The NBA wants the Miami Heat in the finals. And no...I am not talking about superstar treatment or bad officiating. During the 2004 playoffs, NBA Commissioner David Stern was asked who the league would like to see in that year's finals. His response? The Los Angeles Lakers vs.....the Los Angeles Lakers! Stern's devilish grin indicated he was dead serious, and for good reason. If you recall, the Lakers turned the regular season into must see tv....and it had little to do with their play on the court.
For starters, the Lakers signed Carl Malone and Gary Peyton. Along side Kobe and Shaq, these new look Lakers were called the best team ever before they scored one point together. And speaking of Kobe and Shaq, ESPN made a living off their well publicized and contentious beef. Sprinkle in a rape trial for Kobe Bryant that same year and BAM...you have ratings gold! People could not look away, and everyone tuned in to see that finals match up between L.A. and Detroit. We all remember the scandals, but no one outside of those two cities could tell you how many games Detroit won the series in. The NBA doesn't care either way...they still hit their numbers!
The next two seasons San Antonio represented the west in the finals. The Spurs won both times, in what turned out to be two of the lowest rated finals (in terms of viewing) in the history of the league. Advertisers had to be disappointed their top dollar ads did not reach the projected amount of viewers. Did I mention that San Antonio is just as boring now? Did I also mention they have a more than legitimate chance to win it all again? Advertisers must be nervous.....
Fast forward to present day and Stern has got to be sweating bullets. The Miami Heat are his 2004 Lakers team now, and he needs them in the finals. We already saw Derick Rose, Carmello Anthony, Chris Paul, and Kobe Bryant eliminated. Stern can not afford to have LeBron James out of these playoffs. Once he's gone, so are the casual fans. San Antonio vs Philadelphia or Indiana? Stop playin! Or even Oklahoma City vs either one of those teams would be a disaster for the league. Advitisers pay top dollar for those commercial slots, hinging on the fact they will reach a mass audience. Love him or hate him, LeBron can do that all by himself.
If you are a fan of Lebron you will be watching every minute of every game to see if he can finally get it done. If you hate LeBron, you will enjoy every minute of every second of another choke. Casual fans will tune in to see what all of the fuss is about. Every one is happy. Don't be surprised if you see Stern in the stands for the Heat's pivotal game 6 tilt with the Pacers. It's still a business..... follow @plcolter
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