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Five ways to make the NBA Playoffs fun again

NBA Playoffs
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

2. An in-season loan system

Mar 21, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates his basket in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-93. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, blockbuster mid-season trades aren’t only limited by the contending teams back off. Bad teams are generally slow to trade their superstars as well. Throughout NBA history, teams trading a dollar bill for four quarters has almost never worked. In the end, teams that deals star players (or the dollar bill) usually end up getting a quarter and a few nickels in return. So, they don’t want to trade, either.

But what if the trade was only temporary? What if a team like the Minnesota Timberwolves could have traded Karl-Anthony Towns to a contender with the promise that they’d get him back after the season?

They’d be a lot more willing to mingle with contenders looking to deal. Meanwhile, the contender would be interested for a few reasons. One, if we’re talking about someone like Towns, it would get an absolute star. Two, since Towns’ services would only be temporary, the contender wouldn’t have to give up as much.

Think about some of the great players who were never involved in these playoffs. Players like Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, and Nikola Jokic, just to name a few, and those are only the big men in recent memory.

Add one of them to the Celtics, and all of a sudden a potential Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavs looks pretty juicy.

Limiting super teams would take away the 800 pound gorillas. An in-season loan system would add more 800 pound gorillas and would create some potentially titanic playoff tilts.

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