Every fan of the NBA knows the schedule needs to be modified. How to fix it, though, has all kinds of complications.
The NBA has a serious problem. The 82-game slog known as the regular season is barely taken seriously. Fans know the important games are in May and June, the players are saving their bodies for those bouts, and coaches are saving their best lineup combinations for them too.
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It’s lazy to say the regular season doesn’t matter, but it’s taken with more grains of salt than ever before. Everyone involved wants to be at their best when the spotlight shines brightest, which is having an adverse effect on the 1,230 games prior to the postseason.
From the fans’ perspective, it’s barely worth it to tune into Pacers-Magic on a Wednesday night. Even the headlining games, such as Celtics-Clippers from a few weeks ago, only held so much value compared to where those teams will be in April. Neither team will strut its absolute best stuff; these games are merely sneak peeks into what’s to come.
And if you’re a high-usage player, why would you go full throttle in November? There’s 82 stinkin’ games on the schedule and even with players’ workloads being managed better than ever, the benefit of one win now may not exceed the cost of giving it your all this early.
As for the teams not in contention, well, you know the deal. Once playoff hopes are slim enough, lottery-bound fan bases are checking Tankathon.com more than team websites.
The era of player movement didn’t make things better, either. From LeBron James‘ move in 2010 to the Heat to Kevin Durant last summer joining his third team in five seasons, speculation about who was going where next took on a huge role in the overall discussions of the league.
This talk poisoned Anthony Davis‘ tenure in New Orleans, made James’ last tenure in Cleveland as close to untenable as four consecutive Finals appearances can be and is affecting how the Bucks are looked at in regards to Giannis Antentokoumnpo (unrestricted free agent in 2021).
Players run the league. Their faces are the most marketable aspect of the sport and their talent drives winning more than anything (except luck). This gives them power they, the league and the fans have yet to fully grasp. As a result, they dictate how the season unfolds, often in unpredictable ways.
From a pure basketball standpoint, of course the regular season matters. It makes up an overwhelming majority of the basketball we consume. But how people consume the regular season is changing at a dangerous pace.
If the stars are going to lay off the gas pedal a bit, people are going to watch less and care less. The teams who employ these players have little choice but to accept their demands if winning is a priority.
Between bad teams tanking and good teams resting, the six-month buildup to the playoffs holds less value to viewers now than it ever has.