I have lost interest in watching regular season games because, at the all-star break, I already know who the Leafs will face in the first round of the playoffs.
Obviously there are 1st round matchups that are preferable. Going into the final week of the season under the old format, those matchups could be jostled. There was incentive to win (or lose) to secure a matchup.
What a difference it was last year with the Raptors not knowing if they'd play the Bucks, Celtics, or Philadelphia or slide into the play-in round. The games actually mattered. What a novel concept!
Obviously there are 1st round matchups that are preferable. Going into the final week of the season under the old format, those matchups could be jostled. There was incentive to win (or lose) to secure a matchup.
What a difference it was last year with the Raptors not knowing if they'd play the Bucks, Celtics, or Philadelphia or slide into the play-in round. The games actually mattered. What a novel concept!