Magics Fan from Syria 1 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 Now you can call me paranoid but sometimes I think that the NBA, as a business or a corporation, and anyone who is affiliated with its economic success would not want to have the Magic in the Finals again. What alot of people want to see is a Showdown in the Finals between Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. It would be a duel of two giants with biblical proportions. Everyone wants to see a Larry Bird - Magic Johnson type of rivalry, the two best players in the league going against each other in the grande finale. In terms of Show value, exposure etc. a fight of James against Kobe in the Finals could be a battle of the ages, something the NBA / Stern would like to see. A Magic:Lakers, Vince Carter:Kobe Bryant duel in the Finals might sound interesting to us, but is it for the league, the country and the world as interesting as Lebron against Kobe? I think that the NBA would not be afraid to use the referees to get the Magic out of the ECF to ensure a great anticipated clash between Kobe and Lebron. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreyTime 3 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 There is a HUGE difference between Johnson/Bird and what would be Bryant/James. The Celtics and Lakers both had full TEAMS around their star. The Lakers do now as well, but the Cavs most certainly to not. The people that want Cavs/Lakers in The Finals really want to see the other eight guys leave the court and have Kobe and LeBron play one on one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
My 6th Rebuild 6 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 Lebron/Kobe will never match up to Bird/Magic because their rivalry started in college and spilled over into the NBA. The other thing that elevated that rivalry is the white vs black. Kobe will be a role player soon and Lebron will be in his prime, barring injury of course. The guy I could see rival Lebron would be Durant where they would have to guard each other. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Hi-Top 791 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 Queue up the resident Cleaveland trolls. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I love my PTSD. 92 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 quote: Originally posted by MagicAtic:Lebron/Kobe will never match up to Bird/Magic because their rivalry started in college and spilled over into the NBA. The other thing that elevated that rivalry is the white vs black. Kobe will be a role player soon and Lebron will be in his prime, barring injury of course. The guy I could see rival Lebron would be Durant where they would have to guard each other. Cleveland does not equal Boston, or even New York. If LeBron was on the Knicks now I would believe that the NBA would be tempted to try to arrange a LA/Knicks matchup as a Media Event. But I don't think anyone in the media cares about Cleveland. Just LeBron. Really, how many "Cleveland" fans are there out there. And of those, how many can name more than 2 members of the team. And Cleveland's history is one of perpetual sucking. But there are LOTS of "NY" fans and "Boston" fans who will follow their teams whatever the record. My point.... I don't think that the NBA will do anything to help Cleveland because it is in the best interest of the NBA for LeBron to compete in New York City next year, either on a resurgent Nets team or the Knicks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick Chewing 0 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 what's new? it has been that way for the last couple of years Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisinboston 0 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 Stern should take a que from the NFL - 2 small market teams set the highest watched program ever. He doesn't think that way though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Catman 380 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 Didn't our finals get big ratings last year? I thought it did. Anyway, Dwight is the 3rd biggest star right now behind those 2, so it would not be horrible for the NBA to have him in the finals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~O~ 565 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 Remember our first game against the Cavs in the Eastern conference finals? It was probably the worst officiated Magic game in history and somehow they still won. I'm still impressed today. Hell, I don't even know how the Magic nearly came back to win game 2 against the Cavs with the officiating nearly as worse as the last game. Remember game 3? We couldn't even get calls on our own court. lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Passenger57 65 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 David Stern hates us, plain and simple. You could see him during the playoffs seething when we beat Boston and Cleveland. We ruined his marketing opportunities for a Boston/LA or especially a Cleveland/LA Finals. In spite of his "steering" of the refereeing in the other teams' favor during the playoffs, we still won the ECF. On a lighter note, I hear he sleeps with a Stuff The Magic Dragon voodoo doll... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drain-O 369 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 The Cavs/Spurs Finals was one of the worst watched Finals in history so Lebron by himself was not that big of a draw although the result was a foregone conclusion. Mostly the casual fan wants one big market team and to know one team is not going to roll the other. David Stern was actually once asked who his ideal Finals match-up would be for ratings and he said the Lakers vs. the Lakers. You cannot compare the NBA to the NFL. The NFL is so immensely popular and the story surrounding New Orleans and Peyton Manning was to good. No one in the NBA connects with the fans on that level. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Penny Hardaway's Ghost 260 Report post Posted February 10, 2010 I always feel like...somebody's watching me... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
