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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