Proof That NBA Playoffs Are Too Long

Remember the first shot at the NBA Finals this year? Yeah, me neither. The NBA Finals this year spans 3 months, Mid-April to Mid-June. That's a quarter of a year. That's 90 days. That's a long time.

I heard a radio story at the start of the Finals. The editorial walked through all the reasons why the NBA should make the playoffs shorter. Then they went into all the reasons why the NBA keeps it long. Well, just one reason: more money from ads.

I can't find the spot on NPR so I went searching for my own evidence. I stumbled upon Google Trends, a site where you can compare search trends on Google. I looked at the amount of searches in 2008 between Basketball and Hockey. The evidence is pretty clear. People have some huge interest for NBA Playoffs before it begins in mid April. But that interest only lasts till tip-off and then Hockey takes over. Here's the link, give it a try: Google Trends.


I know that Google searches don't compare with Nielson ratings. And they definitely don't equate into money for the NBA. But you can't argue with the trend. There's a huge buzz online before the NBA starts and then it plummets.

What could make it better?

How about starting every game tied at 90 points with only 5 minutes left and no time-outs. That's the kind of Basketball I would watch for 3 months straight!