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Let’s Talk About It: Why Is the NBA So Inconsistent?

Tuesday night, I was deep in my college basketball withdrawal. The Madness was over, and I needed a fix—so I flipped on the Knicks vs. Celtics game at Madison Square Garden. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

Jalen Brunson’s second game back. Overtime thriller. The crowd was electric. Kristaps Porzingis dropped 34 points, going 8-13 from three (yeah, you read that right), and Jayson Tatum casually put up 32, torching the Knicks in the clutch like it was nothing. Boston escaped with a 119-117 win, and for the first time in a long time, I found myself saying: “That was some high-quality regular season basketball.”

But then came Wednesday.

Boston vs. Orlando. Another solid Eastern Conference matchup, right? Wrong. I tuned in expecting a continuation of that basketball magic… and instead got Payton Pritchard leading the Celtics with 15 points (no shade, Payton). No Tatum. No Porzingis. Neither got hurt the night before—they just didn’t play. And Boston got cooked by 20.

Just like that, the momentum was gone. And I was left wondering: Why do I even bother watching NBA regular season games anymore?

This right here is the problem. One night, you’re watching a heavyweight fight. The next, it feels like preseason. And it’s not just injuries—it’s load management, rest days, “precautionary” DNPs (Did Not Play). Meanwhile, these guys are making $30, $40, $50 million a year. Back in the day, stars played through everything. Even meaningless games. MJ, Kobe, AI—those dudes lived to compete. Now, it’s like the regular season has become optional.

I get it—sports science, long-term health, playoff positioning. But from a fan perspective? It’s exhausting. You don’t know who’s suiting up until tip-off. You can’t get hyped for matchups because the matchups keep disappearing. And honestly, it’s why I—and a lot of others—have checked out until April.

So here’s the question: what are we doing here? Should the NBA shorten the season? Should players be required to play a certain number of games if healthy? Or do we just accept this new reality where the product is hit-or-miss?

I’m just saying… for a league built on stars, maybe the stars should actually play.

Let’s talk about it. Drop your thoughts in the comments—do you still watch NBA regular season games, or have you tuned out too?