March
1, 2001 NBA
BASKETBALL Editorial - - - - -
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The
Cure for the NBA By
BRISK METHOD
Plain
and simple, David Stern is not a marketing genius. He is making all
the wrong moves and seems to have no clue of what he is doing. Why
are ratings and attendance down? Simply, the game is too hard and
too expensive to watch. Rising ticket prices have forced out what
should be the target audience: families. It is not worth it to fork
over $400 to attend a game. It is not a coincidence that the teams
with the lowest ticket prices - Sacramento, San Antonio, Indiana and Portland
- sell out nearly every game. It is also worth noting that in these
cities basketball is EVERYTHING. The fans in these cities are more
loyal, more passionate, and more enthusiastic.
The
NBA needs to start promoting these smaller market teams more, instead of
the Knicks and the Lakers. Why does it seem like the NBA goes out
of its way to push New York and L.A.? It's not good for any sport
to push only large market teams. The NBA needs a Green Bay Packers
or Buffalo Bills, teams from smaller markets that are competitive and have
loyal fan bases. San Antonio is the only smaller market team in the last
20 years to win an NBA title, and that was during a strike-shortened season.
Also,
bad officiating has made the game hard to watch. Reggie Miller is
right, smaller market teams don't get any calls against the larger market
teams. Watch any Pacers-Knicks game, Blazers-Lakers game, etc., and
it is obvious, if there's a close call, the large market team will get
it every time. It is frustrating to watch if you're a fan of a smaller
market team. Officials also play favorites and hold grudges against
teams and players. Rasheed Wallace is the only guy in the world who gets
a technical for looking at an official. On the other end, Gary Payton
spends most of every game yelling at officials and rarely gets a technical.
Chris Webber recently got a technical for briefly arguing with an official
and then ejected when he STOPPED arguing. And who can forget when
Brian Grant's face somehow fouled Karl Malone's elbow. Everyone in the
arena knew Malone fouled him, everyone watching the game on T.V. knew,
and for God's sake, even Bill Walton knew, and somehow three officials
missed it.
Furthermore,
the NBA needs to stop looking for the next Michael Jordan. There
weren't two Babe Ruth's, there weren't two Muhammad Ali's, so why look
for another Michael Jordan? Kobe and Vince are amazing, to say the
least, but they are not going to be the next Mike. No one can be
like Mike. Even if there is such a thing as the next Mike, it's Allen
Iverson, whether David Stern likes it or not. But, the NBA needs
to stop focusing on individuals - its time to start focusing on teams.
Teams win games, not individuals. Even the High Almighty Jordan couldn't
win by himself. Sure, a Vince Carter dunk is exciting, but that Doug
Christie steal, outlet pass to Peja Stojakovic, no look pass to Vlade,
alley-oop to Chris Webber for the jam is just BEAUTIFUL.
So
what team would help the NBA most by winning the Finals? The Sacramento
Kings. The Kings have great chemistry, teamwork, and the loudest
and most loyal fans in the NBA. Most importantly to the NBA, they
also have high road attendance and high TV ratings. Oh, and they
are by far the most entertaining team to watch in the league, a team that
has restored the art of shooting and the fast break. But, it's probably
a long shot for the Kings to get to the finals, so the league may have
to settle for a Blazers, Spurs, or Sixers championship. Allen Iverson
winning a ring would really disturb David Stern, so maybe a Sixers championship
is the best thing for the NBA after all. Think about it: a Finals consisting
of the best two players in the NBA right now (Iverson and Webber), the
best road team vs. the best home team, the notorious fans of Philly vs.
the loud diverse fans of SacTown. The physical, in your face Sixers
vs. the high-scoring, finesse Kings. We can only pray for a Sixers-Kings
NBA Finals. God save the NBA.
