ducks
06-22-2005, 06:46 PM
Stern: Game 7 will boost NBA's banner season
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
June 22, 2005
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- After the NBA set attendance records, increased its international presence and achieved labor peace in the past two months, commissioner David Stern got a welcome bonus: a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
A day after the league unveiled its new collective bargaining agreement with the players' union, ending months of negotiations and posturing, Stern was thrilled to turn his focus to basketball -- specifically, the surefire television ratings bonanza from the finals' first winner-take-all game since 1994.
``We feel that we had a great season, and it's actually getting better,'' Stern said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press. ``It never stops. The opportunities are just rolling over us.''
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Detroit's 95-86 victory over San Antonio in Game 6 was the highest-rated in ABC's telecast so far, earning a 10.5 overnight rating. Through the first five games, the network's ratings were down 35 percent from 2004 -- but up 17.5 percent from 2003, when the Spurs beat New Jersey.
``I would like them to be higher, but in this day and age, I think we're so extraordinarily lucky to be looking at a seventh game,'' Stern said. ``The gross number of viewers that we're delivering to the sponsors is beyond their expectations. From that perspective, I'm very happy.''
By most of the league's other measures of success, according to Stern, the 30 clubs enjoyed a banner year.
The NBA set an attendance record during the regular season and increased attendance in the playoffs over last season. Sales of playoff merchandise are up, and the league recently unveiled a plan for four teams to hold training camps in Europe next year.
With labor peace assured, Stern's next big projects include more international business machinations, particularly in the NBA's steady move into prominence in China.
Stern also will work on developing the NBDL, which could receive an influx of talent with the new labor rules allowing players in their first two NBA seasons to be sent down for seasoning. The minimum age for the league was lowered from 20 to 18 in the agreement.
Even Stern wasn't sure what to make of the NBA Finals after the first four games, which all were decided by at least 15 points. Those convincing wins, coupled with the defense-oriented styles of both clubs, aren't considered to be good for ratings.
``At Game 4, I thought it was the strangest series I had ever seen -- blowout after blowout after blowout,'' he said. ``It's just fun as a fan to watch the ups and downs of particular players.''
But the work never stops: Even during off days in San Antonio, Stern spends his days answering e-mails and plowing through reading material while representatives from the league and the players' union ``reduce this collective bargaining agreement to writing,'' he said.
He plans to remain hard at work until the draft on June 28.
``I'm staying as up to date as I can, because after the draft, I'm planning to make myself a little bit less in evidence,'' Stern said.
TIGHT ON TURNOVERS
Robert Horry can't figure out why the Pistons won't give the ball away to the Spurs.
Detroit has made just 60 turnovers in the NBA Finals, compared to 97 for San Antonio. The Pistons set an NBA record with just four turnovers in Game 4, and they nearly equaled it with five in Game 6.
That's baffling to the Spurs, whose superb defense normally forces opponents into far more passes and dribbles they later regret.
``We've got to get some turnovers out of those cats so we can get some easy baskets,'' Horry said. ``I don't know why we can't get the ball. I want to look at that (stat) sheet and see double digits, at least.''
On the other end, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have combined for 41 turnovers for the Spurs.
BORN TOO EARLY?
Detroit's Darko Milicic would have waited longer to enter the NBA draft under the league's new rules regarding young players -- but he probably would have played a lot more basketball this season, too.
The new labor agreement will have a provision allowing players in their first two NBA seasons to get experience in the NBDL. Detroit's brass believes Milicic would have benefited from such an assignment, instead of sitting on the Pistons' bench for most of his career to date.
Milicic, who turned 20 on Monday, played in just 37 games this season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.9 minutes. As a rookie, the 7-footer from Serbia and Montenegro played 34 games with similarly meager statistics after being drafted one spot after LeBron James -- and ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
``All of those guys are great players, but I'm not worried about them because I am still confident I can play good in this league,'' he said.
Milicic will play for Detroit's summer league team during the offseason, and for his national team in the European championships. That's a change from the last two years, when he got little summer experience.
In 2003, he was battling buyout problems with his former European team, and he broke his hand in the closing moments of the Pistons' title-clinching victory last summer.
``This summer will be good for me,'' Milicic said.
HUNTER'S ANKLE
Lindsey Hunter is too close to a third championship to be bothered by his injured ankle.
The Detroit guard sprained his ankle in the closing minutes of Game 5, keeping him off his feet for most of Monday. But he played 16 minutes in Game 6, scoring four points and again holding his own on defense.
``There was a lot of pain before the game,'' Hunter said. ``But I figured once my adrenalin got going, I could play through that, and that's what I did.''
LOOSE BALLS
Tickets for Game 7 were in high demand in San Antonio. Broker TicketsNow.com cited prices as high as $5,700 for third-row courtside seats, and nearly $4,000 for seats behind the Pistons' bench. ... San Antonio's Brent Barry, who curiously described coach Gregg Popovich as ``giddy'' earlier in the series, apparently just likes that word. ``We're kind of giddy about it,'' the guard said of Game 7. ``We want to get back on the floor and show them what we can do.''
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
June 22, 2005
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- After the NBA set attendance records, increased its international presence and achieved labor peace in the past two months, commissioner David Stern got a welcome bonus: a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
A day after the league unveiled its new collective bargaining agreement with the players' union, ending months of negotiations and posturing, Stern was thrilled to turn his focus to basketball -- specifically, the surefire television ratings bonanza from the finals' first winner-take-all game since 1994.
``We feel that we had a great season, and it's actually getting better,'' Stern said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press. ``It never stops. The opportunities are just rolling over us.''
ADVERTISEMENT
Detroit's 95-86 victory over San Antonio in Game 6 was the highest-rated in ABC's telecast so far, earning a 10.5 overnight rating. Through the first five games, the network's ratings were down 35 percent from 2004 -- but up 17.5 percent from 2003, when the Spurs beat New Jersey.
``I would like them to be higher, but in this day and age, I think we're so extraordinarily lucky to be looking at a seventh game,'' Stern said. ``The gross number of viewers that we're delivering to the sponsors is beyond their expectations. From that perspective, I'm very happy.''
By most of the league's other measures of success, according to Stern, the 30 clubs enjoyed a banner year.
The NBA set an attendance record during the regular season and increased attendance in the playoffs over last season. Sales of playoff merchandise are up, and the league recently unveiled a plan for four teams to hold training camps in Europe next year.
With labor peace assured, Stern's next big projects include more international business machinations, particularly in the NBA's steady move into prominence in China.
Stern also will work on developing the NBDL, which could receive an influx of talent with the new labor rules allowing players in their first two NBA seasons to be sent down for seasoning. The minimum age for the league was lowered from 20 to 18 in the agreement.
Even Stern wasn't sure what to make of the NBA Finals after the first four games, which all were decided by at least 15 points. Those convincing wins, coupled with the defense-oriented styles of both clubs, aren't considered to be good for ratings.
``At Game 4, I thought it was the strangest series I had ever seen -- blowout after blowout after blowout,'' he said. ``It's just fun as a fan to watch the ups and downs of particular players.''
But the work never stops: Even during off days in San Antonio, Stern spends his days answering e-mails and plowing through reading material while representatives from the league and the players' union ``reduce this collective bargaining agreement to writing,'' he said.
He plans to remain hard at work until the draft on June 28.
``I'm staying as up to date as I can, because after the draft, I'm planning to make myself a little bit less in evidence,'' Stern said.
TIGHT ON TURNOVERS
Robert Horry can't figure out why the Pistons won't give the ball away to the Spurs.
Detroit has made just 60 turnovers in the NBA Finals, compared to 97 for San Antonio. The Pistons set an NBA record with just four turnovers in Game 4, and they nearly equaled it with five in Game 6.
That's baffling to the Spurs, whose superb defense normally forces opponents into far more passes and dribbles they later regret.
``We've got to get some turnovers out of those cats so we can get some easy baskets,'' Horry said. ``I don't know why we can't get the ball. I want to look at that (stat) sheet and see double digits, at least.''
On the other end, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have combined for 41 turnovers for the Spurs.
BORN TOO EARLY?
Detroit's Darko Milicic would have waited longer to enter the NBA draft under the league's new rules regarding young players -- but he probably would have played a lot more basketball this season, too.
The new labor agreement will have a provision allowing players in their first two NBA seasons to get experience in the NBDL. Detroit's brass believes Milicic would have benefited from such an assignment, instead of sitting on the Pistons' bench for most of his career to date.
Milicic, who turned 20 on Monday, played in just 37 games this season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.9 minutes. As a rookie, the 7-footer from Serbia and Montenegro played 34 games with similarly meager statistics after being drafted one spot after LeBron James -- and ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
``All of those guys are great players, but I'm not worried about them because I am still confident I can play good in this league,'' he said.
Milicic will play for Detroit's summer league team during the offseason, and for his national team in the European championships. That's a change from the last two years, when he got little summer experience.
In 2003, he was battling buyout problems with his former European team, and he broke his hand in the closing moments of the Pistons' title-clinching victory last summer.
``This summer will be good for me,'' Milicic said.
HUNTER'S ANKLE
Lindsey Hunter is too close to a third championship to be bothered by his injured ankle.
The Detroit guard sprained his ankle in the closing minutes of Game 5, keeping him off his feet for most of Monday. But he played 16 minutes in Game 6, scoring four points and again holding his own on defense.
``There was a lot of pain before the game,'' Hunter said. ``But I figured once my adrenalin got going, I could play through that, and that's what I did.''
LOOSE BALLS
Tickets for Game 7 were in high demand in San Antonio. Broker TicketsNow.com cited prices as high as $5,700 for third-row courtside seats, and nearly $4,000 for seats behind the Pistons' bench. ... San Antonio's Brent Barry, who curiously described coach Gregg Popovich as ``giddy'' earlier in the series, apparently just likes that word. ``We're kind of giddy about it,'' the guard said of Game 7. ``We want to get back on the floor and show them what we can do.''