The problem with the NBA

I’ve made it very clear, I think, that I don’t care for the NBA. I think there is a rightful stigma of those who don’t care for the Association. Often the complaint is that the league is too “thuggish”, which is such a thinly veiled euphemism for “I don’t like all the black guys in the league” that it’s uncomfortable to hear. I want to make it clear that the demographic makeup of the players has nothing to do with my disdain for the game.

My problem? The game is flat out boring. This stems from three factors and inevitably leads to one conclusion. First, the game length is 48 minutes, which is 8 minutes longer than the college game. Second, the season is 82 games, which is more than twice as long as the average 30 game college season. If you combine that, the NBA plays 2736 more minutes than the average college game. There are 52 more games on the schedule, but 68 NCAA games worth of minutes more basketball on the NBA schedule. The third factor is how small the NBA roster is, meaning there is little change in the quality of a team from season to season, unless one major player switches team.

Basically, what this leads to, in my personal opinion, is a distinct lack of drama. There is rarely any surprise. The length of the game and the season make it unlikely that a team will sneak up on anyone and make a deep run in the post season, or be seeded anywhere but near the bottom in the post season. Shorter seasons lead to more variation. In baseball, we talk about smaller sample sizes, which mean a greater influence of luck. In the NBA, the sample size is just too large

Fans of the game will tout the fact that talent wins out, and that there is still some drama in who will win the NBA Championship when the playoffs begin, or perhaps even note that the game is much better in the  post season. Still, there isn’t much hope at the beginning of the season for most of the league if they don’t have a proven all star. The series in the post season also waters down the drama. Teams that everyone suspected would be in the final stages of the post season will be there.

If you like the NBA, I’m happy for you and I hope you enjoy it. The postseason is coming soon, and the game’s proponents claim it is the best part of the season. It’s just not for me.