NBA and NHL playoffs

Let the nightmare begin. The NBA and NHL playoffs are here. I can't decide if it's better or worse having them go on at the same time. Worse because their games dominate Sportscenter highlights and newspaper headlines, but better because they're over and done with at about the same time. This is easily one of the worst times of the sports year for me. In fact, if it wasn't for baseball, this would be right up there with the time from the end of the Super Bowl until the start of the baseball season, except for the break we get with March Madness. There are so many other things I'd rather watch on TV than one of these playoff games, including ....

• An Arena League football game
• A Kansas City Royals baseball game (that's for you Josh, in case you read this)
• The UPN Saturday afternoon matinee of Bloodsport for about the 78th time
• Saved By The Bell reruns
  
• Joy of Painting with Bob Ross
• The TV Guide channel
• The Magic Bullet Blender infomercial

Do we really need 16 teams in the playoffs in each league?? Do we really need a 7-game series in every round?? Yeah, about as much as I need a kick in the head. Either cut the number of teams down to 8 (division champs and 1 wild card from each conference) or cut the games in each series - 3 for the first round, all at the higher seed's home arena, 5 for the second, and then 7 for the conference and league championships. I still probably wouldn't watch, but at least they'd be over quicker.