The NBA playoffs are never not exciting. After a grueling 82-game season, ratcheting up the stakes in the fiery crucible of postseason play is what every hoops fan yearns for all season.
But it can't be denied that some years are going to be better than others. The playoffs are obviously still well underway and we're not even at the NBA Finals just yet, but the first month and a half haven't been much to shout about, save for a few gems here and there.
As things stand so far, could these be the most boring NBA playoffs we've had in years? Here are three (3) reasons why that could very well be the case.
3 reasons 2022 NBA playoffs are an all-time snooze
#1 – No LeBron James
I'm no LeBron James stan. In fact, as a Washington Wizards supporter I'm obligated to have a slight disdain for the current Los Angeles Lakers frontman. But the fact of the matter is, the NBA playoffs are just more exciting with King James lurking on one side of the bracket.
His Lakers didn't get far last season, getting trounced in the first round, but seeing LeBron James compete in the play-in tournament then witness the drama that ensued in their eventual ouster against the Phoenix Suns added a little bit of spice early in the playoffs.
LeBron James made the NBA Finals for eight straight seasons and nine of the 10 years from 2011 to 2020. He became synonymous with the NBA's headline series throughout the 2010s. His presence made things more compelling given that not only was he chasing a championship for his team, but he was going for another trophy for his legacy as he chases the crown for the greatest player of all-time.
Whether you supported him or actively rooted against him, the NBA playoffs are made better with LeBron James competing in them.
#2 – Same old champions
Watching a city claim their first championship is always a special treat, even for those uninvested in that club's success. The jubilation of a fanbase that's experienced nothing but grief and unfulfilled promises in the decades leading up to the moment the confetti falls is a sight to behold.
We all witnessed the riveting run that the Toronto Raptors went on back in 2019. The camera shots of Jurassic Park going absolutely nuts as Kawhi Leonard and co. closed out the Golden State Warriors for the title, and their dynasty as a whole was the perfect palette cleanser for first NBA Finals without LeBron James in eight seasons. While last year's Milwaukee Bucks aren't first-time winners, the 50-year wait between titles had a similar effect, with the final four teams last year either ringless or not having won in a half-century or more.
This season, it's the exact opposite. All four of the Warriors, Mavs, Celtics, and Heat have won a championship in the past 15 seasons. At least one of them were in the NBA Finals in all but three of the last 17 seasons. None of these teams are ending any major droughts. Seeing Stephen Curry win his fourth ring or the Boston Celtics raising banner number 18 are solid narratives, but they're hardly ground-breaking results in the annals of NBA history.
#3 – Blowouts galore
The Celtics-Heat clash in Game 5 looked like it had the makings of a game that would go down to the wire. The score stayed close throughout the first half, which wasn't something you could say about the games preceding it. However, the Celtics eventually ran away with the game in the second half, leading to more dreary, unexciting basketball in what should be the most exhilarating part of the NBA calendar.
That's been the theme of these playoffs, especially of late. Nearly all of the last several games have been one-sided affairs. Only one of the last 18 games, if you include Game 5 of Celtics-Heat, has been decided by less than six points. 13 of the 18 ended with a double-digit deficit, including half of them being by at least 20 points.
Margin of victory, last 17 playoff games:
20
9
6
9
25
25
11
33
28
13
14
27
9
3
39
30
35Average margin of victory has been 19.8 points. There's been a total of 7 clutch time minutes.
— Justin Phan (@jphanned) May 24, 2022
It goes without saying that crunch time basketball has been non-existent. The complaint of the casual hoops fan is that watching basketball only gets exciting in the final five minutes or so. But if the scores are so lopsided as the clock nears zero, it's just not as entertaining of a product, for casuals or die-hards alike.
The saving grace is that the NBA Finals still looms large. There's still more than enough time to make up for the travesty that has been this LeBron-less, unoriginal, uncompetitive postseason. But given what we've had so far, the ending better be worth the wait.
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