From a purist basketball fan’s perspective, this year’s Larry O’Brien pursuit has been an entertainment spectacle on par with an M. Night Shyamalan film. With every game — every 50/50 moment — the league seemed get the outcome it needed to further its postseason plot.
But while captivating, it also hasn’t been a playoffs without bitterness or what we call “hate watching” on Twitter. With two rivals making strong campaigns for the Eastern Conference crown (one particularly close to home), chances are, most Nets fans who watched any postseason ball did so with clenched fists and anxious hearts.