NBA Playoffs - First Round should be a warm up

IN 2003 the NBA made a bonehead move by changing the first round of the playoffs from a best of 5 series to a best of 7 series. As a lifelong NBA fan I am always in favor of high quality basketball but this was a huge mistake for the league. The best of 5 series was short, gritty and to the point with the feel of that driveway best 2 out of 3 game you have with a couple of friends or family members at your house or the local basketball court. Some of those great Knicks vs Heat series in the 90's epitomized what a best of 5 series is all about, a junkyard throw down! I also think that opening the first round with a shorter series gives the underdog a better chance at an upset, since they only have to win 3 games instead of 4. In a blue collar America with the economy in its current state and working folks getting bent over at the gas pumps, people can always use a good underdog story for inspiration. Much like professional baseball, the pro basketball season is a multi- month marathon and the playoff winners will endure another 7 weeks of travel plagued physical contest. I get the fact that you would only save about a week of actual games with the old format, but a week is a week. That means fresher rosters for Conference finals and championship finals and fresher legs translate into better quality basketball. The only thing constant in this world is change, but change isn't always necessary. I believe in this case changing the playoff format in round one from a best of 5 series to a best of 7 series reduces the overall quality of basketball for the duration of the playoffs. You are already going to get three heavyweight best of 7 game series for the main course, why not start the playoffs right with a classic best of 5 game appetizer to tantalize the taste buds.