(05-21-2017 06:05 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  You used to see a lot more upsets in the NBA when there was a best-of-five or even a best-of-three. The NBA should do a reverse, they should do a 7-5-3-1 format. It'd be more fun, less predictable and the championship could be like college football, basketball and the Super Bowl, i.e. a pre-planned event.

We talked about this last year in another thread on this board. Shorter series are more fun but there's no way any of these leagues are giving up the ticket sales and TV revenue they get from best-of-7 series. Playoff ticket prices are significantly higher than regular-season prices and the price per seat increases every round.

And, history is on the side of best-of-7. The NBA finals have always been best-of-7, starting with the first year of the league in 1950. Conference finals (originally called division finals) have been best-of-7 starting in 1958. Conference (division) semis became best-of-7 in 1968, 49 years ago.