Report: Adam Silver surprised by low ratings for NBA Finals
Kurt Helin
NBC Sports•October 9, 2020
https://sports.yahoo.com/report-adam-silver-surprised-low-120014340.html
As the season finally draws to a close I have to say that not only was this an entertaining past 3-4 months but certain observations and conclusions on my part and it doesn't have anything to do with who wins
As I see it NBA basketball was the biggest winner in seeing their season through to completion without so much as a single episode of COVID under the bubble. The planning that went into this as well as carrying it through without a hiccough is IMO a remarkable achievement. Baseball and Football have tried similar resumptions of their seasons but not with the success of the NBA as many players in baseball and football became infected which threw big monkey wrenches into the works
I love the game of pro basketball and with the COVID lockdown I remember Phil and Christoph were not buying in and thought the season should be canceled. I am so happy that everything went so well. I have never watched so many basketball games over such a short period of time.My wife became a basketball widow for 3 hours every other night as I literally watched every game that was televised.
I got a good look at all of the other teams and I must say that there are so many great teams with young and upcoming players that I believe many of these teams have the ability with one or two more key players can challenge for the championship.
I ind the thought of that to be exciting to look forward to
For the players who lived for 4 months in that bubble without their friends, family and loved ones, the strain must have been extraordinary and I commend all of them as we too have been essentially confined to home and for me I know that feeling of going stir crazy as each day becomes another ground hog day.There must have been extraordinary times for these guys under the bubble
Playing the games under the bubble must have also been difficult as there was zero benefit to have the home court advantage as there were no spectators until the semifinals when relatives were allowed into the bubble and could only have limited numbers at the games. The players literally had to feed on their own self motivated frenzy.Watching the games gave a sense of crowd participation with the canned cheers and screams but to the players it must have been pretty darn quiet playing those games. In the end there is no doubt in my mind that the psychological impact on the players in the bubble was a huge factor for many teams including Milwaukee and LA Clippers
Finally I have to give credit where credit is due and one just cannot deny the finals statistics of LeBron who IMO, together with AD had each a terrific playoff season. So who would be the MVP if the Lakers win...LeBron or AD. Personally my vote goes to AD as it was he who seemed to clinch so many games with his clutch shots at the end. LeBron was certainly the leader on the floor and he and AD have become best friends and their chemistry was contagious for the rest of the team so LeBron could win it as well. Both deserve it but my vote is for AD as he is the future of the Lakers. Lakers however are going to need some luck in trades to shore up their team and even with such I am not of the opinion they can repeat next year.Miami is one heck of a terrific team and knowing Pat Riley's history I am betting he is going to try to land Giannis and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Ballmer go after Giannis and luxury tax be damned. I think Giannis will leave as Bucks need a complete overhaul whereas there are several teams that are one short of a great player to earn a championship.
So do the Lakers close out the Heat and bring down the bubble or will Butler and the Heat find a way to win this game
My last comment is in appreciation of some of the video additions in the games
1. I really like the 24 second shot clock shown ticking down inside the key. That would be a plus
2. I also liked the HD traveling camera down the sideline with the play. It put us court side moving with the flow of the game. I really liked that
So I am hoping that today is the final game as the Lakers win their 17th title and I do hope Jeannie will be in the bubble to accept the trophy rather than Pelinka who I still find difficult to forgive in his back stabbing dealings with Magic Johnson
Go Lakers!!