UP FOR REVIEW: The State of the NBA

    The National Basketball Association just crowned the Golden State Warriors as World Champions for the 2nd time in 3 years. In those 3 years, the Warriors have had the same opponent in the Cleveland Cavaliers.
    I could say the Finals for the past few years have been exciting, but I'd be lying to you. I could say the NBA has done a great job of creating a league of parity, but again I'd be lying to you. What has happened to change the landscape to what it is today? Why does every series feel like a re-run?
    The best NBA I knew were in the 90s. From 1990 to 1999, we saw 4 different NBA champions. We saw Jordan go 6-0 in finals appearances. We saw the Lakers dynasty get kicked off. This is when the NBA was at it's apex in my opinion.
    The most important statistic from that era is in those 10 years we saw NINE different matchups for in the finals. Why? It's because the league was hungry. The Association promoted parity. It did not cater to super teams.
    Super teams are killing what was a terrific product. They have robbed the sport of all it's passion. Never again will you see a case of Reggie Miller vs NY. Never again will you see 89-90 Pistons roll into town and beat your team up on the scoreboard and physically on the floor. Never again will you see Jordan punch Kerr in the face. Why? Because no one cares anymore.
    It's a stats driven league. If Player X gets his triple doubles but his team loses the new opinion is "Well he got his. What more do you want from him?" Oh... I thought winning was the most important thing at the end of the day. How about he not take plays off and he keeps them from scoring so his squad can win. 
    How do we get this passion back? I have an idea but the NBA isn't going to like it. Instead of continually increasing the salary cap...let's cut it. Force teams to breakup these super teams. Force parity throughout the league. Your product will get better and the other teams and their respective cities (not named Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers) will reap all the benefits.
    At the end of the day, isn't it the responsibility of the NBA to promote an equal playing field instead of promoting big market teams? They must recalibrate and do it soon. I'm not sure the brand could go for another season knowing the Golden State Warriors are going to play the Cleveland Cavaliers for the championship. 

Make Basketball Great Again!

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