By Mardeio Cannon | OBSERVER Columnist
By the time you read this column, the first game of the NBA Finals would have occurred, and hopefully it was a close game. However, if the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing in the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history (not counting their years in Seattle as the SuperSonics), demolished the Indiana Pacers, then this year’s NBA Finals are in trouble.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the advertisers who bought time for the NBA Finals were crossing their fingers hoping that the New York Knicks would somehow find a way to defeat the upstart Indiana Pacers and make it to the Finals.
The Knicks, after defeating the Boston Celtics in the previous round, had turned their fan base, led by their No. 1 fan Spike Lee into a frenzy. Also being the biggest market in the U.S. and having a national fan base, advertisers were guaranteed a huge television market had the Knicks made it to the Finals. Now that the Pacers, the 25th largest media market in the U.S. will be playing the Thunder, the 47th media market in the U.S., the NBA Finals will be set with two small-market teams.
Another reason that the ratings may be lower than last year is that there are no well-known NBA superstars such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant or Luka Doncic playing in the Finals. The NBA is a star-driven league, and the television ratings are typically higher when some of the NBA superstars or teams like the L.A. Lakers are in the Finals.
The last reason that the ratings for the Finals may be in trouble is that the Thunder are overwhelming favorites to beat the Pacers.
The Thunder come into these Finals with the best record in the NBA this season with a record of 68-14. They have been destroying their opponents this season — oftentimes winning by more than 30 points. The Thunder bring a suffocating defense, clutch shooting and the all-around play of this year’s NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Finals. This team is well coached and hungry to win their first NBA championship. If the Thunder win in convincing fashion in the first game of the seven-game series, many NBA fans outside of Oklahoma City will tune out the Finals expecting a four-game sweep.
No matter who wins, the winning team will bring an NBA title to their city for the first time. Let’s hope for a long and entertaining series of NBA basketball.
Prediction: Oklahoma City wins in five games.
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