The Golden State Warriors have been dominant in the Western Conference, not only in the regular season, but also in the Playoffs. They are the first team in NBA history to be 12-0 after the first three rounds, and even the San Antonio Spurs, who were maybe the second best team in the whole season, could not grab a win away from the Dubs. Although, for Warriors fans, it has been great, it has taken a toll on the whole NBA community, who expect competitiveness at least in Conference Finals. All in all, Warriors had an average margin of victory of 16.3 points, and in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers have not been far away with 13.6.
However, while fans of Warriors and Cavs might enjoy this, even executives are starting to think that this way might not be the best for the fans. Hall of Famer and the legend of Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry West, has spoken against the lack of competitive basketball in these Playoffs.
“I do not like parity,” West said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.”I don’t like the word parity. Parity is average, and I like to see excellence. But I also like competition. I read the newspaper cover to cover every morning, and even though I don’t bet, I look at the lines in Las Vegas. We were underdogs in one game this year. We were favored in Game 2 of the conference finals by 15 points. That is insane. It’s not what anybody wants to see. At the end of the third quarter [when the Warriors led 106–75], I almost felt bad for San Antonio, but I also felt bad for our fans. Because if you’re a real fan at a playoff game, you want to see a hard-fought battle, back and forth, and at the end somebody wins by a point and you go home worn out. You’re charged. You’re edgy. But we’re up by 30-something, and I’m thinking, ‘Hmm, I’d like to leave here if I could.’ It’s the weirdest thing. I’ve never felt that way before.”
This really is a odd, somewhat stunning statement for West, for many reasons. First of all, as an executive of the Warriors, it is groundbreaking to say that you feel sorry for your own fans, especially when your team is dominating like the Warriors are. Secondly, West has been in the NBA for multiple decades and he has seen everything, so it is a great proof how the Warriors, and partly the Cavs, are so ahead of the their own conferences in a historic way.
However, the blame for lack of competitiveness is not on Warriors players, and not on the Warriors organization. They did all they can to ensure their place as significant favorites to win the NBA title, and other teams might look at their blueprint and try to imitate it in the future. However, this is going to, if it did not already, start affecting NBA fans, because they pay to see competitive teams who fight until the last second, and that is not the case right now. Most of the games in the Playoffs have been already done at half-time, with blowouts being the new norm, and that is not what fans want to see.
We can only hope that the Finals will give us more competitive games, more memorable moments and the best players rising up to the occasion.
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