Cuban advocates NBA Finals in July

[sturt]

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/25/mark-cuban-supports-extending-nba-season-into-july/

 

Mark Cuban:

 

“I’ve been bringing it up for years,” Cuban said before the Mavs’ 99-92 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, one of three games in four nights for his team. “[Commissioner Adam Silver is] more open to it, and he’s going to be considering it. Everybody’s for it now.... I’d rather us go later in the season into July,” said Cuban, who still is in favor of trimming the preseason schedule. “Used to be, we had to be concerned about baseball. Now we don’t. Baseball, particularly from a media perspective, has become regional, so it doesn’t negatively impact us from a national TV perspective to go late.”

 

Adam Silver:

 

I’ve heard proposals about them moving The Finals past the Fourth of July.  Generally the view has been ‑‑ in addition it just feels out of sync once you get into the summer ‑‑  historically those haven’t been viewed as the best television nights, once you get into July, and just in terms of households watching TV. I will say maybe that’s something we should look at, too.  If we’re truly going to take a fresh look at this, we have to examine what the appropriate time is to begin the season and when we should end it. But at least without a major overhaul in the way our season is now played, you’re right, we can gain a little bit at the beginning of the season.  We can gain a little bit at the end.  When it comes to four games out of five nights and back‑to‑backs, literally every day matters.  So that will be helpful to pick up a few more days on both sides of the schedule."

 

NFL: ~5 months (Sunday following Labor Day to the first Sunday of February)

MLB: ~7 months (1st weekend of April through late-October or early-November)

NBA: ~8 months (Late October through mid-June)

 

[bobrathbun4pres]

No if anything the season should be shorter and I'd have the first round be a 5 game series...but that's just my fan perspective

[devilwentdown2GA]

We aren't cutting games. Too much $$$ involved. I'm in favor of extended it to July. I love the Braves, but mid-summer needs more options for sports. Extending the playoffs would cut back on too many back to back games in the regular season.

Edited February 26, 2015 by devilwentdown2GA

[capstone21]

July? That is way too long

[hazer]

TURRble idear.

[Dejay]

I sound like a biter but I endorse Bill Simmons' idea from years ago. I say start the season a week after Thanksgiving with a 78-game schedule. By then, college football is done except for the bowl games (nobody watches until January), the World Series is done, and most of the NFL's regular season is also history.

 

And I wouldn't stop there. I would also change the playoff format where the top seven teams in each conference are in the playoffs while the other 16 teams compete in a pair of eight-team tournaments to determine the 8th seed that gets in. As a carrot, the two tournament winners would receive additional ping pong balls in the lottery. The 'Super 7' would be rewarded with ascending cap relief for the following season along with a few ping pong balls themselves, along with getting much needed rest and practice time to gear up. What team would dare job out the season with so much extra on the line? On top of that, the top two teams in each conference would get their pick (starting with the top seed) of who they want to play in the first round (6th seed, 7th seed, or tourney winner). Why punish a team like the Hawks, Warriors, or Grizzlies with getting a red-hot tourney winner like OKC, Phoenix, or Indiana with a returning Paul George? And what 6th seed would respond to getting called out by an upper team as being an 'easier' matchup in the first round than someone with 45 losses by getting swept?

 

As for the two tournaments, I would spread them out over a week's time in four regional locals like the NCAA does their tournament. There are towns all over this country that aren't quite up to NBA snuff with viable arenas that could make this work (Knoxville, Dayton, and Fresno, I'm talking to you). There are also places with newer arenas that can showcase their 'want to' in terms of getting an NBA franchise (cough cough Seattle, Kansas City, and Louisville). Those places would also see real NBA action other than those corny exhibition games where stars half-ass it on the court for eight minutes before the scrubs come in. The finals are held as a double-header at MSG with the playoff matchups being announced after the final game.

 

What could be better????

[curtmcgirt]

MLS is growing in popularity and shares the same fan base as the NBA. Steve Koonin's research is almost exactly what MLS came up with during it's search to become better/more relevant/fan friendly. MLS and NBA will be replacing my spring TV anyway once the Braves move to Cobb anyhow so I'm game for it.