There is a conspiracy a foot, and not the one everyone thinks there is

Stern wanted Lebron in playoffs.

 

Actrually, I think PdH is onto something. Close, but not quite.

I asked myself why Stern would throw gasoline onto the fire in a situation which would have died out in a day or two with a $10,000 fine. And then make sure it blew up by threatening further action and hinting at a total ban. Stern is arrogant, but not stupid.

Answer -- he WANTED massive media exposure. Suddenly, the NBA is the lead story in every sports outlet in the country. Other than this series, the only interesting 1st-round series have been Chicago-Washington & Indiana-Boston. And nobody gives any of those teams a ghost of a chance of reaching the finals, which limits national interest in those series. Stern wanted something which would boost ratings, and he got it. After his overreaction, games 6 & 7 of this series became Must See TV. Even game 5 got a boost from the two-three hours of word-of-mouth response to a $100 grand fine.

And when you look at the 2nd round, it's even more brilliant. With Seattle knocking out Sacramento, the only other series with close to the appeal of the Phoenix-Dallas/Houston series would be a possible Detroit-Indiana matchup. And the obvious national interest in that series would come with the extra baggage of the constant reminder of a riot the NBA would like people to forget.
But with the Phoenix series, Stern wins either way. He either gets the very marketable Yao-TMac pairing (with EVERYBODY having just tuned in to see just HOW incredibly Tmac is playing) or he gets the run-and-gun Dallas-Phoenix matchup with the built-in Steve Nash storyline. And massive viewership of games 6 & 7 of this series to make sure people are aware of that being the premier 2nd-round series.

When something doesn't make sense, always look at the money. It's always about the money. And when it comes to TV and sports, that means the ratings. With TV, it's ALWAYS about the ratings.

 

I think you're giving Mr. Stern way too much credit.

 

Yao vs Shaq
Tmac vs Wade
Van Gundy vs Van Gundy

sounds like a dream matchup

 

add in battle of the backup centers: Deke vs Zo

 

Stern & the NBA marketing people would love a Houston-Miami final. But they don't believe we can make it that far. At the time of the nuclear fine, the series was 2-2 and the only people who thought we would win THIS SERIES are Rockets fans. And unless we can make it to the finals, and unless Miami does too, Stern and the NBA marketing folk would much rather see San Antonio/Phoenix than San Antonio/Houston. An all-Texas western conference final would be less interesting to the average Joe on either coast, especially California, than Phoenix-San Antonio.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that means the NBA is going to push the refs for us or against us. But the finals are too far away and there are too many good teams between here and there for Stern to be salivating over that matchup. And Miami isn't quite a mortal lock over Detroit. He saw a chance to boost ratings BIG-TIME for rounds 1 & 2 -- whoever wins -- and went for it.

 

Ahh, Mozart, we think alike...It's always the money in the NBA...They could care less about the game...

 

Or maybe, David Stern was the real winner of Mark Cuban's "The Benefactor" television series.

 

I'm pretty sure David Stern is part of a vast international conspiracy involving some rabid chipmunks, three cans of pink Krylon® spray paint, and a new design for the dollar bill featuring a poorly-drawn stick figure instead of George Washington.

 

I hope it'd be a Rockets/Heat Finals... it'd be a dream come true.

 

Hey, I already posted this in another thread. I said the exact same thing, that this was all a plot by Stern to punish Cuban and drive up ratings.


Of course I was actually being sarcastic.

 

I was going to call him on that.