The NBA playoffs officially began over the weekend, launching what would become two and a half months of postseason basketball. In theory, it’s a lot of fun, but some of the opening games made me think about some things the NBA could take WNBA To make their playoffs even more thrilling.
Let’s be honest here. Sunday’s 131-80 score between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies wasn’t the “playoff basketball” we wanted. The idea that when the outcome is known to induce yawning, the idea that three more games of this series must survive. Why delay the inevitable? What’s more, why do we make players compete in unnecessary games and risk more fatigue and injuries?
The NBA should take some hints from W here.
If you’re not familiar, the WNBA has been filling up playoff formats in recent years, but the main formula remains the same. A shorter first round, followed by a playoff, followed by a longer round. Of course, there’s a balance. There was a shortage of the first round of WNBA single elimination era. They really completed the recipe in 2024, but only changed the format heading into the 2025 season.
Here’s how the 2024 WNBA Playoffs worked: Eight teams made the postseason and the seeds were the same as the NBA. The first round is the three best series, with a high-seeded team hosting the first two games, while a low-seeded hosting a potential game 3 tiebreaker. There was a bit of debate about the idea that if a team lost two games, some teams could not even host a playoff game. Instead of complaining, you win a road game.
From there, the playoffs moved to Best Five Forma. Highland teams host games 1 and 2. The low-seeded team hosts Game 3. Host Game 4 if necessary. If you reach Game 5, you will be returned to the arena of the highly seeded team. This is in the same format for both the semifinals and the WNBA Finals.
In 2025, there will be slight changes to the WNBA playoffs. The first round is still the best of three, but the low-seeded team will host Game 2 instead of Game 3. This means that every team in the playoffs will host at least one game. If the league is billing for charter flights, certainly I guess. The only other change in the 2025 playoffs is that the final will be the best of the seven bests rather than five. Therefore, the first round will be the top three, the semifinals will be the best of five, and the finals will be the best of the best.
Regardless of the small details, the formula is essentially the same. As the playoffs continue, they start smaller and grow. This means that there’s no need to see a painfully slow first round between two clearly inconsistent teams. There are still thrilling and upsetting opportunities, but most of the time you can move on to a better matchup. Additionally, players are not playing four tough games to sweep the series when the first game of the series was a 41-point deficit (*cough* OKC). It’s unlikely that players will get injured, a more exciting game for fans, and more rest for these top seeded teams.
The NBA is probably reluctant to reduce the number of playoff games (obviously) because of money. Even discrepancies playoff games will bring gate receipts and TV revenue. However, players’ safety ideas should also be considered. The 82-game season is long enough, but with the addition of nearly three months of postseason, you only have two months off before you return to training camp.
Many WNBA loyalists may retaliate with the argument that many WNBA players will play for 12 months a year while playing overseas from the WNBA season. The only reason they do it is because of money, and many of them will say that if given the option they will play less. Offseason leagues have been created that are athletes that are unparalleled by other offseason leagues. This is to give players the opportunity to stay home and take actual breaks while earning offseason development and salary. plus, With increasing numbers of studies showing that women are more likely to maintain ligament damage than men, The idea of less plays is particularly appealing.
The NBA playoffs are a complicated theme as sponsorship, ticket sales and other business aspects the league doesn’t want to give up, making them a huge part of revenue. However, at some point the product is diluted a bit. Are people going to tune to see Oklahoma City defeating Memphis more than 40 times for four games in a row? Perhaps, however, it won’t become the most thrilling basketball of the year, leaving a casual look that is unlikely to tune into the next first round.
There’s far more to do in the WNBA, but the current playoff structure is something to be learned. The NBA should consider long-term health status of products vs. short-term revenues and take some notes.
