Why the NBA playoffs are better than the NHL playoffs

First, I'm a hockey guy. I covered the NHL for 15 years and if the choice is between watching a hockey game on television and watching another event live from the first row, I'd probably pick the hockey game. To me, it's the best sport there is, and there's nothing like the passion, drama and intensity of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Except this year. (And, to be honest, last season, too, because I wrote about this same subject.)  Quite frankly, the NBA playoffs have been better than the NHL playoffs. Here are five reasons why:

1. The superstars are playing in the NBA
The four best players in the NBA this season, in no particular order, have been Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett. All four are still alive and well in the playoffs. In hockey, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins are still playing, but the other teams -- the Red Wings, Stars and Flyers -- are built on a team concept. The league's other top stars -- Washington's Alex Ovechkin, the Rangers' Jaromir Jagr, Calgary's Jarome Iginla, New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, the Lightning's Vinny Lecavalier, Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson -- have been sitting at home or playing golf for quite a while.

2. The NBA has been more competitive
Three of the four conference semifinals in the NBA were tied after four games. The Spurs-Hornets, Lakers-Jazz and Cavs-Celtics were all at 2-2. This after the Celtics were pushed to seven games in the first round, and the Jazz, Pistons and Cavs had to go to six games to win their first-round series. Meantime, in the NHL, the Red Wings are about to sweep the Stars in the Western Conference final after sweeping Colorado in the last round. Over in the East, the Penguins are about to sweep the Flyers and are 11-1 in the postseason. And the Flyers won their last series over Montreal in five games.

3. The defending champs are playing in the NBA
Parity is all the rage, but dynasties still are the best thing to happen to sports. Right now, there is a mini-dynasty  in the NBA. The defending-champion Spurs are still kicking  and looking for their fifth title in 10 years. The NHL hasn't had back-to-back champions since the 1997-98 Red Wings and six different teams have won the past six Stanley Cups. There won't be a repeat this year either -- the defending-champion Ducks have been eliminated.

4. The NBA has the glamor teams
The Red Wings, in years past, have been a glamor team. But not so much anymore. This team is as talented as any  Detroit has had, but outside of Nicklas Lidstrom there are no well-known stars. (Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are wonderful players, but not marquee names because of their quiet personalities.) There's no Steve Yzerman or Brendan Shanahan or Scotty Bowman. The Pens are sort of a marquee team with Sidney Crosby, but Dallas and Philadelphia are not. The league could've used a few more of the Original Six teams to make a run -- the Rangers or Canadiens or Maple Leafs. The NBA? As I mentioned, the defending champion is still alive, and so is the best team in the NBA beside San Antonio over the past decade: Detroit. But the two marquee teams in the NBA have been, are and always will be the Celtics and Lakers. Not only are both teams alive, but if the seeding holds true, the two would meet in the title series.

5. The NBA plays five-on-five all the time
The penalties being dished out in the NHL playoffs these days are a joke. Every time you flip on an NHL game, someone is headed to the penalty box, often for something that wouldn't even get you in trouble at the office if you did it to a co-worker. What happened to the good old NHL days when you had to earn every shot, every goal, every inch of ice? These are the playoffs, for goodness' sake. The Sharks were eliminated in the fourth overtime of a game because of a ticky-tack penalty. At least in the NBA, you have to earn it. Now, it appears the old saying "No harm, no foul'' applies more to the NBA than NHL. The NHL's slogan these days is "The Cup changes everything.'' When it comes to penalties, it actually hasn't changed a thing from the way the game is called in the regular season.

Comments

[joel]

C'mon! Philly is a premier hockey town! Since when did Lecavalier become more of a household name then Zetterburg? NHL playoffs are 10 times as intense, and way more exciting then NBA playoffs!

[kevin]

Totally disagree!!! Hockey is a TEAM sport. Real hockey fans don't care about "stars"...More competitive? Celtics win by 30 points then lose by 30 points. The series may be competitive but most of the games are blowouts. NHL playoff games are competitive even if the series aren't....Glamour teams? If you don't think Detroit and Pittsburgh are glamour teams you can't really be a hockey writer...Defending champs? The Spurs? Aren't they the boring team that everyone in the NBA can't wait to be eliminated so the Lakers can win..... 5 on 5 play? There are more penalties and whistles in an NBA game than any hockey game ever played.

[Paul from Miami Beach]

** 1. The superstars are playing in the NBA **

Hmmmm, you seemed to forget a few people still playing in the NHL playoffs, and the fact that the NHL is in its THIRD ROUND while the NBA is only finishing its SECOND ROUND (i.e. twice as many teams still playing). Here are some you so obviously and blatantly left out from the NHL: Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Mike Modano...

** 3. The defending champs are playing in the NBA **

back-to-back championships does not a dynasty make. how about the Wings? 17 straight seasons in the playoffs. 3 Stanley Cups in 10 years. multiple Presidents' Trophies. Lidstrom wins the Norris pretty much every year. perennial Central Division winners. Shall I go on?

** What happened to the good old NHL days when you had to earn every shot, every goal, every inch of ice? **

it bogged the game down and held back the showcasing of the most talented players. see your point #1.

[Kristopher Arseneault]

You proved yourself a liar when you said that Detroit of all places has no stars. You are most certainly not a real hockey fan.

[Paul from Miami Beach]

Reading his point #1 again, it seems he is an Eastern Conference fan.

What teams were listed? Capitals, Rangers, Devils, Lightning, Senators.

[joe hillman]

the non-basketball association lost me circa 1990. i haven't been back since.

and i won't come back until massive fundamental changes are made in the game. and i know that ain't happening.

the nhl rocks. nba, meh!

[Karsty]

You sir are no hockey fan. If this is the best you can come up with then go cover the individual sport also known as Basketball. Hockey ratings are up and the fans in the US and Canada are tuning in. The style of play is so much better now. You want to go back to the days of the N.J. Devils and the trap with all the hooking and grabbing? NBA....yawn!

[Jay]

haha buddy - I don't think you're going to get a single positive comment on your silly reasoning.

[Sports Fan]

If the NBA is so great, why doesn't SPT cover it at all? I have seen more articles for the WNBA than the NBA playoffs.

[fanball58]

Mr Jones is breaking the bank with his 2 cents this week.

First that thing about the Yaknees and all that last century glory on Monday.

Now this crazy perspective on the "Punk Ball" playoffs and why they are better than hockey. I'd rather go to the dentist than watch anything to do with the NBA.

I'm not an NBA fan at all. I leave that to those with large egos and small statures like Jim "I've never played a lick of sports in my life" Rome who for some reason like Mr Jones, thinks some how, some way the NBA really matters.

The last time I watched an NBA game was the Detroit Bad Boys playing in the late 80's. The league, owners, referees and especially the new era players are pure "crapola" from top to bottom. The "big headedness" of the players has gotten so bad it is spilling over to the college game and ruining it there as well.

The last hockey game I watched was the Lightening winning the cup before the lock out year. To me both these "sports" are dead and much like "Professional Paint Drying" (commonly known as NASCAR), they are a complete waste of time. One gets more quality entertainment out of Beverly Hillbillies reruns than the NBA, NHL or NASCAR.

Thankfully, the Rays are playing well and are finally worth watching - live or on TV; there are 3 more Majors left in the golf season plus the Ryder Cup; the Olympics are this summer and there are only 76 days until football training camps open.

Mean while, shows like Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen and those classic Hillbilly reruns make for better TV watching than any thing the NBA, NHL or NASCAR are putting out there these days.

[DonK]

Yes, three of the NBA's four second-round series are tied 2-2. But the games themselves have largely been blowouts (usually by the home team, which is 13-1 in this round). There have been few blowouts in the NHL Playoffs; even the games that have ended up with 3+ goal margins have usually been competitive well into the final period.

Also, since the NHL is, as a previous respondent notes, one round ahead, let's see how many "big names" are still alive in the semis. How about Utah-New Orleans and Cleveland-Detroit? Not impossible.

[the truth]

the nba games are fixed more often than wrestling. they quieted the official scandal quickly.game after game are played and officiated to cater to the point spread..happened again tonight when labron james dribbled out the clock while trailing by 6.....wake up people.....hockey may not be the sport that basketball is---but everyone tries to win.

"Since when did Lecavalier become more of a household name then Zetterburg?"

If you're gonna laud the guy, at least spell his name right. Doofus.

[Dantes]

You're not a real hockey fan.

Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Z-Man....

[joe hillman]

>>>there are 3 more Majors left in the golf season plus the Ryder Cup;<<<

speaking of paint drying...

only golf can make bass fishing exciting. the only thing more boring is a test pattern.

maybe.

[Tom Jones]

Look, gang, I think I've stated clearly that I'm a HUGE hockey guy. I love the NHL. I love the Stanley Cup playoffs. But I just feel that THIS year, the playoffs haven't been as exciting as years' past, or as exciting as the NBA playoffs.