3 Ways Adam Silver Bringing Back 90s Physical Basketball are Hurting Playoffs

There were several instances during this past regular season when Commissioner Adam Silver was asked questions on how he would go about improving the competition in the league. Games were becoming bore fests and fans were turning towards other sports to fulfil their need for excitement.

Silver and his officers thought long and hard on ways to improve the excitement. They tried their hand at a restructured All-Star weekend. But that weekend turned out to be a disaster as their focus on entertainment over basketball backfired.

Then, Silver floated the idea of reducing the games to 40 minutes, to align with how basketball is played globally. But that idea was met with criticism, particularly from Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, who believed the NBA should have a differentiator to other basketball leagues.

But many wondered how the league could increase the competitive edge. Reducing minutes or finding ways to limit load management may bring players back into the game, but the on-court battles might still be lacklustre.

Adam Silver did not want to make knee-jerk reactionary decisions. But the way the regular season ended probably gave the top brass an indication of what they needed. Once the playoffs started, it became all too apparent that the league had allowed physical basketball to return.

Some coaches complained about the non-calls, but the heightened battles brought fans back to the league. Networks published their viewership numbers, which proved that fans wanted more of this style of basketball. But now, as the second round series are underway, this ode to the 80s and 90s is starting to show its ugly side.

Fatigue and injury

In the first round, these physical battles excited viewers. But now, after half of the second round has been in session, players are starting to tire out. The most notable example was when the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder combined to score just 25 points in Game 4’s first quarter.

Fans watching that game noticed that Nikola Jokic and his teammates looked exhausted and would have loved it if the league had not made it worse with their schedule. The same problem has impacted other teams, but it is not immediately visible due to the level of competition in play.

The desire to win drives athletes to do extraordinary things. That means, even if the Indiana Pacers blitzed the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier, it could be that their Game 3 loss fueled them. How fatigue impacts them in games 5, 6, and 7 is something time will tell.

In addition to fatigue, injuries are also playing a part. It is not that these physical battles have led to those injuries, but when mixed with fatigue, they can cause more harm than good. The league should ease off on its extremely lax officiating if it wants to save players’ energy for the next rounds.

Poor shooting efficiency

The physical battles might have fans cheering their respective teams on. But at the same time, current generation players do not have enough experience playing this brand of basketball. This has contributed to a severe drop in shooting efficiency.

Anthony Edwards was shocked when a reporter informed him that his Minnesota Timberwolves scored just 12 out of 76 attempted three-pointers in the final game of their first-round series and the first game of the second round.

They are not alone, as the Thunder and Nuggets shot a combined 18% in the first quarter of Game 4. The three-point shooting struggles cost the Boston Celtics games 1 & 2 against the New York Knicks. It led Charles Barkley to ask Jayson Tatum to change their offense if they were to win their second-round series.

It has come to the point where either players are too exhausted to shoot the ball efficiently, or the physicality is forcing players to alter their shots. Either way, fans are watching more rim clangers than buckets, which could undermine whatever the NBA has gained so far.

Adam Silver needs to allow foul calls to come back before fans start voicing their frustrations

In the first round of the playoffs, fans were happy that the officials were allowing a lot more to happen on the court before blowing their whistles. It was a welcome change after the excessive foul calls that frustrated fans during the regular season.

But a complete shutdown does have its own set of problems. For instance, officials are still not calling game-altering fouls. A situation similar to what happened with the Detroit Pistons in the first round could have major ramifications.

Fans voiced their frustrations at that time, but it could grow louder if such situations repeat. Adam Silver has to advise the league’s officials to call more fouls, or else fans will look at it as if the league is intentionally taking free throws out of the game. Late-game situations are a lot more complicated when free throws come into play.

There is no easy fix to anything, and Silver and his office are probably taking note of every situation. They might also have a plan in action as to how to handle the rest of the games. But to start with, they could look at their scheduling mistakes and officiating. That way, they can control the physicality, which could give the players a bit of a breather.

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