NBA Finals ratings lowest since 1982 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Evilmav2 · 06-13-2003, 04:32 AM

NBA Finals ratings lowest since 1982

June 12, 2003
NEW YORK (AP) -- Ratings for the NBA Finals are on their way to being the lowest since 1982 and are down 38 percent from last season.

The finals, between the New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs, have an average rating of 6.3 through four games. No NBA Finals' series since 1982 has finished with an average rating in single digits, according to Nielsen Media Research.

New Jersey's 77-76 victory over the Spurs in Game 4 on Wednesday night earned a 6.7 rating with a 12 share, a 38 percent drop from last year's Game 4.

The Los Angeles Lakers, led by the star duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, defeated the Nets in four games last season to win their third straight championship.

Last year's finals had an average rating of 10.2. The Lakers' clinching victory in Game 4 earned a 10.8 rating.

The Nets and Spurs are tied 2-2. Game 5 is Friday night in New Jersey.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with televisions, whether or not they are in use. The share is the percentage of televisions in use tuned to a program.

Mandyahl · 06-13-2003, 12:49 PM

it's amazing that the lakers/nets ratings were so much higher even though the lakers swept. it seems like the competitivness of this series would draw some viewers...just goes to show how dull the style of play has been.

TripleDipping · 06-13-2003, 01:54 PM

I gotta admit, as a bball fan I tried to watch all the games entirely but the clank fests just turned me off... and defense has nothing to do with those missed shots.

Mandyahl · 06-13-2003, 02:06 PM

Quote:

and defense has nothing to do with those missed shots.

defense has to have something to do with it. the spurs were hitting a lot of shots against us, so it's not like they can't shoot. we were just leaving them wide open because we were double or triple teaming duncan. the nets are playing duncan one on one a lot, so the rest of the spurs are being defended on their shots, so they miss. i am not saying the nets are playing great defense, but the defense they are playing definitely is having an effect on the spurs shots. on the other hand, spurs are playing much the same defense as they did against us, and the nets are having a harder time scoring than we did simply because they don't have as many offensive threats.

OutletPass · 06-13-2003, 02:24 PM

Trip and Mandy...you're right. Both teams MAY be playing good D....but the unforced turnovers, the missed OPEN shots, and the pace are making this downright ugly. I haven't slept this much since Spurs-Lakers last year.

OutletPass · 06-13-2003, 02:25 PM

Doubled....sorry. It's what happens when you have twin icons !

MavKikiNYC · 06-13-2003, 06:06 PM

Re missed OPEN shots...

I think that good defense can affect open shots as well. To the extent that a shooter like Kittles relies on rhythm to be an effective outside shooter, the fact that he is so rarely open for a clean shot prevents him from establishing any type of rhythm.

Even a player like Kidd, who isn't a great shooter, can still be a threat if teams leave him open. But that isn't happening regularly enough against the Spurs for him to develop any type of rhythm either. Similarly, Jefferson feeds off of transition baskets to get in rhythm for the occasional outside jumper. Prior to G4, the Spurs had limited his transition opportunities so effectively that he was a cypher from outside.

The Spurs' shooters are feeling some pressure as well. Jackson has had a couple of nice runs of 3s, but his outside effectiveness has been uneven. They pointed out the other night that Bowen had gone 70 game-minutes in the series without a FG--I haven't verified that, but it sounds like it could be right. He hasn't been much of a factor at all with his 3-pt shooting. Same was the case for Ginobili on that missed 3. the other night. He had a look, but someone had made him hesitate a second before. Duncan is being affected as well in the low post--he's making some shots, but he's having to work much harder to free himself, and some of the shots he's hitting are prety well-defended.

It is a harsh style of play for a lot of spectators, but if you can appreciate the competitiveness of the two teams, there's something to watch.

Re ratings, for context, an article I posted the other day, pointed out that the television ratings for the Lakers three championship runs were marked by a dropoff from the last MJ-led Bulls suite of championships. Part of the issue is probably the style of play, but the ratings dropoff is also part of a larger downward trend overall.

jayC · 06-13-2003, 11:23 PM

Combine the slow style and the small tv markets you are bound to have a low rating.

one long blue sock · 06-14-2003, 12:55 PM

Thanks Phil for makin the game what it is today

superheadcat · 06-14-2003, 03:16 PM

i guess it is about time the style of nba change to better ball movement, better offense execution, and more foundamentally sound players on the court, in stead of big, fat guys who can't hit shots keep beating others up, and then label thier ugly plays "tough defense".

may i suggest mavs will lead the next evolution of nba playing style?

one long blue sock · 06-14-2003, 03:21 PM

Not with Stern and Cuban being such good friends.

superheadcat · 06-14-2003, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: one long blue sock
Not with Stern and Cuban being such good friends.

stern may hate cuban, but he cannot afford hating higher ratings.

one long blue sock · 06-14-2003, 03:52 PM

I agree, but then again anything could happen with Stern being so stubborn

Tony tha Mavs fan · 06-14-2003, 07:44 PM

I gotta give it up to the Finals this year, those 2 -3 hours are the best sleep i've had in a while! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]