NBA Unabashedly Shows Repeated Favoritism to Spurs in Western Semifinals

I hate the San Antonio Spurs. Not for good old-fashioned competitive rivalry reasons. Nor for silly reasons like they share the same colors as the Oakland Raiders. I wish I could say I hate them because they're good, better than my beloved Denver Nuggets. And while that's partly true, my hatred stems not from their winning ways, but rather how they win. And in some ways, it's not even their fault that I hate them. It's the NBA's fault, from the commissioner's office down to the referees...in some ways... To say only the NBA is to blame would be erroneous as well, as every member of the Spurs team has the system down to a science, and milks it night in and night out. The two factors have combined to form the "perfect storm" of me hating the whole league. And they were so close to getting people excited again. It's a shame.

The era of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird was followed promptly by the Great Depression of professional basketball. No one paid attention. No one watched the games. The NBA needed an overhaul. It came in a wave of young talent. Multiple all-star caliber players were emerging each draft year. Parity returned. Attendance and ratings shot up across the board. Unfortunately, the NBA has, in a single season, managed to break both of its legs and put its crutches at the top of the closest mountain. Crappy analogy, but you catch the drift.