More Entertaining So Far? 2017 Stanley Cup Final? Or The 2017 NBA Finals?

[Tkachuk Norris]

Both have truly been terrible

NHL has been good imo

 

[Plante]

You missed out on Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, Duncan, Garnett, LeBron, Durant and DWade. That's basically missed out on 8 of the top 25 players in their primes. And that's not including Dirk, Melo, Yao Ming, prime Dwight Howard, Pierce, the 04 Pistons, Vince and T-Mac. Damn I'm so sorry for you.

I think I'll live

 

[PuckSeparator]

Both are very meh this year...

 

[End of Line]

NBA Finals are almost unwatchable.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

The NBA got ruined with the first super-team: The 2008 Celtics.

Garnett, Pearce and Allen were the first super-team, and it made every other team evolve around that

The Lakers in 09 and 10 are the only team since that didnt have 3 superstars (2)

Some of you guys are young...and that's coming from a thirty year old.

"First"? Maybe you meant the 82/83 Sixers (adding free agent Moses Malone to Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones)? Or the 85/86 Celtics? Or the 86/87 Lakers...or the 90's Bulls...or the early 2000's Lakers...

The NBA has always been a "Super Team" driven league. The NBA has also dominated the NHL in terms of ratings and popularity over the last two decades, with the gap simply widening.

 

[kingsholygrail]

The NBA has always had super teams. What's really missing is the NBA also used to have great plays around the net and ****. Now it's just perimeter play and no physicality at all.

 

[powerstuck]

The NBA has been ruined since the super teams came along. Garbage

Speaking of...a final between Nashville and Ottawa would have been thousands of billions of miles better than what we have between Nashville and Pittsburgh...and what we have is not that bad.

 

[carter333167]

The NBA has always had super teams. What's really missing is the NBA also used to have great plays around the net and ****. Now it's just perimeter play and no physicality at all.

Definitely not as exciting as Bulls-Pistons and Celtics-Lakers of old.

 

[Quantum]

NHL playoffs > NBA playoffs

NBA finals > Stanley Cup final.

Yes Golden State is running through the Cavs but the showmanship and entertainement value in the finals is much higher than any NHL game.

THIS !!! The level of execution in last night game was unreal, very entertaining. Add to it all the personalities and story lines and yeah the NBA finals rarely disappoint.

 

[Islanders1932]

I don't understand the people saying this SCF is meh or boring. This has been fantastic. Game one was one of the greatest games I've seen. Holding the Penguins to 0 shots in 37 minutes is one of the most incredible things ever. I've thoroughly enjoyed this. I also like this a lot better than the Penguins Sharks matchup although that was entertaining too.

 

[chuppa chupp]

The NBA has always had super teams. What's really missing is the NBA also used to have great plays around the net and ****. Now it's just perimeter play and no physicality at all.

It's a different game today. When you have guys with the size of Durant and Klay Thompson who can shoot lights out from beyond the arc, what would be the point of having an inside game?

 

[Reality Check]

It's a different game today. When you have guys with the size of Durant and Klay Thompson who can shoot lights out from beyond the arc, what would be the point of having an inside game?

The center position is all but irrelevant in this day and age.

However it is a fair point to state there could be more physicality in the NBA. These days, there is no fear in taking it to the rim and little-to-no defense being played.

I don't exactly miss the Knicks-Heat rivalry of the 90's either. There was plenty of hatred and fights but many of those games were a chore to watch.

 

[Braunbaer]

I totally care about the NBA.

 

[Foppberg]

NBA sucks. College basketball is much much better.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

NBA sucks. College basketball is much much better.

If one enjoys the plucky underdog grinding it on out, then sure.

If one enjoys the outstanding athlete dominating his opponent, then the NBA may be their cup of tea.

 

[SJGoalie32]

I've never given two ***** about the "entertainment" level of a championship.

I've always been a local team fan first and foremost. I can find some enjoyment in watching two neutral teams, but even then, I have a hard time watching without a rooting interest.

When my favorite local team is in it (as the Warriors are in the NBA Finals), I obviously want the victory margin to be as large as possible. If my team isn't in it, I guess a suspenseful ending could be interesting, but I'm not going to get on my high horse and complain because some other team that I don't even care about is playing too well and robbing me of watching the final 30 minutes of a close Game 7.

I get that the leagues and networks want close games to drive up ad revenue. But I'm not a league or network executive. So I could care less.

One of my favorite sports memories was when the Giants finally won their first World Series in San Francisco in 2010. It was a 5-game series that featured several blowouts. When I think back on my fond memories of that Series championship, you know what thought never crosses my mind? "Gee, I wish Madison Bumgarner could've pitched worse so that Brad from Raleigh could've had a more suspenseful Game 4 viewing experience for his Halloween party 6 1/2 years ago."

 

[nothingbeatshockey]

Maybe it's an age thing, but I stopped watching the NBA when it became more about the player and getting on ESPN's highlights than the team. Watching Biird, Jordan, Magic, and Isaiah Thomas lead the Celtics, Bulls, Lakers and Pistons was fun - since then meh - nothing but a bunch of individuals looking for their next big endorsement deal.

I'd watch a crappy SC over NBA finals every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[mikeyp24]

People saying they have always had super teams is wrong. There have always been teams every once in a while that internally and occasionally bring in the right FA. What the Celtics did was bring 3 huge names together for the intent of short term winning. That then created what the league is now... the actual suoer teams. Boston wasn't the issue that was all legit... Miami was the issue in that they were 3 guys who talked and organized to get on the same team... it didn't matter what the team pitched it was what team could they all go to and be the most productive. That started the trend of players working out their contracts to either end at a time so they can go to a team together and win. It stopped mattering what teams offered and even what pay was because players were working out ways to just make a huge team you can't compete with.

Think about this the league blocked the Lakers getting Chris Paul to stop something like what GS has now and to stop letting super teams happen and making it about drafting and picking the right FA pieces to fit your team but they let the 2nd best player in the league join the winningest team in league history. What do you think was going to happen?

The finals still have a chance to be good but the league needs to make it illegal to conspire among free agents to stack a team the same way teams can't contact players under contract. This will co time to happen. I'm a Cavs fan and I'm happy we didn't get to the finals that way. All our guys were legit trades and drafts. We got Kevin love for back to back #1 picks and 1 of those is going to be a star soon for the wolves. But KD leaving a great team like OKC that was almost in the finals anyways with Westbrook to go to a 73-9 team... stupid.

 

[Sleepy]

How is NHL parity good though?

The problem with NHL parity is that it's artificial. It's due to the rules of the game heavily randomizing outcomes due to very high % of garbage/luck goals and high goalie sv%. Think of how many times the last place team wins a game vs a top team in hockey (quite often) vs how many times the last place team in the NFL beats the Patriots (none)

The problem with the NBA is that you know who the best team is just by who the players are. Everyone knew who the best team was before the season started.

The NFL's got the balance right. The best teams almost never lose to the worst teams, but you don't necessarily know who the best teams are to start the season. Carolina, Atlanta, etc were all relative surprises. (obv Patriots are an exception here, but their cast of players changes constantly except for Brady so it's more organizational excellence than star players).


TL;DR NHL parity is driven too much by randomness (which is bad, only fixable through fundamental changes) whereas the NBA lack of parity is driven by talent (also bad, but fixable with a hard cap).

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

The problem with NHL parity is that it's artificial. It's due to the rules of the game heavily randomizing outcomes due to very high % of garbage/luck goals and high goalie sv%. Think of how many times the last place team wins a game vs a top team in hockey (quite often) vs how many times the last place team in the NFL beats the Patriots (none)

The problem with the NBA is that you know who the best team is just by who the players are. Everyone knew who the best team was before the season started.

The NFL's got the balance right. The best teams almost never lose to the worst teams, but you don't necessarily know who the best teams are to start the season. Carolina, Atlanta, etc were all relative surprises. (obv Patriots are an exception here, but their cast of players changes constantly except for Brady so it's more organizational excellence than star players).


TL;DR NHL parity is driven too much by randomness (which is bad, only fixable through fundamental changes) whereas the NBA lack of parity is driven by talent (also bad, but fixable with a hard cap).

football has tons of variances due to injuries that often occur more than any sport...and strength in schedule

it's tough to compare that league with the other 3 IMO

plus, haven't the Packers, Giants and Steelers won the Superbowl recently has #6 seeds?

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

People saying they have always had super teams is wrong. There have always been teams every once in a while that internally and occasionally bring in the right FA. What the Celtics did was bring 3 huge names together for the intent of short term winning. That then created what the league is now... the actual suoer teams. Boston wasn't the issue that was all legit... Miami was the issue in that they were 3 guys who talked and organized to get on the same team... it didn't matter what the team pitched it was what team could they all go to and be the most productive. That started the trend of players working out their contracts to either end at a time so they can go to a team together and win. It stopped mattering what teams offered and even what pay was because players were working out ways to just make a huge team you can't compete with.

Think about this the league blocked the Lakers getting Chris Paul to stop something like what GS has now and to stop letting super teams happen and making it about drafting and picking the right FA pieces to fit your team but they let the 2nd best player in the league join the winningest team in league history. What do you think was going to happen?

The finals still have a chance to be good but the league needs to make it illegal to conspire among free agents to stack a team the same way teams can't contact players under contract. This will co time to happen. I'm a Cavs fan and I'm happy we didn't get to the finals that way. All our guys were legit trades and drafts. We got Kevin love for back to back #1 picks and 1 of those is going to be a star soon for the wolves. But KD leaving a great team like OKC that was almost in the finals anyways with Westbrook to go to a 73-9 team... stupid.

How dare they exercise their right to free agency. Back in my day, people knew their place.

In 1982, Moses Malone, who took Houston to the NBA Finals two year prior, joined the 76ers, who lost in the NBA finals the previous year. Its literally the exact same thing KD did.

Also, regarding 'getting to the finals the right way'...being terrible enough to force talent to come to your team (ala drafting #1) should not be viewed as more virtuous than acquiring talent via free agency.

 

[BigKing]

People saying they have always had super teams is wrong. There have always been teams every once in a while that internally and occasionally bring in the right FA. What the Celtics did was bring 3 huge names together for the intent of short term winning. That then created what the league is now... the actual suoer teams. Boston wasn't the issue that was all legit... Miami was the issue in that they were 3 guys who talked and organized to get on the same team... it didn't matter what the team pitched it was what team could they all go to and be the most productive. That started the trend of players working out their contracts to either end at a time so they can go to a team together and win. It stopped mattering what teams offered and even what pay was because players were working out ways to just make a huge team you can't compete with.

Think about this the league blocked the Lakers getting Chris Paul to stop something like what GS has now and to stop letting super teams happen and making it about drafting and picking the right FA pieces to fit your team but they let the 2nd best player in the league join the winningest team in league history. What do you think was going to happen?

The finals still have a chance to be good but the league needs to make it illegal to conspire among free agents to stack a team the same way teams can't contact players under contract. This will co time to happen. I'm a Cavs fan and I'm happy we didn't get to the finals that way. All our guys were legit trades and drafts. We got Kevin love for back to back #1 picks and 1 of those is going to be a star soon for the wolves. But KD leaving a great team like OKC that was almost in the finals anyways with Westbrook to go to a 73-9 team... stupid.

I don't care about either team, but your "legit" team isn't anything without LeBron who came to Cleveland as a free agent, the same as Durant to Golden State.

LeBron only came back because Cleveland had a former #1OA star in Kyrie and the assets to grab Love since they won the lottery in back-to-back seasons for their third #1OA pick in four years. Essentially, James went back to Cleveland because he could create a super team. He escaped a sinking ship in Miami and was able to PR spin the gullible and desperate Cleveland fans into thinking he came back to Cleveland to "make things right" when it was just a very happy coincidence for him.

I'm not a GS fan by any means, but it is strange to read that they got to the Finals "in a certain way" unlike Cleveland when Curry/Klay/Green are all Golden State draft picks, plus they got to the Finals and won one without Durant.

Golden State did everything right, including not trading Klay for Love when that was firmly in play. Very fortunate to have KD decide to sign with them but he never does that if they didn't build a juggernaut almost completely from drafting to begin with.

 

[Smeagoal]

As per a seven game series I'll watch all seven games of the NHL finals, usually all the periods cause the game is very unpredictable. If I'm watching NBA finals than I'll watch usually from halftime on, still try to catch all seven games. As per finals, if we're talking this year? NBA > NHL. LBJ vs KD, Curry v Kyrie etc ..

NHL final is going to be great too, especially if the Pens can go back to back.

The big 4 major sports in a championship game I'd rank:

NFL
-----
NBA/NHL/MLB <-- all interchangeable depending on preference.

tl;dr: NFL owns every other sport.

 

[Faax]

NBA finals storylines and drama are so much better. Love it or hate it, that stuff adds to the experience.

 

[Mats13]

Kevin Durant broke the NBA

The finals suck this year, as has every round before them and the regular season before that.

But hey, KD gets to have a ring he didn't earn, so yay.

The league is a joke.

The NHL is a million times better in every way.