Who's to say that there wouldn't have been just as much drama with some other matchups? I don't think it's fair to say that we wouldn't have had something in the past with the new format since there's no way of knowing what we missed in the past because of the format we had put in place then.
As for the idea of markets being shut out, I don't think that's really a fair point to bring up. The NBA is so international and there are fans of teams everywhere. It's possible that we end up with small geographical market issues, but I don't think that would really hurt as much as people think.
Fair enough. And you are correct, the NBA is much more of a global product now than it used to be. I understand your counterpoint about the market issue, and you do make good points, but I do think its fair to bring up. I'm not saying that I agree with the sentiment - its something I've heard and seen debated, I just know its going to come up in debates. The former commissioner David Stern, made a point of maximizing market potential. Despite the game being more international, the big bucks are still at home in the United States. All of that being said, I'm still with you on this, I would like to see changes to NBA playoffs as well, just playing devil's advocate and presenting some of the counterpoints I've heard out there. Thanks again for the good info
I completely get it. It wasn't necessarily directed at you, but at people who use that argument as a reason to hold back the league from change.