The NBA's Solution To Addressing The Look Of The Finals Courts Is A Complete And Total Disaster

Joe Murphy. Getty Images.

If there's one criticism of the NBA Finals that I would say is fair, it's that the league's presentation of the series has been complete dogshit. Nothing about it feels "special", the pregame show is a disaster, they don't show the intros or have any sort of special lead in, the halftime show is a joke, there's no postgame show, the actual game broadcast doesn't really feel any different from a random game in the middle of January, the whole thing has been a gigantic miss from an experience standpoint.

This is also true when it comes to the actual Finals court. It's been talked about to death at this point, but it's true. Not having any sort of distinction that this is the NBA FINALS and not just a normal regular season game is inexcusable. This is the crown jewel! Put the Larry O'Brien at center court, give us "The Finals" script on the side and call it a day. There's no need to overthink it.

After Game 1 and the clear public outrage that Adam Silver and the NBA can't get out of their own way and they were ruining something that didn't need to be touched, even he admitted they fucked up

Their solution? I'm not even kidding, this is really what they did

What. The. Hell. Is. That.

Bad! Not good! If anything, the NBA/ESPN/ABC has made this worse! This clip art looking bullshit is NOTHING like what we as fans were talking about. If you're going to put the Larry on the foor, do it like normal! Just put a big ass one in the center! Simply throwing up these random trophies in a spot that makes no sense doesn't make this feel "special", it just makes it feel cheap. Like the NBA and Adam Silver just said "here, now just shut up", instead of putting forth ANY effort to make this cool. 

The scary part is that I can only assume this had to pass several people for approval. There were people who looked at that idea and thought this was perfect? That they nailed the nostalgia of the NBA Finals? Meanwhile, once you get down to each half of the floor you don't see "The Finals", no no, instead you get the standard YouTubeTV graphic

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Very bad! Not at all an improvement! What, the YouTubeTV graphic on the sideline wasn't enough? 

It almost feels like we as fans are being trolled at this point. For starters, their superimposing the trophies after all the outcry after Game 1 tells us this was possible beforehand, but nobody at the league office or at the networks thought maybe this should be something they do in the first place, and then actually make it cool? You can just follow the exact same look as the old courts! The blueprint is literally RIGHT THERE for you, and this is what you come up with?

How could that be possible unless we're just being trolled. 

I could make the case that what Adam Silver and ESPN/ABC have decided to do for Game 2 has made this issue 1000x worse. Don't do anything at this point if that is going to be your solution. Whatever effect you thought this was going to have, I can guarantee it's the opposite. If you even try to suggest this isn't that bad I'm not sure I could trust your judgement as a human being. There's no possible way. Adam, we are literally begging. Stop fucking up the league. Stop fucking up The Finals. 

Just. Be. Normal.

We don't need fancy new futuristic jerseys. We don't need full colored courts. Just play the hits and you'll have the nostalgia and the "aura" that you desperately crave. But this? This is a disaster and you should be ashamed that you allowed this to happen to such a sacred series as the NBA Finals.