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Its not about great basketball anymore obviously. its all about the MEDIA, and MONEY
Nice to see everyone has their priorities straight.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/...ls-Ratings.php
Expect big ratings for Lakers-Celtics finals
NEW YORK: The NBA finals' television ratings for the last eight years fall into two unmistakable categories: series with the Los Angeles Lakers, and series without them.
The four times that the Lakers — with their large market, big stars and storied tradition — reached the sport's grandest stage, the finals' average rating was never lower than a 10.2. The four times they weren't involved, the number was never above an 8.5.
But none of the Lakers' opponents during that span had the fan base, history and star power to rival their own. That changes this week, as ABC gets a glamour matchup overflowing with story lines when Los Angeles faces its old nemesis, the Boston Celtics.
"Everybody understood that the Lakers and Celtics is a beautiful finals, and we're happy about that," said John Skipper, executive vice president for content for ESPN/ABC. "You don't get the best matchup every year.
"This year we got it."
They didn't get it last year. The Spurs-Cavaliers series averaged a record-low 6.2 rating, which represents the percentage of homes with televisions tuned into the event. A sweep involving two teams from small markets is all but destined for dismal ratings.
The San Antonio and Cleveland markets combine for about 2.3 million households, according to Nielsen. For Los Angeles and Boston, it's about 8 million. The differences in population alone would almost certainly boost ratings even if there weren't interest in the Lakers-Celtics rivalry among casual fans.
If the series goes six or seven games, the NBA could attract its highest ratings in years. Since Michael Jordan's last championship in 1998 averaged a record 18.7 on NBC, no finals has drawn a rating higher than the 12.1 earned by Lakers-76ers in 2001.
Los Angeles faced the Pacers, Nets and Pistons in its other three recent finals appearances.
Ratings have already been up throughout the playoffs. In the conference finals, ESPN's ratings increased 47 percent from last year, TNT's rose by 20 percent, and ABC's were up 19 percent.
"There's a lot of great stories out there," said Norby Williamson, the executive vice president for production for ESPN/ABC.
Its not about great basketball anymore obviously. its all about the MEDIA, and MONEY
Small market teams are the only ones that realize that.
Look, the bottom line is the Spurs are one of the most uninteresting teams in the sports world today. They're a boring team that play with a very boring efficiency. They have no personality on the team that appeals to mainstream assclowns that know nothing about NBA basketball and so nobody outside of people who know and appreciate the game want anything to do with a Spurs series. It's complete bull , but that's the way it is. Plus the media has been having a hissy-fit about the "good ole days" forever and has done everything they can to on today's generation of players. Who gives a . I'm about good basketball whether it's the Spurs or the Lakers, so the mainstream bozos that only tune in for whatever bull angle ESPN has chosen to promote the game.
I can't tell you how refreshing that sounds, especially from somebody rooting for a major market team. Well said, good sir. Well said.
Fake Dynasty is right.
The NBA has officially turned into a spitting image of the WWF.
i agree with the later, but how in the world are the spurs boring? i just dont get it. i think charles barkley said it best....
"Whoever says the Spurs are boring dont like basketball"
How can you call the modern dynasty in the making, boring?
How can you call "El Contusion" boring?
How can you call Bruce "Lee" "Dirty" Bowen boring?
How can you call Tony Longoria Parker boring?
i just dont get it.
Self-fulfilling prophecy.Expect big ratings for Lakers-Celtics finals
I wonder how high the ratings would be if we were constantly told that Lakers-Celtics is a nightmare matchup, boring, slow, boring, dirty, nobody wants to watch, a sign of the downfall of the NBA, I really hate this sport I cover, boring.
Of course Los Angeles is a very large market and Boston has its share of local white trash and imported/exported college students across the country, but two markets are never all there is to a matchup.
The Superbowl proves that, easily.
The Spurs are not Boring.
However, when your best player is called "The Big Fundemental" it doesn't exactly promote excitement!
And lets face it, the 3 lowest rated Finals in the last 20 years all involved the Spurs.
The lowest rated Finals of all time involved LeBron James, who has been promoted as exciting beyond any reasonable person's definition of such.
which i suppose only goes to prove that
you can't lie to all of the people all of the
time.
EXACTLY!!
its the medias fault that they constantly potray the spurs as boring. people are sheep. they go where you lead them.
well but you have to admit that the lakers and celtics are the two of the best teams in the league.
Lakers are the best by default. yes they beat us fair. but if we had a weeks rest like they did then it would probably be SPURS vs CELTICS right now...
I wanted to V-Bookie this. Guess the ratings, that kind of thing. But for two reasons I haven't. First, I've never set up a V-Bookie game before. And second, I'm not sure how to run a compe ion, as in what to do in case of a tie, or how to award money for closest, that sort of thing.
Anybody want to tackle this? Or do we just leave it as is?
actually it would probably be spurs vs. pistons right now, if Stern hadn't intentionally made the court slippery so that Billups injured his hammy.
100% on target.I wonder how high the ratings would be if we were constantly told that Lakers-Celtics is a nightmare matchup, boring, slow, boring, dirty, nobody wants to watch, a sign of the downfall of the NBA, I really hate this sport I cover, boring.
Spurs should have beaten the Hornets sooner, then they could have had all the rest in the world. And if they wanted easier opponents in the early rounds they should have tried harder in the regular season. They only have themselves to blame for being fatigued.
Since I both loath and despise both of the franchises that are in the Finals so much I could puke, I won't be watching them this season. Not a minute of it. As badly as America is turned off by the Spurs is how I feel about this year's Finals matchup. It's a match made in a corporate boardroom and it sickens me that the league has come to this. This series is not a series in the true sense of the word. It is a media circus complete with clowns and trick animals and it pains me to even think about it actually.
exactly what the other teams' fan base say when the spurs are in the finals. so sit back, relax and enjoy the old "tradition" of what the finals use to be like before the Bulls and Spurs' reins.
Since I wish not to hurl my dinner tonight I won't be doing that. Oh yeah and go to .
I'm a Pacers' fan. You are preaching to the choir.
Not to be a , but I can't believe you are really a Pacers' fan if the thought of a Lakers/Celtics Finals doesn't nauseate you.
Spews made it 3 times this decade to the finals and the SA market can't get much smaller. If Mangoo did not foul Dirk in 2006 the Spews would have made it 4.
No conspiracy.
Oh crap I am missing the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best finals in 10 years easily!
At least the LA idiots will be watching the game and not screaming BS while I play Call Of Duty online while the games on.
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