The NBA has been a popular league for decades, sparking great players and great games. While the players are just as talented, it feels as though the league has lost the magic it used to have. There used to be rivalries, emotions, even speaking in terms of just overall strength, it was just more exciting. There is a league out there that trumps the NBA, in this current day and age, and its name is the NHL. These are some of the reasons why the NHL is better than the NBA.
Excitement
The Eastern and Western conference finals in the NBA ended in major disappointment. The Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Atlanta Hawks and the Golden State Warriors dominated in a five game series against the Houston Rockets. Most of these games were blow outs. This is not the case in the NHL. Both the Eastern and Western conference finals went to a game seven. The teams have been so even in hockey that the Tampa Bay Lightning have gone to a game seven in every single playoff series this year on their way to the Stanley Cup finals. Also, overtime hockey goes to sudden death. These games are intense and demand your attention. I can't say the same about the NBA.
Physical Play
Let's make one thing clear, basketball is not a physical sport. Yes, players take hard falls to the floor and catch the occasional elbow but that's just the nature of the business. In every sport there is something to point at and claim it's incredibly physically enduring. Basketball is just not as physical as it once was in the early 90's or prior. Hockey, on the other hand, is a hard-nosed sport. Two years ago, Bruins forward Patrick Bergeron played through game six of the Stanley Cup finals with a broken rib and torn rib cartilage, as well as a separated shoulder for the cherry on top. Hockey is not an easy sport on the body. Guys are constantly receiving hits against the boards and getting laid out in open ice. Basketball doesn't even have an argument when comparing physical play to hockey.
Goals
I get it that sometimes hockey games are low scoring. Basketball games can also be low scoring, and there just isn't much to a made basket during a basketball game. The rarity of the goal is what makes it so incredible. You just don't know when it will happen. Shots that you think the goalie has no chance against get saved, and shots near the blue line can sneak by. The wonder of when the puck will go into the net is enough to captivate you. Basketball just doesn't have the same environment. The NBA may be more popular statistically, but if the two leagues continue down the way they have been going the NHL will give the NBA a run for its money.
