The NBA Finals Are Fixed For Kobe vs. LeBron

How can I say that so confidently?  Because of how great both the Lakers and the Cavs are?  No.  I know the way the NBA operates. 

The NBA has been a star driven league ever since David Stern became commissioner.  The league no longer hypes teams—they hype their stars.  And the two biggest stars the NBA has out there are Kobe and LeBron.  You think the NBA is going to stop that matchup from hitting your TV screen?  Think again.

Prior to the start of the '07-'08 NBA season, the league signed their biggest TV revenue contract ever at nearly $1 billion a season.  This was remarkable considering NBA ratings were shrinking for the past few season, especially the ratings for their crown jewel, the NBA Finals. 

But ABC/ESPN forked out the cash anyway and lo and behold, the "dream" matchup of the Celtics and Lakers took place at the end of the 07-08 season.  Ratings nearly doubled from the year before.  Was that just lucky for the NBA?  Coincidence?  I think not.

So here we sit on the verge of the '08-'09 NBA Finals.  What would the NBA prefer?  Magic vs. Nuggets or Kobe vs. LeBron?  Let's see...

Kobe vs. LeBron has been the talk of the sports community (especially ESPN) for over a month now.  The pair is featured in a Vitamin Water campaign (which graces ESPN's homepage) and in a Nike campaign which features Kobe- and LeBron-like muppets and asks, "Who is the most valuable puppet?"  An interesting choice of words and imagery if one considers the NBA to be fixed by the league itself. 

Having just Kobe or just LeBron make the Finals kills this hype.  They both need to be in the Finals.

Could I be wrong?  Perhaps.  But if convicted former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was telling the truth about how the NBA really operates, don't be shocked to see another "dream" matchup taking place a week from now.