Is it Really Fan-tastic?
Posted May 10, 2005, 7:58 AM ET

Last year the NBA Playoffs teased us.

The great "team basketball" displayed by the Detroit Pistons gave us hope that the league was going to turn the corner.

The Pistons were a joy to watch as they dismantled the egocentric LA Lakers. It was the perfect example of a group of guys playing as one as opposed to the "Kobe-Shaq-Phil" dysfunctional Lakers.

Now we fast-forward to the 2005 NBA Playoffs.

Superstars like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are already sitting on their couch...so that means the NBA will have to entertain us with team basketball and intriguing match-ups.

Well, lately, the NBA Playoff games have been unwatchable. From time-to-time you get a special play or moment, but for the most part the games have not been compelling.

The NBA Playoffs have been littered with blowouts. You combine that with a number of big-time stars already sitting at home, and you have a perfect mix for awful games, terrible TV ratings and absolutely no buzz by true NBA fans on my radio show.

Case in point...Saturday night, the NBA had two Game 7 showdowns. The Pacers-Celtics and Mavericks-Rockets. There is nothing more exciting in sports than when you have a Game 7 match-up in the playoffs, right?

Wrong...especially in this year's NBA Playoffs.

The Pacers beat the Celtics by 27.

The Mavericks beat the Rockets by 40...that's right, 40 points!

Those blowouts officially closed out the opening round series...let's get to Round 2...surely the match-ups and games will be better.

On Sunday, the Miami Heat won by 19 over the Wizards...the Spurs won by 22 over Seattle.

On Monday night, the Pistons beat the Pacers by 15, and Phoenix destroyed Dallas by 25.

NBA basketball is fantastic...when the games are close in the Playoffs! The last 6 playoff games have been won by an average of 24.6 points...that's brutal.

The NBA should be providing more competitive games than what we've seen so far. The league is already under enough pressure by fans that have been turned away from the game for various reasons.

I'm hoping that the Playoffs improve...and soon. You can only sell new arenas and the "entertainment" value but for so long...if the games and the product suck, then the league has no chance to gain approval by the sports fan.