Rick Carlisle Had The Perfect Response To The Losers Who Pretend To Care About Market Size And The TV Ratings Of This Year's NBA Finals
Sarah Stier. Getty Images.There's a bunch of discourse around the NBA that I find to be beyond stupid. One instance of that was all the crying and complaining about 3pt volume and how people who most definitely are not watching the NBA every night stomp their feet and declare that it's boring because everyone plays the same (absolutely not true!).
As annoying as that may have been to live through, nothing and I mean NOTHING compares to NBA TV Ratings talk. It's by far the worst topic of all time when it comes to talking about the NBA. The conversation is almost never had in good faith, and considering the NBA just signed a 10 year $76B TV deal, I never really understood why it was a topic to begin with. Clearly, it did not prevent networks from wanting to get into the NBA business, and as a fan I couldn't imagine possibly giving a shit what the ratings tell you. I always go back to the NFL. Their ratings are king and always will be king, regardless of what the product looks like on the field. Then every weekend rolls around, the slate is filled with unwatchable games, but everyone watches anyway.
So I never understood the stance that ratings = quality of product, when that isn't really the case. You're telling me the Patriots, Browns, Raiders, Giants etc were high quality on the field products? Zero chance, despite the fact that I'm sure the TV ratings for their games were all great.
Which brings me to this year's NBA Finals.
What was what we heard almost immediately after the Thunder and Pacers punched their ticket to the Finals?
"This Finals sucks! The TV ratings are going to be the lowest ever!"
"The NBA has to be so pissed there's no big market involved!"
"This is the worst thing that could have happened to the league!"
blah blah blah. Despite what has been an incredible playoffs in every round, it felt like we went right back to determining how "good" something is going to be by its "TV ratings" or the "market size" of the teams involved
Forget what has been happening on the court these last few months. Forget the fact that the Thunder are quite literally on the verge of making NBA history. Forget what an incredible underdog story the Pacers have been and how they've earned every bit of their opportunity to win their first-ever title. Forget the young star power that this matchup gives us. Forget that these have been the two best teams in the entire NBA since January 1st. The list goes on and on.
No no, what truly matters is the size of the market and the TV ratings of the Finals. That's how you determine if it's entertaining/good!
You think I'm joking, but that is legitimately how some feel/act about these Finals, which is why I think Rick Carlisle summed things up perfectly
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Perfectly said in my opinion. This is a Finals that basketball fans should love. You know, people who actually care about the sport and the league and have a genuine interest. Everything about the storylines of how each team got to this point, the styles in which they play, it really is as Carlisle said. It's a true celebration of the game of basketball. All this market and ratings talk heading into the Finals really makes me think back to the famous KD tweet of a few years ago
I'd say the perception of the masses when it comes to these Finals is exactly the kind of thing KD is talking about in that tweet.
That's not to say things like a Lakers/Celtics Finals wouldn't also be awesome, but I think both things can be true. Big time showdowns like that are great, as is a matchup like OKC/IND. We'll see how the games ultimately play out, but big markets and star power don't always equal a highly competitive Finals. Just last year, we saw the Celtics pack up the Mavs in a quick 5 games, so you never really know until they roll the ball out and we see which team can survive.
If you're truly a basketball fan, my brain can't really comprehend how you couldn't be excited for these Finals or have a "I'm not watching that" mentality. Perhaps that's because I'm biased as someone who has watched these teams all year and actually like the sport, but for whatever reason, now fans should care about TV ratings like they matter? When a new $76B TV deal is already signed? Who could possibly give a fuck?
I think this goes back to what the real problem with the NBA is (outside of their officiating problem). It's the media/marketing aspect of everything that's in the shitter. Instead of this Finals matchup being celebrated, you see all the time on every big network about how it doesn't have "star power" and how the league has to be upset over ratings and how nobody is going to watch etc. It's pathetic really. If you're a casual fan and you're hearing all that stuff (which isn't even true btw), is that going to make you want to tune in? No! Of course not!
As someone with no real rooting interest, all I really care about is having a competitive and long NBA Finals. I cannot imagine giving a single fuck how many other people in the country are watching the games, because in my house the ratings are going to be through the roof.