You have the 2 finalists from last year, the 2 best teams from this year playing on Christmas. And it's just a blip on the radar screen, an afterthought in the overhyped hissy fight between O'neal and Bryant. This doesn't happen with other sports.
yes, yes it does. why do you think T.O. draws so much attention in the nfl? why do you think the bertuzzi vs avalanche games in hockey are bigger than the senators/lightning whoever. you need storylines and good teams...not just good teams...ESPECIALLY in the regular season. what makes a better story than a feud? nothing really.
At least they're showing Spurs/Pistons. I know this is a Rockets board, but I'm surprised the league didn't go for Cavs/Rockets instead of SAS/DET. Notice that LeBron is on national TV three times (TNT, NBATV, ESPN) within five days.
I agree with you. Much more than MLB and way way more than the NFL, the NBA relies on "star" players to market it's product more than teams. From my perspective (based on how old I am), ever since Magic and Bird came into the league, the NBA has hitched it's wagon to that strategy. MJ and his 6 championships took the concept way over the top. In another thread about 6 months ago, I said the NBA could chop the bottom 50% of players, replace them with other no-names and the NBA wouldn't miss them. On the other hand, the top 20-30 players in the NBA almost carry the league while most of the others are going along for the ride (on the gravy train created by the top 20). The fact we have so many YOFs (Yao only fans) on this forum illustrate the point further and we used to have SOFs (Steve only fans). The attention TO draws in the NFL is nothing compared to the NBA. And the only reason he draws the attention is because of how he flipped out so much this year. It's not primarily because he has a lot of fans. The NFL doesn't have anything close to the cult of Kobe, Shaq, DWade, LeBron, etc. Never has, even when Brett Favre was almost worshipped a few years ago. Lastly, I plead guilty. In the NBA, I follow 10-12 non-Rockets players very closely no matter who they play for because they are fascinating to me. At this moment, I can't think of anyone in the NFL or MLB like that.
*cough*YankeesRedSox*cough* They're just trying to get the best possible ratings. An interleague game between the Yankees and Mets will get more viewers than an interleague Marlins/DRays game, because those teams have no fans. It's the same way in all sports. A lot of people want to watch Lakers vs. Heat, so that matchup is being televised nationally on Christmas. Can't blame them for giving the people what they want, even if it's not necessarily what you want.
I didn't know the NBA controlled the media, since when did they have as much power as the government?
Do not mind sbyang, he is confused. I am not sure he is even a fan of anything. He just happens to have a bbs account and on this day wants to add to his post count. How unfortunate. Heck his post deserves little to no response.
exactly how much were walton, parker, and vuljacic paid to throw this game? or could they actually just suck that much?
If you don't like my posts then PLEASE put me on your ignore list, do not read my posts, and DOUBLE PLEASE do not reply to them.
On the Kobe Shaq feud: More like sissy fight. It ticks me off how neither guy will acknowledge there is a feud yet they get offended when the media asks them about it. If there is no feud, give the other guy dap before the game. I know it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know Kobe hates Shaq and vice versa but I wish one of them would come out and say "(Insert other's name) can suck my ****". It would be hella funny instead of this sissy the other guy doesn't exist so I ignore him crap. I hope the media keeps bugging them about it until one guy goes off like T.O. on McNabb. Last week on PTI, Wilbon asked Kobe about his relationship with Shaq. What relationship? End this charade...please. Edit - Just read the Stein article. Looks like its Shaq that won't let it go. Shaq needs to tell us how he feels instead of blowing off reporters questions. Too funny.
Here is my thought on the whole situation. I wouldnt say that the Spurs Pistons game is just a blip on the radar. I think it's that way because there is no compelling story other than being Western Conference Champions vs Eastern Conference Champions. THere is no background story to the game other than that. Nobody was talking **** about the other team. There are no players switching teams. There are no FA acqusitions. Theyre just a class organization, and the San Antonio Spurs. The NBA Markets the hell out of Shaq because he is a larger than life athlete. Kobe is one of the best players. Pat Riley is a compelling coach, along side Phil Jackson. Riles used to Coach the Lakers. Phil Coached the Bulls while Riles coached the Knicks. THere's a back story to that. It's not like Darko, who is Serbian, talking **** about Rasho Nesterovic, who is Slovenian. And this will lead to a bloody war. Oh, that's already happen. nevermind. The NFL Market teams. They sell the Packers, They sell the Cowboys, and Redskins. When you market players, what happens when they retire? That team is going to suck for a while. Look at Boston, and Chicago. It's taken Boston almost ten-eleven years to be respectable. It's taken the Bulls about six yeras. And ESPN is always hyping some **** with the Yankees and Red Sux. They both can be on the bottom of the AL East, and that would be the lead story.
Kam, you just made the point, especially your last sentence. People (not hard core fans like us) follow the NBA because they care about personalities. People follow the NFL because they care about teams. IMO, the NFL's business model is more solid because of this. The NFL has never had someone like Jordan cast such a huge (positive) shadow over the league. When MJ left, the NBA worried about who's would be the next marketable superduperstar. The NFL doesn't have these worries. If Peyton Manning, Reggie Bush, Tom Brady, Shaun Alexander quit after this season, the NFL's marketing machine would keep on a chuggin. If LeBron, Kobe, Wade and AI all walked out, Stern would have a stroke. I don't blame the NBA, because their method has been successful. It may not be possible for them to focus mostly on teams and still get the same revenue streams. It's a shame the Spurs vs. Pistons was the matinee game because the subplots of Riley/Shaq vs. PJ/Kobe overshadowed everything. But the NBA depends on subplots and non-basketball issues to a great extent. The NBA doesn't have the longtime equivalent rivalries to the Boys/Skins, Steelers/Browns, Vikings/Packers, Packers/Bears, Chiefs/Raiders and about 10 more. There is bad blood between those teams while the players come and go. Moreso than the NFL, NBA rivalries depend on the players involved and how good the teams are. Even MLB has the Yanks/Bosox, Cubs/Cards, Giants/Dodgers, Twins/Chisox, etc.
I don't know whether it makes it "wrong" or not. I have my own opinion. But I don't think what apostolic is saying is even debateable. It just is. The NBA has marketed individual stars while MLB and NFL are more focused on teams. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. And at one time, it really worked well because there were lots of personalities in the game people cared about, whether they loved them or hated them. Today, I just don't find those same compelling personalities...which makes the marketing of them fall flat. I'm curious...what were the ratings for yesterday's games? I'm definitely in the camp that says the NBA has a problem. If the Rockets aren't on, the league doesn't hold my interest. And I'm a HUGE sports fan. I flip on TNT and notice that arenas seem to have lots and lots of empty seats...there seems to be very little energy...and it doesn't hold my attention for more than about 5 minutes. I change the channel. Again..I'll watch the Rockets because they're Houston's team...but the league as a whole seems very much like a diminished product to me.
I know the NBA markets stars while the NFL markets teams and the MLB markets rivalries. The thing is that all 3 systems worked fine for a long time; the NBA had the good fortune of having Magic and Bird, followed by Jordan to market in the 80s and 90s. What's the difference in their marketing from then and now? Well the biggest 'stars' in the league are no longer on championship level teams. For the last 2 years Detroit and SA are obviously the best teams in the league and have been running through the superstars of the NBA on their way to the title. I'm saying that the marketing of stars work when the stars are on the best teams anyway. But when you're pushing these stars on crappy teams on people and shoving the best teams to the back burner, well that doesn't work with me. The thing I think they should do is just find a way to market teams like Detroit and SA, or the players on the winning teams.
In football . .. you don't really SEE the players as much as in the NBA the players are covered with helmets and pads On every football team . . if u can recognize 5 players your doing well . .. on basketball team . . hell you recognize the 8th man if he sees court time So the NBA banks on this. . where the NFL cannot. . not as well anyway MLB banks on it but tried to balance it with NFL type team thing Soccer tries too. Rocket River
