The NBA Playoffs thus far have been a "muddy mess of mismatches, tedious and predictable and frequently unwatchable," according to Bob Wojnowski of the DETROIT NEWS. Barring a "national catastrophe," the Cavaliers will again face the Warriors in the NBA Finals, and the rubber match between the two clubs "should be fantastic." But it was "essentially set last October, and since then, it’s been all fake drama and weak competition." A third straight Warriors-Cavaliers showdown will be "must-see," but the "ratings-gluttonous championship round comes at great expense." For the first time in league history, a pair of teams -- the Cavs and Warriors -- "swept through the first two rounds at 8-0." Through 62 playoff games, the average margin of victory is 12.5, meaning 30% of the games have been "decided by 15 points or more." On TNT, analyst Charles Barkley has "regularly, rightly, bashed the competitive level, calling it 'awful.'" Barkley recently quipped, "Thank God for the NHL playoffs -- that’s what I’ve been watching in the back instead of these blowouts" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/12). In Oklahoma, Fred Katz wrote the playoffs "have been bad, borderline unwatchable, a disappointment for any pro basketball fans who have rightfully cried in recent years that their favorite playoffs are just as entertaining as college hoops.'" That "hasn't been close to true this spring, which has yielded big win after big win after big win." Even the close series have been "laced with blowouts." The NBA "didn’t need this considering just about every fan believes this postseason’s results, no matter who wins some of these secondary series, are inevitable." The Warriors "will win the West," and the Cavs will take the East (NORMANTRANSCRIPT.com, 5/11).
WE KNOW HOW THIS STORY ENDS: SLATE's Jack Hamilton wrote the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Celtics and Wizards is "what the Eastern Conference playoffs are all about: two flawed teams chipping and clawing at each other for the privilege of being summarily humiliated" by Cavs F LeBron James (SLATE.com, 5/10). FOXSPORTS.com's Chris Chase wrote the "perceived inevitability of a Finals rematch has essentially spoiled any drama from the first three rounds." Highlights like Celtics G Isaiah Thomas' 53-point performance in Game 2 against the Wizards are "entirely isolated, standing almost no chance of having any greater meaning beyond that specific game on that specific night." There is "no future that doesn’t have LeBron facing off against the Warriors on the first night of June and because of that the NBA playoffs have nothing at stake, rendering the great moments irrelevant and creating a vacuum of hype that’ll continue for the rest of the month" (FOXSPORTS.com, 5/9). The AP's Withers & McCauley wrote the anticipation of Warriors-Cavs has "overshadowed other postseason series" (AP, 5/11). THE RINGER's Jason Concepcion wrote, "Does the sense of certainty surrounding the Finals dull the excitement that should make the playoffs ... what's the word ... good?" (THERINGER.com, 5/10).
