NBA teams are robbing us of an exciting season finale by resting players

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, and John Wall are among the players resting on Wednesday.

Apr 12, 2017, 7:41 PM UTC

NBA: Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has publicly reprimanded teams for resting star players for nationally televised games. But that won’t stop a few clubs from sitting players in their season finales on Wednesday.

On the last day of the regular season, it seems more teams are resting players as a precautionary measure heading into the playoffs. But even some bottom-dwelling teams have opted to sit players for the final game.

In all, teams have combined to announce 17 players sitting out to rest in the last game of the year. That number will continue to grow as the remaining teams announce their plans.

That all but ensures a few teams will make the playoffs.

The Miami Heat are tied with the Chicago Bulls at 40-41, but the Bulls hold the tie-breaker and will advance to the playoffs with a win on Tuesday. Taking on a Brooklyn Nets team resting Brook Lopez, Jeremy Lin, and Trevor Booker nearly ensures a Chicago victory.

The Heat are also a game behind the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers and hold the tiebreaker over them, as well. An Indiana loss and a Miami win would drop the Pacers to the ninth seed and out of the playoff picture. But Paul George’s crew is taking on an Atlanta Hawks team resting or missing its entire starting lineup.

The Heat are screwed either way you slice it.

This also means almost the season finale is going to be a snore fest

The Boston Celtics hold a one-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the East’s No. 1 seed. That means a C’s loss and Cavs win would give Cleveland top-dog status headed into the playoffs.

But Boston is taking on a Milwaukee Bucks team that will rest Giannis Antetokounmpo among others. That all but cements the Celtics’ status atop the East, when, in fact, the two teams had split the season series, 1-1, with a combined margin of victory of five points.

The list of players resting on Wednesday could easily form one of the most formidable 12-man groups the NBA can offer. Missing that level of talent will sap a chunk of the value out of the 2016-17 season finale.

Sure, these playoff teams need to rest their starters. Injuries happen at the worst times, and there’s no point in running a player into the ground in a meaningless game.

Among those teams are the Atlanta Hawks, whose entire starting lineup will miss the Tuesday finale against the Brooklyn Nets either due to rest of knick-knack injuries. The fifth-seeded Hawks won the season series over the No. 6 Bucks and can afford to lose a game, even to the league-worst Nets.

The Bucks are also resting Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. They, too, hold the season series over No. 7 Indiana, and can stand to lose a game without falling in the standings.

But some teams are flat-out robbing fans

Carmelo Anthony, whose days in New York are likely limited, is a prime example of a player who should be out there competing in game No. 82. The same can be said of Dirk Nowitzki, who arguably should retire at 38 years old on a Mavericks team without a playoff roster. Why rest when you can make your last game your best one?

Season ticket holders pay hard-earned money to watch their favorite players go out and compete. For playoff teams, it’s different. The season isn’t over.

But for teams like the Knicks, Nets, Mavericks, and Pistons, a service is owed to the fans who have put money in the pockets of owners and players alike. It’s one thing resting players for a deeper purpose. It’s criminal to deprive fans of their favorite players.

And if teams don’t realize that, fans should know they have the right to remind them.