Wednesday on 'First Take' Chris Russo discussed the late start times of NBA Playoff games CREDIT: ESPN

Do NBA Playoff games start too late?

We seem to have this exact conversation every year, just as we do with the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Championship Games every April.

Wednesday morning on First Take, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo made his feelings crystal clear when talking about Tuesday night’s game between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, which tipped off at nearly 10:45 p.m. ET. This sentiment was echoed earlier in the week by Fort Morgan Times columnist Troy Renck earlier in the week when Renck called the late start time “disrespectful” to NBA fans.

 

“Listen, the NBA isn’t the only league, but when you take every nickel from every network, you lose control of game time starts,” Russo said before continuing.

“What the NBA did last night with those start times is a joke. If you’re a Timberwolves fan, this is probably the biggest game in team history, tied up against the defending champions. Do you know what time the game started in Minnesota? On a weeknight? 9:45. That’s a disgrace. You can’t start the Knicks game at 6:30? How about 7?

“The Timberwolves game started at quarter to ten at freakin’ night! That is ridiculous. Baseball does the same thing, and so does the NHL. The NFL is the only league that doesn’t. It should have been 6:30 in New York and 9:08 in Denver. That way it’s a normal time in Minnesota. They can go to work the next day and be productive. Quarter to ten on a weeknight in May is a disgrace.”

Usually, Russo’s rants divide the panel, but this time, the room universally agreed with him.

“I’m with you, Mad Dog. I actually missed Get Up this morning because the game went so late,” Kendrick Perkins added.

“Not only that, but you disrupt the players’ rhythm too with late starts,” Stephen A. Smith noted.

Thursday’s Game 6 is the only NBA game on the schedule and will start at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

[Fort Morgan Times]