OT: Stanley cup final

[Roscoe Sheed]

Playoff hockey is so intense- constant action. Always on the edge of your seat. I still prefer basketball, but Silver should take note- there should be minimal breaks in action- have to get rid of reviews except for clock issues and 3 point determinations. Way too many breaks in the action in the nba

[G R E Y]

Or use tech like in tennis for balls in or out and hockey for offsides, puck in or not.

NBA swung too far in promoting individual players, which in and of itself is good, but not enough in promoting teams, cities they're in, or cities players are from.

Minimal breaks is an issue. Using tech may help with quicker decisions (and less blame on the refs) but rule changes should, too.

[sp6r=underrated]

When my late father was alive I used to watch hockey regularly even if I was never a major hockey fan. I greatly enjoy the game I just watched so congrats to Panthers fans. Sudden death hockey is one of the best viewing experiences in all of sports even if you are a casual fan as I am.

With regards to your comparisons to the NBA, longer halftimes with shorter breaks within quarters would makes game more enjoyable. The NBA could maintain the same number of commercial breaks while not disrupting game flow if it made this switch.

In addition, the challenges process just makes basketball game worse. Coaches challenges should be eliminated for Regular Season games and limited to two for series. Hardcore fans such as us overly obsess about foul calls. Basketball has easy scoring and over hundred possessions a game. A blown call really isn't that important in a sport like that.

Finally the NBA does need to find a way to eliminate the free throw contest at the end of games. And now that teams are fouling when up by three you're not even getting the opportunity for game tying shots.

Hardcore fans such as us don't mind in game delays because we obsess over getting calls right and enjoy the free throw fouling strategy debates but it is a bore for casual fans. Almost all sports are suffering ratings declines due to increased competition. To ensure leagues maintain their popularity they need to regularly review rules and game presentation to see if they are turning off potential fans and not just exclusively focus on hardcore fans.

There are changes the NBA could make to improve the entertainment product.

[picc]

I've never watched a hockey game on TV in my life, never even considered it, and probably never will, but one year a friend in Tampa took me to a Lightning game in-person and it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.

[Roscoe Sheed]

When my late father was alive I used to watch hockey regularly even if I was never a major hockey fan. I greatly enjoy the game I just watched so congrats to Panthers fans. Sudden death hockey is one of the best viewing experiences in all of sports even if you are a casual fan as I am.

With regards to your comparisons to the NBA, longer halftimes with shorter breaks within quarters would makes game more enjoyable. The NBA could maintain the same number of commercial breaks while not disrupting game flow if it made this switch.

In addition, the challenges process just makes basketball game worse. Coaches challenges should be eliminated for Regular Season games and limited to two for series. Hardcore fans such as us overly obsess about foul calls. Basketball has easy scoring and over hundred possessions a game. A blown call really isn't that important in a sport like that.

Finally the NBA does need to find a way to eliminate the free throw contest at the end of games. And now that teams are fouling when up by three you're not even getting the opportunity for game tying shots.

Hardcore fans such as us don't mind in game delays because we obsess over getting calls right and enjoy the free throw fouling strategy debates but it is a bore for casual fans. Almost all sports are suffering ratings declines due to increased competition. To ensure leagues maintain their popularity they need to regularly review rules and game presentation to see if they are turning off potential fans and not just exclusively focus on hardcore fans.

There are changes the NBA could make to improve the entertainment product.

it's not just the casual fans that are alienated by all of the stoppages in play. The hardcore fans are too- I've been watching the NBA for 40 years and it has gotten to the point that I can hardly watch any game live- I have to record the games and fast forward through all of the nonsensical reviews. Silver has made a big mistake by encouraging too many breaks in the action.

[ChuckChilly]

I've never watched a hockey game on TV in my life, never even considered it, and probably never will, but one year a friend in Tampa took me to a Lightning game in-person and it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.

Yup hockey in person is the bees knees, and I'm not even a fan of it. The only thing I don't like is the fights. They seem so petty and forced.

[ImSlower]

I'm a huge baseball fan. I just got home from my guys shutting out the Dodgers! Suck it LA ! But I fully realize that even live, baseball is a real drag for casual fans. On the other hand, I'm the same as you guys - not a hockey fan whatsoever, but holy crap is live hockey in a packed arena superior to any other live sport, full stop. I can only name like 2 players on the Blues, but the one game I got to see last season was ridiculous; felt like I was in the Roman Colosseum.

[Ssj16]

Playoff hockey is so intense- constant action. Always on the edge of your seat. I still prefer basketball, but Silver should take note- there should be minimal breaks in action- have to get rid of reviews except for clock issues and 3 point determinations. Way too many breaks in the action in the nba

It's so uncanny, I had this same exact thought. There is a niceness to the fluidity of hockey and soccer that has minimal breaks between the action.

[Dominator83]

Timeouts should be like Football... You get 3 per half. Spend wisely!

And I agree that whole I rarely ever watch hockey on TV, it's the best sport to watch at a stadium

[JDR720]

I've said before that the NBA should use hockey-style substitutions. As long as the ball is on your end of the court, you can substitute without calling a timeout.

[UcanUwill]

Random, but not too long ago I saw most popular team sports in the world graphic, and Hockey was above Basketball. I left a comment saying I am surprised Hockey is above Basketball, I know it is very popular in Canada, Russia, Sweden etc, but I am surprised. And people replied to me
- dude, its not Ice Hockey, its Hockey.
And my reaction, I do not even know what not ice Hockey is, I figure it is Hockey on plain ground? But how is it more than Basketball then, where exactly is that sport that popular? I figured Ice hockey was most popular Hockey, but apparently not.

[Infinite Llamas]

I tried watching once but I couldn’t really track the puck at all and I just looked like dudes skating back and forth.

Come to think of it, I can only name two players. Ovechkin and Crosby. Literally could not name another player in the league. So the league promoting the sport instead of players has been a good formula, all in all.

[Infinite Llamas]

And I don’t mind stoppages in basketball as much as others. It allows me to post on here because I can’t post while the game is going lol

[magee]

This Stanley Cup Finals has been great so far!! This is the future of the NBA and we're seeing it with Indiana's style of play: find the best shot.

[durden_tyler]

Still can't see the puck so just waiting for the highlights. Can't survive the entire game like soccer but it's a good sport to follow (and bet on) but definitely not watching the entire game.

[Wingy]

I'm a huge baseball fan. I just got home from my guys shutting out the Dodgers! Suck it LA ! But I fully realize that even live, baseball is a real drag for casual fans. On the other hand, I'm the same as you guys - not a hockey fan whatsoever, but holy crap is live hockey in a packed arena superior to any other live sport, full stop. I can only name like 2 players on the Blues, but the one game I got to see last season was ridiculous; felt like I was in the Roman Colosseum.

Interesting. I lost all interest in following baseball decades ago. I find it boring, but to each their own of course. I know I’d recognize some if I was provided with names, but I just realized I can’t name a single MLB full-time pitcher off the top of my head (I’m not counting that real, real famous part-timer).

But, baseball is my favorite live sport. Being outside, summer, sounds, smells, and the slower pace becomes a feature not a bore as it allows attendees to be both spectator and socializer. Ready to hit my first game for the local, what’s basically college ball players (not just locals) during the summer, and looking forward to it.

I’ve pretty much lost hockey as well. Think it’s a great game, but I just don’t have the bandwidth. Family, work, and sports time is sucked up heavily by basketball. NFL much less so, but it’s next, and then my peripheral sport has become soccer where it might’ve been hockey in the past. All the youth leagues, melting pot America, and now especially — streaming — I think will continue to slowly grow the game’s popularity in the US. For kids to be able to regularly watch the top Euro league teams and see that massive talent on a regular basis is something that has become a given, where it was barely possible in the past unless their parents were willing to foot a massive cable bill.

Anyways, for hockey I got to our state Univ‘s college team game for the first time in forever this year, and also got to a Hurricanes game when out of town. Definitely a ton of fun to have the arena, rink feel and atmosphere.

[nolaPELSfan]

I think the foul system should go like this: common fouls count for nothing until bonus, just possession, after which, they are counted like shooting fouls which would be 1 point and then a jump ball with players of each teams choosing but those players cant ever go twice in a row; fouls on 3 ptrs are counted like flagrant and clear path and would be 1 point + possession(ff on 3atmpt=2pts+poss); and players only ever shoot real free throws in a hockey shootout style rotation after the end of double OT, with no one else lined up, everything on the line. Alternate teams each shot with 7 shooters from each (have to have played). Go in order until a team misses a 2nd time & the other team makes the next shot- if they too miss, the team with who gets their 3rd miss first, loses.