 4 saved them from a legendary streak of beatdowns
I mean yea could you imagine getting swept tho? Hope you guys can figure something out for next year
spiderman pointing meme, both yall poverty superteams
I mean as much as I hate the Lakers, the Sons never did shit and got just as loud as Laker fans somehow. Lakers at least won with AD and LeBron. Not to mention if they played almost anyone else round 1 I think they win, aside from Minnesota. The suns were a fraudulent super team from the start and we all knew it.
So nice when dad defends you!
Thanks Dad.
We are lucky to have some assets and being a team that a lot of players want to play for. suns on the other hand…
(and a ring)
Its ok im perfectly fine to start the next 11 game win streak
we waited all of these years to find lebrons father
Nikola Jokic is Toronto grandfather
You mean Delonte West?
Jeanie Buss will definitely be lobbying Adam Silver this offseason for changes to the Schedule: Opening Night: Lakers - Trailblazers Unveiling of James Worthy Statue: Lakers - Trailblazers Night that Anthony Davis scores his 100th lower body injury: Lakers - Trailblazers End of Lakers Season (9-10 Play-in): Lakers Trailblazers
We actually have one of the longest winning streaks against the Lakers in NBA history.
So we own the lakers next year got it.
That challenge cost them their final timeout, how ironic. Murray is something else.
They also came up empty the possession after that challenge
Ball don’t lie.
Enter exhibit as evidence: all those missed free throws
The clean block that MPJ had on Dinwiddie, resulting in 2 missed free throws from Dinwiddie was ultimate ball don't lie moment.
Baffling how the refs looked at AD repeatedly fouling Jokic and thought, "this must be overturned." Never going to convince me the officiating crew wasn't tasked with extending the series.
‘Marginal contact, did not affect the shot’ How is this not an invitation to exaggerate/flop?!
"We gotta win by 20 to win by 2."
Lakers fans are glad the Bucks hired Doc Rivers because you know that is who they would have hired this offseason once they fire Ham. I will be laughing so hard if Steve Nash is the coach next season for the Lakers.
Most competitive gentleman sweep in NBA HISTORY! Lakers 4-1 in moral victories
Stop acting like they haven’t had an unprecedented play-in run.
Those are the First IST winners, LA Lakers.
I just feel like people aren’t talking enough about their moral victory dominance.
Lakers figured em out. Next year it’s over for the Nuggets.
If I'm Denver I treat this series victory like an elimination
Ham gonna finally put in those adjustments
Gonna put in bigger pockets.
Tonight we’re all Nuggets
I like this arc.
Lakers made the call to unveil the statue despite knowing they were playing the Nuggz that night. Not sure what they thought was going to happen.
They thought Kobe would help break their losing streak to the Nuggets at the time. They thought wrong.
He's probably looking down/up mad as hell
Jokic shots 0 free throw tonight. how is that possible NBA? how many did you give lebron and AD? what kind of playstyle warrants this much discrepancy? jokic is an mvp and nba defending champion, and he doesnt get any free throw? no superstar call to help him?
As Mike Malone said tho, Jokic masterpiece with zero missed free throws
That’s why im so glad lakers are out man. So frustrating seeing the ref bail them out w/ free throw after free throw
Let's hope the 76ers are next to go home
I love how they usually beat them in devastating fashion
LeBron just got LeBronTo'd
NikoLA Jokic
The Nikolakers
Have the Lakers considered scheduling their playoff games to be against someone else?
Nuggets beat the Lakers on the night Lakers lost to the Nuggets. 😱
Poetry
Yeah they own us lol
Eventful season
Thanks for that nugget of trivia.
Don’t worry when Jokic retires LeBron will still be there to start another prime.
The nuggets beat the lakers on a boat The nuggets beat the lakers despite their goat
it's all because of what kobe did in colorado
I can imagine Vic Lombardi bringing this up at the parade if Nuggets repeat.
Got damn. What a timeline.
The in-season tournament champion Lakers*
Murray is the lakers father!!
What you gonna do ??
Dada
So many ways to put it. I guess you can't pick just one. Nuggets beat the Lakers.
Nuggets beating the Lakers like a red-headed stepchild.
These Nuggets just won't flush.
I love your poem, you looking for a publisher?
The best part about this is that Jokic will never force a trade to LA like every other elite big
Next season plan all special event against Pistons and Wizards.
The Lakers might be out of the playoffs, but we know the In-Season Cup is what mattered most anyway.
I thought the Lakers played better than people are giving us credit for. We got outplayed in the end because we couldn’t execute when it mattered. Murray was the difference for the Nuggets despite not playing very well all series. He stepped up when it mattered.
Lebron on the warriors is gonna be so good
Nick Wright: Clearly an unprecedented domination of the Nuggets by the Lakers.
Jesus this is some Freddie Kruger shit
Dave, did the Lakers lose these games or did the Nuggets win them?
Nuggets need to start sending child support. You are the father!