The 2024 NBA Playoffs ended with the Boston Celtics winning a championship over the Dallas Mavericks. While there were some thrilling games and series along the way, several fans were left a bit disappointed by the C's easy trip through the postseason.
Several changes have been made to the NBA's playoff format, most recently with the Play-In Tournament, in an effort to spice things up. If you ask Toni Kukoc , though, the league may benefit from examining the EuroLeague's playoff format and stealing some of its ideas.
Kukoc gets real when discussing the differences
To start the playoffs, the EuroLeague is similar to the NBA. The eight playoff teams face off in a five-game series before the four remaining teams advance to the Final Four. That's when things get a bit crazy.
Instead of having these teams face off in another series, they instead play one semifinal game, with the two winners playing in a do-or-die Final game. Kukoc is a big fan of this format, and he thinks that the NBA could benefit from incorporating it into their own playoff format.
"I think that in some cases the game is played better in Europe than there in America, especially during the playoffs season," Toni Kukoc said on Sport Klub . "Playoffs is something else, I enjoy watching the games of the playoffs. When you have the last four teams, and those are already excellent teams, I think that watching one game, say Milwaukee and Boston, is a real pleasure, or let's say one game of Denver and Minnesota, that will be a really great game to watch."
Should the NBA steal some ideas from Europe?
The NBA has always used a series of games to determine a playoff winner, as it is generally the best way to determine which team is the best. You never know when one team could put up a stinker, just like the Celtics did in Game 4 of the Finals against the Mavs.
However, with these leagues always looking for ways to increase their entertainment factor, could a similar change be in the cards? Only having one game to win in the playoffs is a huge change of pace, but it's had great results in Europe.
In a way, the NBA tried to incorporate this with its new In-Season Tournament. Unfortunately, the excitement levels around that tournament weren't particularly high when it debuted this past season, and it remains to be seen if that will change.
Given how much history the NBA has regarding their playoffs, it would be shocking to see this sort of radical change be made. Kukoc makes some good points, though, and it's worth wondering whether this could become a part of the league's next playoff format changes.
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