That sound of silence is the first day in some time the NBA didn’t have a high-stakes competition on the horizon, a much-needed exhale before the Finals begin in two days.
It hasn’t just been the unpredictable NBA playoffs that had the sport taking center stage for the past month; it has been games with implications since February’s All-Star Game.
The race to finish the regular season, with the play-in tournament being featured so prominently into team planning as well as the execution of this postseason, should mean an end to all the nonsense surrounding the criticism of the 82-game schedule.