Putting a noticeable damper on the final week of the regular season, sources confirmed Wednesday that NBA viewers have been officially ruled out until the playoffs. Simply put, theres no chance that NBA viewers will see any game time over the next week or so, said ESPN reporter Chris Broussard, explaining that having virtually nothing at stake in the remaining games ultimately played a very significant part in the decision. Im not saying its impossible, but to even say theyll be back by the first round of the playoffs is very, very optimistic. I doubt theyll return before the finals, and even then, itll most likely just be for the deciding games. Broussard added that the development comes as no surprise to those familiar with the situation, as most viewers had already missed the majority of the regular season. 