I’ve been waiting for months for the NBA playoffs to start. I’ve written a number of columns attempting to educate and excite people about this time of year.

I wrote about all the international players and how big of impact they are having on the league. I’ve mentioned why the Lakers have a good shot of losing somewhere in the playoffs and how the Eastern conference is pretty much a toss up.

I wrote about these things because so many people gave up on the NBA a while back, most likely when Michael passed his prime.

One of my main arguments to people is that the playoffs are exciting basketball and once the postseason begins, that it is the time to watch.

But now I feel like a jackass because the playoffs this year have completely sucked balls – basketballs.

First of all, the first round of the playoffs is always a best-of-five series. NBA teams play back-to-back nights during the season quite often, and they play every other night very frequently, but the first round is going to take 16 days this season, the same length as the Summer Olympics usually last.

This is because Turner Sports, who owns both the TNT and TBS networks that carry NBA playoff games, doesn’t want to double up on games on its two networks so only four teams can be seen in a night.

This, along with normal breaks and travel days, has resulted in teams waiting up to five days and four nights between playoff games. For instance, the San Antonio Spurs and Seattle Sonics played the second game of their series on April 22 and the third game on April 27.

That is almost as long as NFL teams wait between playoff games. But in the NBA, the fans can very easily lose interest because a series that spans over two weeks, especially a first round series, is just too long.

I’m guessing that many players, especially those that aren’t injured or beat up, would prefer to get the first round over with so they can focus on the next opponent, or at least focus on where to go for summer vacation.

Dragging things out only makes losing that much worse.

Professional sports such as baseball and basketball thrive on the competition between two teams that keep going at each other in a short amount of time.

The team that can bounce back from a physical game or the team that can prepare the quickest for the next game is often superior and the games will show this.

Now the playoffs will get even longer as the next two rounds and the finals are all best-of-seven series. So even though I’m wondering why the first round is taking so long, it’s something I’ll have to deal with.

But there is another aspect of the playoffs so gut-wrenching and painfully annoying, that I thank God that my TV has a mute button.

It’s that damn Bill Walton.

Walton does color commentary for NBC playoff games, and he is unbearable to listen to for a number of reasons.

He shows a complete bias for the Los Angeles Lakers.

During the Lakers’ first round series with the Portland Trailblazers, he spent every game criticizing everything about the Portland team – especially Rasheed Wallace – and praised anything and everything the Lakers did.

Walton played center when he was active, so he talks constantly through games about how the big man is so important and the guard should always be the second or third option.

His favorite big man to rant about is of course Shaquille O’Neal. At times, you can’t help but wonder if he and Shaq have a little lovin’ action on the side, or if Walton just fantasizes about Shaq and his big ol’ feet.

He has a cheesy smile and says very clich‚ things when he commentates. There is also some stupid game being played through NBA.com called “Where’s Walton” where he is appearing at different games all over the country wearing this super cool tie-dye shirt.

As if he wasn’t annoying enough, he gets to wear this shirt even when he’s on camera for NBC.

Luckily the first round is finally winding down, making way for a second round that promises to be more exciting. The matchup to look for is the Sacramento Kings versus the Dallas Mavericks, two of the best in the West and among this season’s most exciting teams.

And if you hear Walton’s voice chiming in, just remember the mute button is your friend.

Kyle Moss is a junior in journalism and mass communication. He wishes the best of luck to graduating sports editor Jeremy Gustafson and thanks him for the opportunity to write in sports.