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2017 NBA Finals: Adam Silver doesn’t care about super teams

By Nick Dudukovich

Jun 7, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 7, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t think the NBA has a super-team problem despite a drama-free edition of the NBA playoffs. Agree or disagree?

The NBA Playoffs–Super Boring edition will soon be wrapping up, and while every pundit and fan thinks The Association has a super-team problem, the commissioner, Adam Silver, doesn’t.

When Michelle Beadle pressed Silver about super teams, the commissioner got defensive.

He challenged the league to catch up to Golden State.

Silver threw Draymond Greene’s name out as second-round pick. He was trying to make the point that the Warriors are homegrown, with the exception being Durant.

The commish then brought up Klay Thompson for some reason, mentioning him as the 11th overall pick a few years back.

It didn’t make a lot of sense and all it did was further prove Beadle’s point.

Thompson’s a great player, who was a member of the Warriors 73-win team from a season ago. Now he’s the the “weakest link” among Golden State’s Big 4, thanks to the addition of Durant.

This is a problem, but it’s not surprising to hear Silver defend the league. Remember, he works for the owners and if the powers-that-be have a problem with super teams, the owners should have done something when LeBron James joined the Miami Heat in 2011.

The Finals are still drawing good ratings, NBA teams are still worth hundreds of millions of dollars and the league has its billion dollar television deal. Superstars have always been the driving force behind the league, and they still are.

The boring playoffs can also be attributed to injuries. The Clippers weren’t at full strength with Blake Griffin being injured. San Antonio and Golden State would’ve been a series if Kawhi Leonard was healthy.

This is how the NBA works. There’s the haves–three to four teams who have a shot to win a title. There’s the have-nots–the eight teams competing for the top pick in the lottery, and then there’s the hamster wheel–every other team in the league waiting for lightning to strike and for a superstar to magically appear.

Look back at the 1980s. It’s the era many today like to refer to as the best time to be a basketball fan.

There were memorable teams, rivalries and names we’ll never forget, but there certainly wasn’t parity. In the 1980s, five teams won a title. The Lakers, Celtics, 76ers, and the Pistons. Boston and Los Angeles hooked up three times in the Finals.

The Finals have been frustrating, and Silver looked out of touch by being so defensive, but ultimately, the structure of the NBA isn’t different. The two teams everyone expected to play for the championship are in the Finals.

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