BOSTON – I am of the strong belief that “playoff atmospheres” only exist in the actual playoffs.
There are, of course, games during the NBA’s regular season that feel bigger than others. Rematches, rivalries, and in the modern game, reunions of star players against their former teams after shocking trades. But when anyone, and I don’t care who, describes 1 of 82 as a “playoff game” or says the air in the arena had a “playoff feel,” well, no. It just isn’t the same.
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Players sit out in February when they wouldn’t in May; coaches spend a couple hours preparing for game No. 59, whereas they get days to prepare for
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