We've been cable free for a little over a year now and I've missed two sets of NBA playoffs. I chomp at the bit to watch playoff basketball for two months and finally get my fill when the Finals come and are put on a broadcast network (ABC).
If I want to pay to watch the NBA playoffs without cable I can, I just have buy an NBA League Pass (which I'm cool with) and then pay for a VPN service and route all my traffic to another country (which I'm not cool with).