What is more difficult? Undefeated in the NBA Playoffs or undefeated NFL season?

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

I thought this was a relevant off season topic.

Before these NBA playoffs I would have said it was more difficult to go undefeated during an entire NFL season. Now after seeing game 4 I am not so sure. No team would have beaten the Cavs that night. It seemed even the NBA (refereeing) made sure.

My answer is it depends on the competition. The Dolphins swept during a weak NFL season. That's why it would have been a greater accomplishment if Golden State swept San Antonio & the Cavs.

One interesting note: The Dolphins actually had a road playoff game in their season. How does that happen to an undefeated team? The current system of BYE and home field through out may be another reason it is more difficult in the NBA. Eight of their games are on the road.

I'll go NBA. Undefeated in the playoffs hurts their bottom line and they have a history of refs fixing games to achieve desired results. That's hard to overcome.

 

[JayNM]

2 teams were able to be undefeated in the NFL regular season

0 teams were able to be undefeated in the NBA play offs.

Plus, in the NBA play-offs, you should only face high-quality adversaries.

For me, it's an easy answer.

 

[Family]

I'd think many of us are biased considering our home NFL team has fallen short and still has a chance to go 19-0.

As someone said the NBA might be more difficult because the league doesn't want a 4 game final. It felt like GS had no chance in game 4.

 

[primetime]

So glad Kevin Love didn't come here.

I'm not a Celtics fan, but I don't know about that. Even when his shooting was off in the Finals, he was playing pretty good defense. In the old days he'd be a huge liability, basically unplayable, if his shot wasn't falling. He seems to have finally evolved into a solid all-around player. Through the first three games of the Finals, the Cavs' +/- was higher with Love on the floor than with Kyrie.

In any case, it's not like the Celtics are going to be winning a championship any time soon, Love or no Love. If I'm the Cavs, I keep Love unless they could get George or Butler for him. Anyone else wouldn't be worth it.

 

[patsfanincleveland]

I thought this was a relevant off season topic.

Before these NBA playoffs I would have said it was more difficult to go undefeated during an entire NFL season. Now after seeing game 4 I am not so sure. No team would have beaten the Cavs that night. It seemed even the NBA (refereeing) made sure.

My answer is it depends on the competition. The Dolphins swept during a weak NFL season. That's why it would have been a greater accomplishment if Golden State swept San Antonio & the Cavs.

One interesting note: The Dolphins actually had a road playoff game in their season. How does that happen to an undefeated team? The current system of BYE and home field through out may be another reason it is more difficult in the NBA. Eight of their games are on the road.

Nothing is relevant comparing basketball to football.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I'm not a Celtics fan, but I don't know about that. Even when his shooting was off in the Finals, he was playing pretty good defense. In the old days he'd be a huge liability, basically unplayable, if his shot wasn't falling. He seems to have finally evolved into a solid all-around player. Through the first three games of the Finals, the Cavs' +/- was higher with Love on the floor than with Kyrie.

In any case, it's not like the Celtics are going to be winning a championship any time soon, Love or no Love. If I'm the Cavs, I keep Love unless they could get George or Butler for him. Anyone else wouldn't be worth it.

Love is an above average player. Actually, I like him.

But.....coming up small in G3 and G5 of the NBA Finals of a player his caliber is weak for a max player.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

GS won, but they absolutely blew their only opportunity to go 16-0 in the playoffs.

 

[primetime]

Love is an above average player. Actually, I like him.

But.....coming up small in G3 and G5 of the NBA Finals of a player his caliber is weak for a max player.

Eh, there are a lot of max players. Harrison Barnes is a max contract. DeAndre Jordan, Paul Millsap, Chandler Parsons, Bradley Beal. I'd rather have Love than any of those guys. It's not exactly an exclusive club. NBA contracts are dumb.

I prefer Horford to Love, for what it's worth. Horford and Lopez are the two longtime criminally underrated bigs in the league.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Eh, there are a lot of max players. Harrison Barnes is a max contract. DeAndre Jordan, Paul Millsap, Chandler Parsons, Bradley Beal. I'd rather have Love than any of those guys. It's not exactly an exclusive club. NBA contracts are dumb.

I prefer Horford to Love, for what it's worth. Horford and Lopez are the two longtime criminally underrated bigs in the league.

Agree on Lopez. I think that was Brooklyn's hope that Lopez would step up once KG and PP joined, but he got hurt.

When I say max player- yes, there are awful max contracts out there. Danny thinks the same as I do. A max player means a player who can be a key player on a championship team and not curl up like Love.

 

[CelticPatriot]

Basketball or rather the NBA is an awful sport, there wasn't even a point in playing this season. Games are won off the court (I know this is also the case in the NFL but nowhere near as much of an impact)

 

[primetime]

Basketball or rather the NBA is an awful sport, there wasn't even a point in playing this season. Games are won off the court (I know this is also the case in the NFL but nowhere near as much of an impact)

I don't know, people talked about the Warriors being inevitable last year... til the Cavs beat them.

 

[fightingirish595]

Not sure, but Steph curry is the Randy Moss of the Nba (the good moss

 

[Kontradiction]

I don't know, people talked about the Warriors being inevitable last year... til the Cavs beat them.

Anyone that knows a lick about basketball saw that coming from a mile away. Same as the Dubs clubbing the Cavs this year.

 

[varjao]

Nfl... In a typical game u get 8 to 10 possessions? In nba you get 800 to 1000???? No idea but it leaves alot more room to make up for a bad stretch if youre the favorite.

Also in this era particularly you cant build a super team in nfl. The lineup gs has assembled is simply ridiculous.

Exactly, if we go deep in math and statistics it would be an interesting discussion. An NFL offense sometimes can barely touch the ball in one given quarter and sometimes even half a game. In the NBA you're guaranteed to get the ball within 24 seconds or at least have a shot at it (if you fail to get a rebound);

 

[stinkypete]

NBA. It's damn near impossible to sweep four teams.

 

[deroc5050]

I think going 19-0 is considerably harder. The NBA playoffs this year were a joke, Golden State was so far ahead of everyone else it was just silly. The NBA with its huge salary increase over night led to this. Every NBA team had money to burn even the really good teams. It created an unfair advantage sort of and now we have an all time great NBA super team. For how long, I have no clue.

 

[Rob0729]

I would say the NFL. The NBA is so lopsided now that Golden State and Cleveland could sleep walk through the season and be guaranteed to meet in the finals.

The Patriots are the best team in the NFL, but the next bunch of teams below them are not that far away.

The distance between the Warriors and the Cavs is pretty big and the distance between the Cavs and the rest of league is cavernous.

 

[Joker]

The NBA tries to FIX games to max revenue. You CANNOT not call a 100% violation in front of the whole WORLD and claim your league is pure as the driven snow.

 

[jmt57]

Various league rules regarding free agency and salary caps have an immense effect on this question.

If I recall correctly the NFL had undefeated teams back before any of us were born, way before free agency and a cap were ever considered by anybody, for example.

With what we have witnessed the last few years there seems to be a single basketball team that players and owners have gravitated to, finding a way to circumvent those rules.

At first glance I would say 16-0 in the NBA is more difficult, but in a sport where one single player has far more impact, the current NBA's workaround to the spirit of the salary cap makes me believe that as of today, going 16-0 in the NFL is the tougher quest.

And that is before the NBA's seemingly blatant attempt to give their network partners additional game(s) for their money.

 

[neali]

Primetime, those were some great posts. I clicked the winner icon, but they were over the top good. Had to say something. Your first post in this thread was brilliant.