Should the NBA Finals Be Moved to a Neutral Site Going Forward?
Due to the recent Coronavirus pandemic, the National Basketball Association’s 2019-2020 season has been postponed for the time being. But recently, there has been discussion about the league changing the format of their schedule along with how the playoffs will be conducted in the foreseeable future. Today, Strike 7 Sports is going to provide a solution that will address the NBA’s 82-game season along with the idea of having the NBA Finals in a neutral location.
Start the Regular Season in December or November Instead of October
The league has been criticized by many for having such a long regular season. Factors that can contribute to effecting the overall drama of the game is that fans can lose interest in the NBA by having to endure matchups that are deemed meaningless at the start of the season.
Another issue that may be due to such a long regular season is that star players are utilizing the NBA’s load management policy in a variety of ball games during the year. A way to minimize load management utilization and fans not being interested in the start of the regular season is to start the games around the November or December timeframe.
By having the league begin around those months, fans would be more inclined to watch games that occur on throughout before the postseason starts. The players would also be more willing to perform in some of the games more high profile matchups.
Change the Format of the Playoffs and Schedule the NBA Finals to be Played at a Neutral Location
How would you feel about the NBA adopting college basketball’s NCAA Final Four format? That’s what would happen if the league had to move the NBA Finals to a neutral location. These changes can come in a variety of ways. One way to make this come to light is to run both the Western and Eastern Conference Finals to where the NBA Finals will be hosted.
That’s where the Final Four format would come into play. The final four teams that are remaining from both conferences would be rewarded by not having to play another possible seven-game series to advance to the NBA Finals. In regards to the playoffs, both the first round up until the semi-finals round will continue to be played as a best out of seven series.
Winners of the semi-final round would go on to the NBA Finals. The new format could generate more buzz among fans along with league analysts. By having the NBA Finals at a neutral location, it would have the media along with the attention of the sports world focused on one area.
The venue that would host the Finals would be an arena big enough to accommodate all four fan bases of the teams that are left remaining. The idea of having a “win or go home” factor in the NBA Finals would bring much-needed excitement and drama to an event that tends to become unwatchable in a particular series.
Venues that Can host the NBA Finals at a Neutral Location
As previously stated, the site that would host the NBA Finals would be a stadium large enough to hold all four fan bases of the teams that are competing in the event. The venues listed would be arenas that can up to 70,000 to 100,000 fans.
AT&T Stadium: Arlington, Texas
Mercedes Benz Superdome: New Orleans, Louisiana
Mercedes Benz Stadium: Atlanta, Georgia
Allegiant Stadium: Las Vegas, Nevada
Sofi Stadium: Inglewood, California
