After the best post-season in a decade you would think the NBA Finals would be must-see TV, right? Not exactly. This Finals matchup of the Lakers and the Magic has been tough to watch for this sports fan because nobody looks like they want to win. Actually, Kobe wants to win enough for the entire Lakers squad- at least that what ESPN has told us over the last week to keep us interested. Game 4 was the hardest of these Finals to watch so far because neither team could shoot a lick. The two teams needed overtime to finish this one with the Lakers eventually winning 99-91.
The ratings for this years Finals are projected to drop about 10 percent to an 8.4.
Last year the epic rivalry of the Lakers-Celtics produced a national rating of 9.3 overall. This just proves that the NBA is a star-driven league. These are the best athletes in the world but their play in this series has been very mediocre. Unlike the Superbowl or even the World Series; the Finals banks on having two stars to face each other.
For example, the classic showdown of the Magic-Bird in the 1980's averaged a 14 point rating. The six Finals in which Michael Jordan played in through the 1990's against the likes of Magic, Drexler,Barkley,Kemp, Stockton and Malone averaged a 16.7 rating. The highest rating ever came in the Jordan's last Finals appearance against the Jazz with an 18.7 rating.
The years in which the Finals showcased just one star such as Spurs-Nets and Celtics Rockets average well below a 10 rating.
This match-up of Kobe versus Dwight Howard is not quite what it may be in a few years. In addition to the lack of individual competition; these two teams are below average in comparison to the some of the teams in 80's and 90's.
Let's just get it over with and hope next year's be more entertaining.
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