With these earlier starts...

[levon]

is Adam Silver testing viewership 16 seeded no-conference playoffs? I remember some posters' gripes with it were earlier starts such as 3pm PST.

If so, how do you feel about it?

[Slax]

It wouldn't make sense to use early tipoff times in Eastern Conference games to test 16 seeded playoffs, because 16 seeded playoffs will require Eastern
Conference teams to play later, not earlier. The early tipoff are to satisfy the triple constraints of preventing games from going too late for the home audience, avoiding overlapping broadcasts, and playing same conference games on the same schedule so they don't give either team extra rest heading into the conference finals. Personally I would prefer it if they just allowed the games to go a little later or stopped caring so much about giving one team an extra day of rest so they could play Eastern and Western Conference games on the same day.

[bisme37]

A lot of it has to do with NO being in the West playoffs when they are closer to the Eastern time zone. Usually each night there would be one East series game and then one West series game, rather than the same conference playing on the same night. But the Pels mess it up and we ended up with some unusually early starts because there's really no way to get around it.

[Stillwater]

I assume the ratings were lower when the games were later,hence the adjustment. I highly doubt that many Western conference fan bases as biased as they are about the supposed weakness in the East were watching those games anyway.

[Mr. E]

I would not mind it at all if the Rockets games were not given the late slot just because they are the "Western" team.

[Dominator83]

I dont think it hurts the ratings all that much, espeically now when you can watch the games on your phone/tablet from anywhere

[RaptorsLife]

All 3 east coast teams are eastern time zone



The 2nd game would finish at 12am est if was

7pm
9:30

[Slax]

I assume the ratings were lower when the games were later,hence the adjustment. I highly doubt that many Western conference fan bases as biased as they are about the supposed weakness in the East were watching those games anyway.

Honestly I think RealGM posters massively overestimate the audience for watching two out of market playoff games in one night. Fans posting on a basketball forum are part of a tiny minority that is willing to spend six hours a night watching other cities' teams play basketball games almost every night for several weeks.

[MaxRider]

is Adam Silver testing viewership 16 seeded no-conference playoffs? I remember some posters' gripes with it were earlier starts such as 3pm PST.

If so, how do you feel about it?

nothing to do with Silver
this is just ABC picking what game they want to show on Sunday
typical you get 2 games per day for semifinal
East play first then West play later
but because ABC wants Cavs or Warriors so they got to the point where we get 2 East or 2 West playing