The NBA just breathed a collective sigh of relief, and it's not because the Los Angeles Clippers appear to have a new owner. The annual championship playoff series known as the Finals are set to get underway this Thursday, and the one thing the league couldn't afford to happen didn't.
The Miami Heat were not eliminated.
The Finals are broadcast on ABC...not TNT...not ESPN. And that's for one reason, to bring in the non / casual fan. In a star driven league like the NBA, it needs it's box office players center stage in order to do that.
The Indiana Pacers are young and talented, but far from box office. And nothing will make a channel surfer reach for his or her remote like a defensive mined team with no recognizable faces. Paul George is a great player, but will only be recognized by a handful of people at the Walmart down the street from my house.
That just won't cut it.
The NBA must have been holding their breath as the Pacers made good on an off season promise to secure the number 1 seed in the east this year. They looked mostly dominate throughout the season, and Miami looked anything but playoff ready as the regular season came to a close.
With the Heat closing out the Pacers in six games on Friday night, the league was left with the best of two possible scenarios.
San Antonio and Oklahoma City are the last two standing in the west. And regardless of who ends up hosting the Heat on Thursday night, the NBA will have a series filled with huge names and huge story lines.
If the Spurs advance, it's a rematch of an epic 7 game thriller from a year ago. If the Thunder advance, it's a rematch from two years ago...and a head to head match up between the two best players on the planet. Either way, the league can promote the faces that promote the league. The casual viewer is more inclined to tune in, and the sponsors are more inclined to see a return on their investment.
A win for everyone..but the Pacers I guess. follow @plcolter
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