<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Professional basketball players are some of the best athletes in the world. This was reinforced to me on Sunday, when my unusually quick return home from the Finals gave me a chance to watch the final day of golf's U.S. Open ? and see a man who was visibly overweight and smoking in between shots claim one of the top prizes in sports. Yet despite the brilliance of the NBA's talent relative to other sports, fans are staying away from its marquee event in droves. The TV ratings for the 2007 NBA Finals were dreadful ? the worst ever, in fact. Viewership was down 28% from the previous year ? which itself was one of the worstrated Finals ever ? as San Antonio's mundane and entirely predictable sweep of Cleveland left viewers unenthused. Demographics certainly play a role here. San Antonio is among the league's smallest markets, and Cleveland is, at best, a midsized one. So it's no surprise that the two worst-rated Finals of the past decade ? this one and the Spurs' 2003 win over New Jersey ? came with the help of smaller TV markets participating in the Finals. Additionally, there's an anomaly here with San Antonio. While dominant on the court and exemplary off it, the Spurs don't have that magical X-factor that draws in viewers. Their best player, Tim Duncan, is fundamentally sound but hardly spectacular, while the team has won with a vice-like defense rather than highlight-reel offense. Nonetheless, the league must be concerned. For starters, the global icon failed to move the needle. It was thought that LeBron James's first-ever Finals would help reel in viewers, but even in Game 1 ? when the outcome of the series still remained in doubt ? there wasn't much interest from the national audience.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Of all the solutions, maybe that's the easiest of all. While the Finals were hurt by some factors beyond the league's control, improving the product remains the easiest cure, and one that's entirely doable inhouse. In light of another year of poor TV ratings, I'm interested to see what steps the league takes on that front this summer.</div> Source: NY Sun
Keep the Spurs out of the Finals and get more Laker-type Suns-type teams in the finals. I'm not serious though, but the average fan does not want to watch a defensive game.
I think getting rid of the east and west conferences would help bring back the average fan's interest. Right now all of the elite teams are stacked in the west and even a diehard nba fan such as myself at times find it hard to watch the eastern teams go at it. By making it one big bracket like college ball we wouldn't be seeing a team so dominated by another in the finals, or even the semi-finals. It would also make it more interesting at the end of the season because the bottom teams aren't fighting over the 7th or 8th seed of their conference, instead for the 12-16th spot. We often see teams in the west who did not make the playoffs and finish better than a 7th or 8th seeded east team, which really doesn't make sense. Not just from a fan's stand point, but the NBA should feel this way as well. It would bring better competition to the playoffs by having the deserving teams go at it. I doubt the NBA will ever make this change in the seedings, but it really is the only solution if they want the ratings up.
I think getting rid of the east and west conferences would help bring back the average fan's interest. Right now all of the elite teams are stacked in the west and even a diehard nba fan such as myself at times find it hard to watch the eastern teams go at it. By making it one big bracket like college ball we wouldn't be seeing a team so dominated by another in the finals, or even the semi-finals. It would also make it more interesting at the end of the season because the bottom teams aren't fighting over the 7th or 8th seed of their conference, instead for the 12-16th spot. We often see teams in the west who did not make the playoffs and finish better than a 7th or 8th seeded east team, which really doesn't make sense. Not just from a fan's stand point, but the NBA should feel this way as well. It would bring better competition to the playoffs by having the deserving teams go at it. I doubt the NBA will ever make this change in the seedings, but it really is the only solution if they want the ratings up.
These ratings are terrible for basketball, it most likely will mean more "superstar" calls and borderline predetermined outcomes.
Honestly, you have to wonder why the matchups are such a big factor with the NBA's ratings. The NFL has arguably had a greater disparity between the two conferences (the last 4 champions have been from the AFC) and the Super Bowl is notorious for their lopsided results. But they still draw a huge amount of viewers throughout the playoffs and the regular season. I personally think you can't blame the whole thing on an "unmarketable" Spurs or a weak Eastern Conference. The NBA product, as a whole, has become weaker over the years (officiating, talent level, flow of the game, fundamentals, etc.) and its turning away both diehard and casual fans. When you're pumping out 82 game seasons and 4 rounds of 7-game series', you're going to need an entertaining game to keep the viewers watching the entire time.
I think the players are getting paid too much. All they care about is getting their checks in the mail. Before, NBA players were payed a lot less (they were still considered among the wealthiest men in America), but now even a scrub can afford 5 cars and a house on the beach. All this does is take away passion from the game. Once they sign that guaranteed contract, what's to make them play harder? They're set for life, and they don't have to worry about getting another big contract until maybe their contract year if they do want another fat check. They see more to life than just basketball and working out, and trying to get those millions. They begin to think they're so good since they're already in the NBA that they don't need to practice or play as hard and they'll still be considered good. Up until 2002, players played with passion and love for the game, that's why teams scored more points, and a lot more games went to overtime. Players wanted to win, they thrived for success, they practiced and they played hard. Nowadays, you see a guys like Ryan Bowen, Anderson Varejao, Chuck Hayes, and to a slighter extent Ronny Turiaf in the NBA that shouldn't be. Just because they hustle for loose balls, or box out for every rebound without any offense whatsoever they get to play on an NBA team. Before, guys like Jordan, Magic, Olajuwan, Stockton, Dantley, Kareem, Otis Thorpe, Vernon Maxwell, Mitch Richmond, Horace Grant, and Tom Gugliota...guys that played with motivation, heart, will, determination, and passion filled the NBA. This is why the NBA will never be what it was.
I totally agree with you igotask8board. I'm a die hard Spurs fan, but even I had trouble watching this series. I found that neither team could hit a shot if their lives depended on it. If it wasn't inside the paint it didn't go in. These are the skills that are missing from the players now. But who do you blame, the players themselves or the people who hype these guys from the time they are in Junior High? How about their school coaches who let them get away without working on those fundamental skills becuase they can dunk and are highly athletic? What can the NBA do to get better ratings?? Get a better product or as was mentioned earlier, change the way the playoffs are set up. Go to a system like the NCAAA where there is no East and West, but they also need to limit the number of games. It was mentioned somewhere that the first round should be a best of 3, second a best of 5 and the last 2 rounds best of 7. This would cost the owners and the NBA some money, but would make the teams play like their year depended on it in the first couple of rounds. You would get many upsets, which the average viewer wants, and the players wouldn't take a night off. We all know that there will be few changes to the league's playoff structure as there is no way that the owners will want to lose money, so there really isn't anything we can say. We just have to sit back and watch the bricks get shot game after game.
The NBA has to shorten the playoffs in some way, whether by taking away a round or making some of the rounds best out of 5. Fans should'nt feel relief when the playoffs are over, but right now thats happening.
If anything, hayes, varejao, and turriaf play with MORE passion and heart than most of their colleagues! but you're right, watching varejao do a pump fake, drive, spin move against duncan in the playoffs was... I didn't know if I should laugh at such a comical sight or cry at lebron's misfortune. To make the NBA more exciting, I'd say: shorten the regular season by a bit, maybe 60~ games; get rid of the conferences, still have the divisions, and division leaders get automatic berths to playoffs, with the rest decided by record. Shorten playoffs to 5 game series. All star game probably should be a blue vs. red kinda thing, with random distribution of all star players.
1.) Seed the playoffs according to records and not division champions. 2.) Make the first round series best of 5 again 3.) Reseed the playoffs after the first round. For instance Golden State should have played the next highest seed Phoenix in the second round after they beat Dallas. Detroit should have played New Jersey in the second round of the East. 4.) Make all best of seven playoffs in a 2-3-2 format. 5.) Get rid of two NBA teams (ideally perennial losers such as Hawks and the Clippers).
<div class="quote_poster">igotask8board Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think the players are getting paid too much. All they care about is getting their checks in the mail. Before, NBA players were payed a lot less (they were still considered among the wealthiest men in America), but now even a scrub can afford 5 cars and a house on the beach. All this does is take away passion from the game. Once they sign that guaranteed contract, what's to make them play harder? They're set for life, and they don't have to worry about getting another big contract until maybe their contract year if they do want another fat check. They see more to life than just basketball and working out, and trying to get those millions. They begin to think they're so good since they're already in the NBA that they don't need to practice or play as hard and they'll still be considered good. Up until 2002, players played with passion and love for the game, that's why teams scored more points, and a lot more games went to overtime. Players wanted to win, they thrived for success, they practiced and they played hard. Nowadays, you see a guys like Ryan Bowen, Anderson Varejao, Chuck Hayes, and to a slighter extent Ronny Turiaf in the NBA that shouldn't be. Just because they hustle for loose balls, or box out for every rebound without any offense whatsoever they get to play on an NBA team. Before, guys like Jordan, Magic, Olajuwan, Stockton, Dantley, Kareem, Otis Thorpe, Vernon Maxwell, Mitch Richmond, Horace Grant, and Tom Gugliota...guys that played with motivation, heart, will, determination, and passion filled the NBA. This is why the NBA will never be what it was.</div> Post of the Year...I think some of us could play harder then some players I've seen and there in top shape. I've seen recreation games played with more hustle and passion and there not playing for their paycheck. Paid way too much...and thats for every sport.
<div class="quote_poster">igotask8board Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think the players are getting paid too much. All they care about is getting their checks in the mail. Before, NBA players were payed a lot less (they were still considered among the wealthiest men in America), but now even a scrub can afford 5 cars and a house on the beach. All this does is take away passion from the game. Once they sign that guaranteed contract, what's to make them play harder? They're set for life, and they don't have to worry about getting another big contract until maybe their contract year if they do want another fat check. They see more to life than just basketball and working out, and trying to get those millions. They begin to think they're so good since they're already in the NBA that they don't need to practice or play as hard and they'll still be considered good. Up until 2002, players played with passion and love for the game, that's why teams scored more points, and a lot more games went to overtime. Players wanted to win, they thrived for success, they practiced and they played hard. Nowadays, you see a guys like Ryan Bowen, Anderson Varejao, Chuck Hayes, and to a slighter extent Ronny Turiaf in the NBA that shouldn't be. Just because they hustle for loose balls, or box out for every rebound without any offense whatsoever they get to play on an NBA team. Before, guys like Jordan, Magic, Olajuwan, Stockton, Dantley, Kareem, Otis Thorpe, Vernon Maxwell, Mitch Richmond, Horace Grant, and Tom Gugliota...guys that played with motivation, heart, will, determination, and passion filled the NBA. This is why the NBA will never be what it was.</div> Great post, with great points, but that's just kind of depressing to agree that the NBA won't be the same as it was before. David Stern definitely needs to make some changes in the playoff system, if he wants to improve ratings. Re-seeding after every round, clearly saves the best matchups for Conference or NBA finals, which will make it more exciting. It was definitely not right to see the Suns and the Mavericks eliminated way earlier than they should've when they are clearly better than the Cavs. The NHL and the NFL re-seeds after every playoff series, and it's clearly been working for them. If that's not a possibility, then the NBA should look into eliminating the 7 and 8 seeds in the playoffs. It's a joke to see a team that's below .500 compete for the league's best and from this, you can definitely have the well-earned teams in the playoffs instead.
The main contribution to the dwindling ratings is the poor officiating. Call it what you want, but the NBA needs to impose "challening the call." 3 challenges allowed for each team per game. If you challenge the call, and the replay shows that it was the correct call, you loose a time out. This would skyrocket the ratings, because it would be something new, and ref's would be made to look like jackasses. (which they are) No way it's going to happen though, because such decisions require such a high level of intellegence and competence. The lack of intellegence and know how by the NBA committe is parrallel to that of George Bush. Almost NIL. Hell, most of members on these boards could do a better job of running the NBA.
Did I just hear that Anderson doesn't belong in the NBA? He may START next year! There's alot more to the game than shooting. Sure he missed that spin move, but how many rebounds, charges, and turnovers did he cause? There were a few plays where he contained Duncan. I'd take all that over half the players in the NBA.
Varejao isn't that bad. Yea, it kind of pisses me off that I workout and hoop almost everyday for free. If I had a gym in my house? It would be everyday. I just hope this draft is packed with talent. Last years class was terrible. That should help raise the ratings.
One suggestion for the NBA is to actually advertise that the NBA Finals are actually going on. ESPN/ABC have basically ruined ratings themselves. Intead of being able to click on the TV and see an ad saying "watch the finals this thursday at 6 pm" I had to come online and find out what times the games were. TNTs ratings did relatively well considering they had the rounds before the finals because they advertise. You see TNT implementing Law and Order characters to advertise games, during every major television series TNT has they show game ads constantly, they actually push their product. ESPN on the other hand waits until 20 minutes into Sportscenter to cover the Finals and they show playoff highlights after meaningless baseball regular season highlights. Doesn't help that SA was in the finals either. NBA will do fine, the ratings will do fine in series to come as long as the people actually know that there is a product to watch.
The East is so weak they need to change the playoffs from EaST to WEST to just the best teams. I hate seeing bad teams go to the Finals.
