Why Play Seven?

The Bulls and Heat are already up 3-0 in their playoff series. The Celtics have a chance to go up 3-0 over the Knicks tonight. There is seemingly no chance for a team down three games to none to come back and win the series by taking four straight games. In fact, no team has ever come back from being down three games to none. Yet we still have to wait the three days in between games to see a game four, and maybe if the underdog finally pulls out a win see a game five, until the favorite finishes them off a week later. History suggests a 3-0 series has already been decided (as does watching the unevenly matched Heat and Sixers). But because of the 7-7-7-7 playoff format, more basketball, almost as meaningless as the last month of the regular season to some teams, has to be played.

The NBA would never consider shortening at least the first round, simply because of revenue. More games equals more cash. But from a competition standpoint, following baseball and making the first round a best-of-five would be an improvement (or even best-of-three, but that would be a little far-fetched).

In the first round of the NBA Playoffs, there are really only two evenly-matched series: the four versus the five seed. As a result there are not many upsets, and many of the series are decided before they begin. Do not try and think the Heat weren't already thinking about the Celtics in Round 2 when they stepped on their home floor for the opener against Philly. But, nonetheless, LeBron, Wade, and crew have to knock off the under-matched Sixers four times to move past them. Miami would have won a best of one, three, or five game series. If the first round changed to five games, the victor would still, in most cases, be the same.

By the time the NBA Finals roll around in mid-June, the playoffs seem to have lost much of their momentum.  Much of people's interest has shifted to baseball, now in full swing, or just lost interest the same way they did at the conclusion of the regular season. The excitement just isn't always there anymore, because of the lengthiness. By the Finals the games obviously have significant meaning, but it's the middle of June and it just does not seem like basketball season. Which is why shortening the postseason makes sense. In the first round, there would not be as many game fours and fives feeling like the regular season. There would be more sense of urgency and teams playing with their backs against a wall, like in the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, another solution could just be to cut the number of playoff teams...