Five Things Missing In This Year’s NBA Playoffs
The NBA Playoffs have officially begun, and while that is an exciting thing, something doesn’t quite feel right. There are several reasons to watch the NBA Playoffs, including watching the Golden State Warriors’ defense of their NBA Championship. There are five things we will not be able to see in this year’s NBA Playoffs.
Each one would have enhanced the postseason and our viewing pleasure, but since they are not available, we will watch without it. The one thing we will get to see is several underrated matchups. What we will also witness is the defending champions get some stiff competition.
It will be a tougher road for the Warriors this time out. Depending on how certain things shake out, they could lose just as many games in the playoffs as they did all season long (nine defeats), yet still come out as the champs.
I don't know about you, but Saturday just got even better! Here's #NBAPlayoffs sked.. Keep it locked on ABC/ESPN!! pic.twitter.com/Dtue2R1v8K
— gianina thompson (@giaplusnina) April 16, 2016
What also could happen in the NBA Playoffs is the Warriors losing to the Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, or Oklahoma City Thunder before they advance to the NBA Finals.
That is not as inconceivable as it sounds.
The Clippers will have power forward Blake Griffin back. They will challenge the Warriors. Also, the winner in the eventual second round matchup between the Spurs and Thunder will challenge the Warriors. The downside to this is the fact that neither opponent is the one Golden State will face in the NBA Finals.
The Potential Golden State Versus San Antonio Series Will Not Be For The Championship
If this was March Madness, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs would be on a collision course to face each other in the Finals. Sadly, this is the NBA Playoffs, and both teams play in the Western Conference. That means the best possible matchup in the playoffs can only take place in the Western Conference Finals.
Warriors-Spurs got an impressive TV rating compared to a more favorably time slotted Bulls/Heat game that night https://t.co/KUSQbB5eMf
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) April 9, 2016
It is a pity that the two best teams in the league have to settle for facing each in the semifinals. Watching the Spurs try to stop the Warriors’ offense and vice versa is a must-watch.
What NBA fans want to know is what would happen in a seven-game series between these two teams. The potential results are a gift and a curse. Only one of them can play for the title. Many of us wish that their collision course was for all the marbles.
No Carmelo Anthony In The NBA Playoffs Again
For Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks, the NBA Playoffs should be an annual event. The fact that it is not is testimony to how difficult it is to make the postseason.
Not many people expected the Knicks to make the NBA Playoffs this year. The roster was a collection of players put together in order for the team to be competitive. And the Knicks were a tough team to play. It was a mid season swoon that made making the NBA Playoffs a mere pipe dream.
A player of Carmelo Anthony’s resume deserves better.
As he is entering in the twilight years of his career, making the NBA Playoffs is supposed to be a normal occurrence. Instead, the season ended with Anthony meeting with the New York Knicks’ hierarchy to discuss the direction (courtesy of ESPN) of the franchise.
“Yes, we’ve made progress. We still haven’t made progress enough to get to the postseason, to get to the playoffs. For my first 10 years in this league, I played in the postseason, I played playoff basketball. So to not experience that over the past three seasons, it makes you question a lot. It makes you think a lot… My only thing, my only motive, is to win.”
What is most interesting about Carmelo Anthony’s playoff drought is that had he chose to sign with the Chicago Bulls instead, he would have competed for an NBA Championship at least once.
No Possible Meeting Between The Cleveland Cavaliers And Chicago Bulls
It seems as if the Cleveland Cavaliers, or LeBron James, and the Chicago Bulls face each other every year in the NBA Playoffs. How it would work is the Bulls would win the majority of the games in the regular season, then they would lose to the LeBron James-led teams in the NBA Playoffs. In fact, the Bulls have never eliminated LeBron’s teams, even after several attempts. That does not mean that the contests lacked any competitive spirit. The Bulls hate LeBron James.
That was the case during his initial run with Cleveland. It followed him to Miami when he played for the Miami Heat. Now it continues with LeBron’s second stint with the Cavaliers.
With the Chicago Bulls failing to make the NBA Playoffs, this storied rivalry, with so much bad blood, now sits idle.
No Kobe Bryant in the NBA Playoffs Means No True Storybook Ending
The playoffs would have been the proper sendoff for Kobe Bryant, with a trip to the NBA Finals being the perfect ending.
It will not happen the way that we want it to, and that is a shame.
Thankfully, Kobe Bryant may not go away.
It is reported by TMZ that Kobe has an offer to join the TNT “Inside the NBA” crew. To hear Kobe break down basketball games would be a treat. It would be an ideal way for his story to continue.
The First Round Lacks Intriguing Matchups
Sans the NBA Playoff series of the Boston Celtics versus the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat against the Charlotte Hornets, where are the must-see pairings?
It's that time…. Get to ESPN! #THUNDERvMAVS #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/Zy1A2VjM02
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2016
The Golden State Warriors playing the Houston Rockets gives us Stephen Curry and James Harden, but those teams are headed in different directions. Look for the Warriors to easily handle the Rockets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. In fact, not one of the Western Conference matches are expected to go beyond five games.
In the Eastern Conference teams are closer to each other, but how many of them will push the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals? At least most of the lower-seeded teams can scare the favorites. If an upset or two happens, it will be a huge surprise.
The NBA Playoffs are here and the storylines are being drawn as we speak. There are five things that is missing from this year’s NBA Playoffs that will take away some of the luster. Thankfully, the NBA Playoffs will still retain a lot of its excitement.
[Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]
