One thing that holds the NBA back in terms of entertainment, is that teams don't "steal" games. In hockey, a goalie can "steal a game". In Baseball, a good pitcher can even out any disadvantage. In the NBA, the better team on the night simply is going to win the game, nearly every time.
This makes the first couple of rounds in the NBA playoffs mostly predictable, because the chances of the higher seed winning is way significantly higher than the NHL.
Overall, the NHL playoffs are much more exciting than the NBA - especially the opening rounds.
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