March Madness or NBA playoffs

March is upon us, which means March Madness is right around the corner. March Madness is an annual college basketball tournament that takes place every March. Sixty-four of the best and hottest teams in the country compete in a win-and-advance tournament. The tournament is very competitive and amusing because regardless of seeding, future NBA prospects, and talent, it is still any team’s game. There is a “Cinderella Story” every year, meaning that a team that no one expects to go far is pulling off upsets and shocking higher-ranked opponents. That is the beauty of the March Madness Tournament.
Then comes April, after the March Madness Tournament simmers down, in comes the NBA Playoffs. The NBA playoffs have become more appealing in the last couple of years with the play-in tournament. The seventh through tenth seeds in each conference fight for a chance at the 7th and 8th seed in their respective conferences. Now, the NBA Playoffs are drastically different from March Madness because it is a 7-game series instead of winning one game and advancing. That gives a team a chance to redeem themselves after losing a game, and/or continuing to win, and the winner advances by winning 4 games. The excitement that comes with the NBA Playoffs rather than other playoff series is the emergence of role players who may have struck gold that day and can’t miss a shot, or an all-star caliber player going off for 40 points or maybe a triple-double. On any given night, fans are excited because they don’t know what is going to happen.
With that being said, I believe that March Madness is better than the NBA Playoffs. The reason is simply because of the pure joy and excitement as a basketball fan, seeing an underdog win. It is the most fascinating thing in sports. It is called March Madness for a reason, the madness can begin with a buzzer-beater on the opening day, a 16 seed beating a 1 seed, and even a player under the radar finally getting recognition. In these tournaments, stars have been born and put on notice for the NBA or WBNA, even if these players have not been looked at before. Unlike the NBA Playoffs, March Madness benefits both men’s and women’s basketball in exposure and buzz, because the women’s and men’s final four never disappoint.