The NBA Finals seven game series is set up as 2-3-2 (from the
perspective of the home team... 2 games at home, 3 games away, and 2
games home again - if all seven games are necessary).  But all the
other series leading up to the Finals (first round, conf semis, conf
finals) are set up 2-2-1-1-1.  What's the reason/history behind why
the set-up is different between the Finals and all the other series?

Dear pualio-ga,

In 1985, the NBA switched the locations of games five and six. 

It was reported that the NBA changed them to reduce the inconvenience
of travel. While another view is that it is also about money.

?A report in USA Today stated that part of the problem with the old
format arose due to CBS's scheduling of games in the 1984 championship
series between Boston and Los Angeles [USA Today, June 25, 1984]. In
that series there were three and two days off between some of the
first four games because CBS did not want to televise the games during
prime time in May. The series then ended with three games in five days
with a cross-country trip between each game. According to USA Today,
the NBA commissioner, David Stern, favored the 2-3-2 format because
the reduced travel would give players more rest and encourage media
attendance.?


This five page article will provide you with more information on this subject.
 
Television revenue and the structure of athletic contests: The case of
the National Basketball Association
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3620/is_199801/ai_n8780478

Jim Feist comments that,
?It is odd, but there are several reasons for the change. The official
NBA version is it cuts down travel time for players and media
representatives as East meets West. The unofficial version is
M-O-N-E-Y. The NBA prefers a longer series to build up interest and
increase television ratings. The 2-3-2 format theoretically makes it
tougher for a team to win the first two games at home, then win two of
the next three on the road to close out a series in five games. The
league doesn't want five games - it wants six or seven.?
http://www.jimfeist.com/Handicappers/Handicappers.aspx?ID=39&RD=06-14-2005


I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder

Search stratgey
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excellent and thorough - thanks!