NBA first round: It's not fun to root for the underdogs anymore

Ever since 2003, when the NBA changed the first round from five to seven games in hopes of making more money on the Shaq-Kobe Lakers who were struggling to get a good seed (We all know that's what happened); the edge has been taken off the first round series games.

All of the sudden a team down 0-2 in a series and then wins Game 3 is not a making a series of it; rather they are making us wait needlessly for more exciting rounds.

Game 3's are no longer pivotal either. Instead, game 3's are just part of a string of games that most of us will not remember. Now, you have to wait two more games for the possibly pivotal game 5.

I used to have fun rooting for the underdog. Now it's not usually worth it to come home and give up hours of my night to watch a watered down game. In fact, I skipped all three of tonight's game 3's to go to do some errands and then go to the park and play ball.

With all the lopsided series going 2-0, I already had the second round match-ups qued up. In the Western Conference I penciled in the reignition of the Jazz/Lakers rivalry and Chris Paul's Hornets vs. the champion Spurs. Then in the Eastern Conference I had the dominant celtics going against the dominating Lebron and his Cavs and the up and coming Magic taking on the battle-tested Pistons. and with the Celtics/Cavs and Pistons/Magic.

Then came the Game Three Nighmare Trifecta tonight. The Cavs took the night off against the Wizards and lost by 36 points. A talented but too inconsistent Raptors team crawled back into their series by beating the Magic. And the Jazz let the depleted Rockets eak out a two-point win in Salt Lake.

I still do have the second round match-ups qued up. That's what makes tonight's game three results so frustrating! Sure the game three winners can win their series. But file that under 'A' for 'Anything's possible.' If this were the old five game format, then sure my interest would be peaked. Instead we've just endured the probable losers who all have little hope of Round Two victories, let alone reaching the championship, prolong the wait for the better match-ups.

In the spirit of Molly Shannon (a Superstarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!), I have only one succinct and repetitive sentiment for David Stern; You're horrible! Horrible! Horrible! I advise fans to turn off their televisions and go enrich yourselves. Ratings is the language that sports executive speaks better than any other.

In the meantime enjoy your extra helping of thug ballin, courtesy of the likes of Deshawn Stevenson. Maybe the eighth seeded Hawks or Nuggets will squeeze out a win and make you endure an extra game. Or worse, maybe the Lakers and Celtics will handle their business with sweeps, but you'll have to wait about a week to watch them in the second round because the Jazz and Cavs are taking six or seven games to handle their business.

At least this year we have the anomaly of the Suns and Spurs (last year's most exciting match-up) going down in the first round. What happens if the Spurs, up 2-0, win their game 3? Clear! Ca-chow! Clear! Ca-chow!