Knowing full well that the title of this commentary would be more than just a little incendiary to a large portion of these United States, specifically along the Western seaboard, I tread somewhat carefully, but I am still firm in my belief.
They will never say it out loud, but David Stern and the NBA are quietly pulling for the Boston Celtics to hang another banner from the rafters.
Granted, it won't be the Boston Garden rafters but the first one hung in the "TD Banknorth Central Greenway Right above the train station and across from some of the greatest imbibing stations in Boston" Garden.
This, of course, means they won't have to worry about it being nibbled on by small wandering four-legged creatures of the dark. But, I digress.
Eastern Conference basketball has taken on the appearance of an Olsen twin. No matter how you dress it up, it still looks and has the odiferous aroma of being on the "D" list and frightens small children.
There are no important franchises to the NBA in the Eastern Conference than the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. None. Zero. Nada. Doughnut hole. No argument.
Cleveland is an up-and-coming franchise, but LeBron James is the only star and a fleeting one at that. He may just take his often soft act to...where else...New York. If and when they start losing, history tells us the fan base will treat the franchise like the Cuyahoga River of 1969.
Chicago? Nice try. The Bulls are so confused, they bring back a retread coach and are only now showing signs of rebirth. Fan support there hasn't been the same since MJ left to play golf, and there is only now a small glimmer of hope.
Philadelphia? If they let Mo Cheeks and Andre Iguodala get away this summer, they may as well put a Santa Claus suit on the new coach and hand out snowballs. Not likely with $11M in cap space, but certainly possible.
Detroit? Close behind in second perhaps. That fan base is one of the best in professional sports, but Detroit is nowhere close to the media markets of Boston and New York.
Ask any advertising, marketing, PR flack or agent hack where the dough is made, and it's NYC. Common sense.
The fact is when it comes to national and global attention, no two franchises in the East have the power of the Knicks and Celtics. Despite being owned by a schizophrenic father-and-son team that know as much about basketball as Gary Carter thinks he knows about being a manager, Madison Square Garden is a sell-out haven.
In Boston, they are passionate about their teams, but they have been fair-weather at best in recent years, judging by their attendance. No one could blame them as the franchise wallowed into mediocrity, but this season only Detroit filled the house at a greater capacity.
There are plenty more points to argue, but the reality is this. New York and Boston are two of the most rabid sports towns in America, not just for what happens on the field but what happens on TV, the radio, newspapers, billboards, you name it.
I can make a solid claim for them being the top two sports cities in America. When it comes to advertising dollars, they print money in those two cities. A good portion of that funnels into wallets of every other NBA franchise.
Money is the driving force behind the NBA secretly rooting for the guys in green, especially this season. To those who really understand what drives sports in this country, you will hear a collective "duh" at the end of that sentence.
The most popular NBA jersey sold this season was that of Kevin Garnett, whose sales tripled since last season. The most popular team merchandise, even in sales at the NBA's New York City store, were those of the Boston Celtics. Again, an increase in triple digits since last season.
Winning certainly breeds contempt from those franchises who wish they could cash in like this. It breeds giggles and grins of glee from the league.
There is no revenue-generating sport in America that doesn't realize you have to be big in New York to be successful. Where do you think all the major advertising agencies are house?
Boston, thanks to the Red Sox, Patriots, resurgence of the Bruins, two sold-out NASCAR dates in nearby New Hampshire, and the Celtics' rise again to playoff status has become almost and perhaps just as important to every major sport in America as well.
So the Lakers and Kobe Bryant may be the favorites to win the series, but I wouldn't be one bit shocked to see a four-leaf clover fall out of David Stern's pocket in the next couple of weeks.
Veteran network sports commentator Ed Berliner can be read here at "The Bleacher Report" and TBR readers can listen to comments from a wide variety of national and regional sports commentators on the NBA and other sports at www.speedingbulletnetwork.com.
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4 months ago
this doesn't even make sense. i would have to argue that the nba doesn't care who wins at this point. they wanted an LA v Boston matchup for the ratings and media hype world wide. sure boston and new york have great fans, but the nba is much more than local fanhood now. no, it's about globalization and expanding the market. did you know that the most watched nba game this year wasn't in the playoffs, it was in the regular season when the mavs played the rockets and yi jianlian played against yao ming. that game had 100 million viewers...more than the freaking super bowl and a world series game combined. david stern isn't concerned with boston or la, he's making moves all over the world. why the hell do you think the nba has so many foreign players now? like baseball, and soccer, the nba is trying to internationalize their appeal. so for thinking the nba is all about boston winning it right now is stupid. you're retarded and gay like skip bayless. peace.
ps. lebron is not a fleeting star...he's putting up numbers that haven't been seen since oscar robinson you douchebag
4 months ago
Chris, thanks for missing the entire point of the article. There are no global NBA teams at the moment, or did I miss something? You certainly must have missed the part about the biggest selling jersey and the team that sells the most merchandise.
As for the viewers for one game, it was a special broadcast to China where they have few superstars playing out of the country and thus treat them like national heroes. Plus, just an aside for your political and economic education, they have very limited dollars and at this point in time very few actually go into the NBA's hands. The future will certainly be different, but I believe we are dealing in the present without the aid of time travel. Are you also aware that a decade ago Chinese viewers usually got their games on a one month delay, therefore what they are watching in the present is new and exciting for them to see their home grown hero. Had you read the article carefully, you would have been able to deduce the point was about this year's series between these two teams. There was no mention of what any game would mean were it to have an international superstar. Sorry you missed that but I'm always happy to help with actual facts.
Allow me to repeat that point in case you missed it. The Finals this year are between Boston and Los Angeles, which was the point of the article in choosing between the two teams. Were the teams different, the point of the comment would have been different. Sorry you missed that but I'm always happy to help with actual facts.
Your comparison of Lebron James to Oscar Robertson is not only specious but an insult to Robertson. First and foremost his name is spelled "Robertson" and not "Robinson". Big O was a 12 time All Star among other things and helped to change the face of basketball.
Were you to check your facts you would also find that in his first 5 seasons Lebron James has averaged 27.3 PPG. Robertson in his first 5 seasons averaged 30.3 PPG at a time when some would argue the league played tougher because fouls were much harder, may were not called as the game was extremely physical and much less soft as it is today, and the competition was likely on a par with today. Many who actually know more about the NBA than the last few seasons would argue perhaps the league was even stronger because there was no dilution thanks to expansion, and there were no 19 year old kids coming into the league at a severe disadvantage without the requisite skills to make the pro jump that quickly. Sorry you missed that but I'm always happy to help with actual facts.
Robertson also shot 49% in those first 5 years compared to 47% for James. In rebounding Robertson, despite being a full 3 inches shorter, averaged 10.4 RPG while James in his first 5 years averages 6.9 RPG.
As for Lebron being a fleeting star, you will find the comment was made in connection with the very serious potential of his leaving Cleveland, which would indeed make him fleeting in the eyes of Cavalier fans. Notice the words prior to that which noted him as the "only star" on the Cavs roster.
One final word to help you, Chris. Debates can and usually are made without resorting to name-calling and such. A wise man once noted that when one person in a debate employs insults, then the intelligence of that person could be called into question. Certainly you're able to carry on a debate at an intelligent level, yes?
Always a pleasure to hear from the readers. Best, Ed.
4 months ago
KOBE BRYANT IS THE MVP ALLRIGHT.... MOST VALUABLE POUTER. THE LAKERS FINALLY GOT A COUPLE GUYS ON THE TEAM TO HELP THEM... ITS THE REFS. THE NBA IS A CIRCUS AND STERN IS THE RING LEADER. i USED TO LOOK UP TO THE NBA FOR BASKETBALL, BUT NOW ITS ALL ENTERTAINMENT AND NO FUNDAMENTALS, THEY PROVED THEY ARE A SHAM WHEN THEY ADMITTED THEY ROBBED THE SPURS, AND PHIL JACKSON IS WAY TOO INTELLIGENT TO GO ALONG WITH THE NBA, ILL TELL YOU THAT! SINCE WHEN DO WE AWARD WHINERS , SINCE HE WAS READY TO JUMP SHIP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON, IT MUST BE NICE TO HAVE STERN IN YOUR POCKET, JUST THE TRUTH.... AND IM NOT TALKING ABOUT PAUL PIERCE .... ANGRY SPURS FAN
4 months ago
Totally agree that Stern is pulling for the Celtics, to restore a once very proud franchise. I actually like what both teams bring to the table on the floor. A superstar who has finally learned to make others around him better for the Lakers, and three charismatic stars of the past 10 years hungry for a first-career championship in Boston. The hard part is rooting for either team as their fan bases are tough to deal with. A Boston group who has grown arrogant due to success in baseball and football and Los Angeles, the land where bandwagonning is king (both gross generalizations and to be taken with a large grain of salt). Hell, I may have to watch to see which fan base ends up disappointed. Signed, a bitter Bay Area fan who still watches highlights of Super Bowl XXIX.
4 months ago
Sorry Ed. I guess i just got kind of heated when you started dissing LeBron. I have to admit I'm biased because he went to my high school. The thing is that you're right. It's been very frustrating to be a Cavs fan this season. Oh well...there's always the Browns haha.
-Chris
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