I just can not watch these basketball playoffs honestly. Part of it is I don't really care much about the four teams that are left. This NBA season has been the least interesting season to me for quite sometime and I don't really know the reason why well I may have given that reason already.
And yes all the timeouts at the end of the game does slow the flow of the game is for sure is part of it. I can see the need for some strategy at the end of the game but that also can mean a team tries to foul players that can't make free throws but that has been going on for awhile at least as well. And some teams don't have their best players in the game towards the end because of this. I am pretty sure that each team gets the number of timeouts they have reduced to four at the start of the fourth quarter unless that rules has changed in the last few years.
One other aspect that really bothers me are the replays. They not only take to long but often the ruling on the court stands. And there was a situation with Cleveland and they had no timeouts left and there was a replay so Cleveland got to set up a play and Lebron hit the game winning shot, I am pretty sure that was when Lebron demanded the ball at the end even though his coach wanted him to inbound the ball. So the players attitude can rub some people the wrong was as well. And yes some players should get some Oscars for their reactions to calls by the officials.
One last thing the obvious traveling not being called nowadays makes me feel really old sometimes.
And yes that would slow the pace of the game down some as well.